By james art Both Auburn and Kentucky limped into Saturday’s late-night contest in Lexington, each looking to get off the mat after back-to-back weeks of disappointment.
Auburn got off to a slow start, but big carries from Jarquez Hunter and a complete defensive performance led Auburn to a 24-10 win.
It was a game where Auburn played to its strengths, stifling Kentucky’s offense and punishing the Wildcats with a bruising game.
Here are three takeaways from Auburn’s first Southeastern Conference win:
Jarquez Hunter needs touches
Auburn’s offense looked out of sorts to start the game. The Tigers didn’t gain a yard on either of their first two drives, and the only rushing attempt was a Peyton Thorne scramble that didn’t gain a yard.
Hugh Freeze and the offensive staff barely tried to get Jarquez Hunter to start the game and the offense sputtered. Hunter had just one carry in the first quarter and Auburn was outgained 115-38 and went on a 10-0 run.
The second quarter was the complete opposite. Hunter carried the ball four times for 64 yards and Auburn matched Kentucky’s 10 points, outscoring the Wildcats 158-30.
He and Damari Alston both had success, and once the offense found a rhythm, Thorne didn’t commit a single incompletion in the second quarter.
When Auburn figured out what worked, it didn’t backfire.
There wasn’t much of a game-changing example of a 14-play, 75-yard drive to open the second half where Auburn took seven minutes and seven seconds off the clock. Hunter touched the ball on 10 of those 14 plays.
Hunter rushed for 278 yards, highlighted by long runs of 50, 46 and 45. The 45-yard run was broken and symbolized how Auburn won this game by leaning on its star.
Kentucky’s offense couldn’t settle down
Auburn’s defense looked away from that to start the game. After giving up 10 early points to a Kentucky forward who had yet to score more than 20 points in a conference game, there was little to settle for early on.
DJ Durkin and the defensive staff turned up the pressure after early struggles and Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff struggled.
While it didn’t always lead to sacks, Vandagriff was affected by the pressure on nearly every throw. He split snaps on time with backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, but Wimsatt took over full time to start the second half.
After gaining 115 total yards in the first quarter, Kentucky gained 36 over the next two. With its leading rusher not playing, Kentucky never found much success on the ground. Wimsatt offered a new dynamic compared to Vandagriff and hurt Auburn with his dual-threat ability on long drives late in the fourth quarter.
The defense did stand up when they needed to in that kick but intercepted Wimsatt close to the goal line, slamming home after an impressive performance.
Auburn finished the game
Auburn outscored Kentucky 313-36 in the second and third quarters. He had a total advantage of 200 yards entering the fourth position, but only led by seven.
It was a similar story to how many of Auburn’s close losses have gone away, seemingly doing whatever it took to win but never making the plays to pull away.
Then, on third down near midfield, where it felt like the game might turn, Hunter made a play. He took a handoff 45 yards for a touchdown, putting Auburn up 24-10, finally giving the Tigers a comfortable lead.
Kentucky responded, moving the ball better than it had in either of the previous two quarters, but after getting to the two-yard line, Auburn’s defense stood up.
A goal-line interception by Kayin Lee was the moment of relief Auburn fans had been craving since the start of conference play, witnessing their team finally finish a game.
Auburn’s performance was still far from perfect, but for the first time against a Power 4 opponent this season, it was enough.
Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X on @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m