When the Commonwealth Stadium clock showed three zeroes and a 30-27 Auburn lead in Lexington on Thursday night, the only number that mattered to the Tigers’ defense was two, the number of yards lost by Kentucky quarterback Patrick Towles on the Wildcats’ final play from scrimmage.
Auburn gave up a season-high 497 yards of offense, but the defense came up with a crucial stop to preserve the narrow lead in the final minute and give the Tigers their first SEC win of the year.
“I’m not proud of the 500 yards,” said freshman cornerback Carlton Davis. “We made plays, but at the same time, we still have to improve as a defense.”
It was feast or famine all night for Auburn.
The defense forced three three-and-outs by Kentucky in the game, but the unit also surrendered two nine-play drives, two 10-play drives and a 12-play march.
The Tigers were torched for 240 yards in the first half, but Davis intercepted a Towles pass in the end zone, and the defense gave up only 10 points. The second half, however, was a different story.
Kentucky stormed out of the half with a 75-yard touchdown drive to pull within a score, and the Wildcats added a field goal late in the third to cut the deficit to three.
After Auburn appeared to have the game in hand after Peyton Barber’s touchdown run with 7:56 left in the fourth quarter, the defense surrendered another quick touchdown, allowing the Wildcats to lower the deficit to three.
On what could have been a game-clinching drive, the Tigers’ offense failed to convert on third down, leaving coach Gus Malzahn with a crucial decision on fourth-and-one with 2:12 left in the game.
After a brief deliberation by the coaching staff, Malzahn elected to punt, placing the Tigers’ fate in the hands of his much-maligned defense.
“There was a little bit of discussion,” Malzahn said. “I thought about (going for it), but as a coach, you get a feel for the game. I thought it was going to be a 50-50 type deal, so we punted and put the pressure on our defense, and our defense responded.”
Kevin Phillips’ punt pinned the Wildcats deep in their own territory, but three consecutive completions set Kentucky up near midfield with over a minute remaining.
On third down from the Auburn 44, Towles lofted a pass down the left sideline. Kentucky wide receiver Jeff Badet controlled the ball for a moment inside the Auburn five-yard line but lost it on the way down, setting up fourth-and-three with the game, and possibly Auburn’s season, on the line.
Defensive end DaVonte Lambert stepped inside the left tackle to force Towles out of the pocket, and senior linebacker Justin Garrett wrapped up the quarterback for a sack to preserve the win.
“(Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp) said the game was going to come down to us at the very end,” Garrett said. “We didn’t play too well the first three quarters, so we pretty much knew we had to seal the game. Forget about what all happened in the first three quarters and just win the game. That’s the only thing that matters, winning on the road in an SEC game.”
Malzahn said he’s more confident in his defense going forward because of the key stop on the final drive.
“You need your defense to respond, and they did,” Malzahn said. “They won the game for us on that last drive.”
The Thursday night contest allows Auburn a couple of extra days to prepare for a trip to Arkansas next Saturday, a team whose ground-and-pound offense contrasts greatly with the spread looks Auburn has faced this season.
“It’s good that we have a long week until the next game,” senior linebacker Kris Frost said. “We’re going to get back to work and get ready to handle business.”
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