Fresh off securing their first SEC win of the 2025 season, Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers return to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday night to face a struggling Kentucky team hoping to break a four-game losing streak of its own.
So far, the Wildcats have not had the offensive season they were hoping for, having scored 14 points or fewer in three of their last four outings. Despite this, there have been several surprising standouts on offense.
Freshman quarterback Cutter Boley has shown promise after taking over for former Auburn quarterback Zach Calzada three games into the season.
Boley has racked up more than 1,200 passing yards and nine touchdowns through his first five games, but his most impressive performance came just last week against Tennessee. He threw for 330 yards and five touchdowns as the Wildcats delivered arguably their best offensive performance of the season in a 56-34 loss to the Volunteers.
The Wildcats have also found some success in their rushing attack this season.
Senior running back Seth McGowan has totaled nearly 476 rushing yards, but even more impressive are the seven touchdowns he has scored. Kentucky’s rushing attack will be put to the test Saturday as it faces an Auburn defense that currently ranks as the No. 5 rushing defense in the nation.
Even with their offense struggling this season, the Wildcats’ biggest weakness has been on defense — specifically against the pass.
Kentucky currently holds the second-worst passing defense in the nation, allowing more than 250 yards through the air per game. Their most glaring defensive issue has been the lack of a pass rush; the Wildcats have recorded just six sacks through their first seven games. Opposing quarterbacks have been able to take advantage of the extra time in the pocket, with Kentucky averaging fewer than one defensive turnover per game.
With it seeming likely that senior quarterback Ashton Daniels will record his first career start under center for Auburn on Saturday, it will be interesting to see how the Stanford transfer looks to exploit Kentucky’s struggling pass defense.
Auburn fans will be hopeful to see an emergence from the Tigers’ passing game, which has ranked last in the SEC through their first eight games.
Daniels and the Tigers will look to continue utilizing star receivers Eric Singleton and Cam Coleman after both recorded impressive catches last Saturday against Arkansas.
Be sure to catch the Tigers this Saturday night as they look to win their second consecutive SEC game for the first time in more than two years. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST, and the game will be televised on SEC Network.
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Jonathan is a freshman majoring in industrial and systems engineering. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2025.
