The Auburn Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats have met 34 times since their first-ever matchup in 1934, a 9-0 victory for Kentucky in Lexington.
Auburn has dominated this matchup historically, with the series leaning towards the Tigers at 27-6-1 and Kentucky only claiming one victory in the last 57 years.
The now gone SEC East and West limited the matchups between the schools, as they have only faced off six times this century.
October 17, 2009 (Kentucky 21-14)
After coming off a 44-23 loss after visiting Arkansas, the Auburn Tigers fell out of the AP Poll after being ranked No. 17 the week prior. The season's first ranking for the Tigers looked to bounce back against a 2-3 Kentucky team.
After a 2-0 start, the Wildcats drew a tough slate of games, suffering defeat to three straight ranked SEC opponents. They were looking to win their second game in Jordan-Hare stadium, with their only victory before 1961.
After no blood was drawn in the first quarter, Auburn Neiko Thorpe recovered a blocked field goal and returned it 69 yards for the game's first score.
The Tigers and Wildcats traded blows, and Auburn held a 14-7 lead at the half. However, Auburn failed to score in the second half and allowed two touchdowns in the game's last six minutes, including the go-ahead rushing touchdown from future NFL Pro Bowler Randall Cobb.
This victory for the Wildcats marked their first in the 21st century over the Tigers, with Cobb leading the way for Kentucky with 109 rushing yards and TD as both teams struggled to throw the ball with 177 total passing yards.
October 9, 2010 (Auburn 37-34)
The No. 8 Auburn Tigers started their season with a 5-0 record and looked to avenge the loss to the Wildcats the year prior and keep their undefeated season alive. Led by quarterback Cam Newton, the Tigers looked to avoid their first loss in Lexington, Kentucky, since 1966.
Kentucky, after a 2-0 start, lost three consecutive games. Similar to their matchup the season prior, they were desperate to turn their season around.
After Kentucky scored the first touchdown of the game, Auburn responded in full force and eventually led the Wildcats 31-17 at halftime.
However, they would not be defeated so easily. They quickly tied the game at 31 each as they headed into the fourth quarter with Auburn’s undefeated season on the line.
Each team traded field goals to tie the game at 34. Auburn received the ball with 7:31 left in the game, and Auburn did not let Kentucky touch the ball again that game. A 19-play scoring drive chewed the remainder of the clock as Auburn kicked a 24-yard field goal as time expired to keep the undefeated season alive.
The future Heisman winner Newton was trouble for Kentucky on the ground and recorded 198 rushing yards with four rushing touchdowns, escaping the Wildcats on their way to an undefeated perfect season.
October 15, 2015 (Auburn 30-27)
Auburn returned to Lexington for the first time since 2010, and their narrow escape of the Wildcats on their way to a national championship. Both squads entered the contest with multiple conference losses and looked to keep their seasons from derailing.
The Tigers, led by two future NFL runningbacks, Peyton Barber and Kerryon Johnson, both found the endzone in the first quarter. Auburn jumped out to a quick 14-7 lead by the end of the first quarter.
A trio of field goals by future NFL All-Pro kicker Daniel Carlson gave the Tigers a 23-10 lead at halftime, a trend prevalent in the prior two matchups. Auburn seemingly was expected to pull ahead in each contest.
Like the 2010 game, Auburn was shut in the third quarter, and Kentucky rallied together 10 points to find themselves down 23-20 headed into the final frame.
After trading touchdowns in the fourth quarter, Auburn held a three-point lead and left the game in the hands of the defense. With Kentucky in Auburn territory, the Tigers got off the field with a fourth and three stop to seal the game.
Ricardo Louis did the heavy lifting for the Tiger's offense with seven receptions and 154 receiving yards.
September 26, 2020 (Auburn 29-13)
In a strange season in college football due to COVID, this game ended up being the first for either team this season and a top-25 matchup with the Wildcats at No. 23 and the Tigers at No. 8.
Both teams traded touchdowns in the first quarter, with Auburn deciding to attempt a two-point conversion that gave them an 8-7 lead.
A scoreless second quarter set up Bo Nix for his first touchdown pass of the season to give Auburn an eight-point lead, but Kentucky responded right back but failed the two-point conversion for a one-score game yet again in the recent contests between these two schools.
The combination of a defensive shutout in the fourth and Nix’s second and third touchdowns of the day allowed the Tigers to pull away from Kentucky, and the first two scores won over the Wildcats since 2005.
Nix finished the day with 233 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and led the team with 34 rushing yards.
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Craig Noyes is a senior from Kensington, Maryland, majoring in journalism. He joined The Plainsman in January 2023.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @CraigNoyes58
