The Auburn Tigers (5-1, 2-1 SEC) will return to Auburn this week after playing two games on the road to take on the Kentucky Wildcats (2-3. 0-3 SEC) for the first time since 2005.
The Tigers are coming off a 44-23 loss against the Arkansas Razorbacks who knocked the Tigers out of the AP Top 25 for the second straight year.
Auburn trailed 27-3 at halftime, but came out firing in the second half.
With 7:56 left in the third quarter the Tigers scored 20 straight points to make it a 34-23 game.
Arkansas sophomore running back Dennis Johnson returned the ensuing kickoff 70 yards to the Auburn 30 to end the third quarter.
The Razorbacks made it 41-23 on Broderick Green's second touchdown of the game.
Senior running back Ben Tate led the team with 184 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns, including a career-long 60-yard touchdown run.
Auburn holds a winning record of 24-5-1 over Kentucky and has not lost to the Wildcats since 1966.
In preparation for Saturday's game, the Tigers spent the week going over assignments and correcting mistakes from the Arkansas game.
"We've got to coach better, and the players have to play better," said defensive coordinator Ted Roof after Sunday's practice. "All the mistakes that were made were correctable, we just have to learn from them."
The Tigers have won 15 consecutive games against the Wildcats and scored at least 41 points in each of the last four meetings and scored 27 rushing touchdowns and six passing touchdowns in the last seven meetings.
Sophomore wide receiver Darvin Adams and junior wide receiver Terrell Zachery have a combined 40 catches for 716 yards and nine touchdowns.
They entered the season with a combined five catches for 42 yards and no scores.
Tate leads the SEC, ranked eighth nationally in rushing (120.7) and has four 100-yard rushing games this season.
The Wildcats are coming off a 28-26 loss to South Carolina last Saturday gaining 360 yards, the most allowed by South Carolina all season.
Kentucky will be without its starting quarterback, Mike Hartline, who was injured in the third quarter and has undergone an MRI test.
Head coach Rich Brooks said juniors Will Fidler and Morgan Newton would compete for the starting job for Saturday's game against Auburn.
"We will work Morgan Newton; we will Will Fidler," Brooks said in Monday's press conference. "We will determine at a later date who will take the majority of the snaps in the game."
Brooks said his decision on who will be quarterback is based on decision-making and play-making and that some of the offensive scheme will be cut.
In his conference, Brooks praised Auburn on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
"These Auburn backs are very dangerous," Brooks said. "They're physical and fast. Todd is doing a great job of executing the offense. He is a hard guy to sack because he gets rid of the ball."
Sophomore wide receiver/ quarterback Randall Cobb is second in the SEC in receptions per game (4.6) and sixth in receiving yards per game (62).
Cobb is also second in the SEC in punt returns and fifth in all-purpose yards (130.8).
On the defensive side, senior tackle Corey Peters had seven tackles and a career-high 2.5 quarterback sacks against the Gamecocks making him SEC Defensive Lineman of the week.
Kentucky enters the game averaging 25.2 points per game and is allowing 26.8 points per game.
The Tigers are giving up an average of 27.2 points per game and scoring an average of 38.3.
Saturday's game will be televised by ESPNU and kickoff at 6:30 p.m. CDT from Jordan-Hare Stadium.
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