Auburn suffered its worst loss of the season, falling 10-3 to Kentucky in a season full of disappointment against a struggling Wildcats team. The game was a story of defense, as many expected, with both teams showcasing their strengths on that side of the ball and their weaknesses on offense.
“My job is to get this team ready to play and win games,” said head coach Hugh Freeze. “We have failed to do that this year, and it's frustrating. I still believe we are really close, and I know that this team is still playing really hard for this university, and it’s sickening that we haven’t delivered.”
The game opened with nothing but defense, as the first quarter featured five punts and no points, with neither team crossing the 50-yard line. Both teams punted on their first two drives, and Auburn’s first four drives of the game all ended in punts.
The Tigers started a quarterback other than Jackson Arnold for the first time this season, opting for senior Ashton Daniels, who entered the previous week’s game following Arnold’s benching. The move did not result in any early improvement, as the Tigers struggled to move the ball and got their only three points of the first half from field position earned by an Eliah Melendez interception on defense.
Both the Wildcats’ and Tigers’ defenses dominated in a first half that was abysmal for both offenses, featuring seven total punts. Auburn finished with 117 total yards, while Kentucky failed to reach triple digits with 98. There were also seven tackles for loss, six of them by the Wildcats. Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels completed just 43% of his passes, while Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley finished at 46%.
The Wildcats’ offense opened the second half in complete turnaround fashion, putting together a 10-play, 75-yard drive that featured an impressive 32-yard catch by wide receiver Fred Farrier II to move the Wildcats into the red zone. The drive was capped by a screen pass that turned into a 13-yard touchdown by Kendrick Law, giving Kentucky a valuable leg up in the second half.
Outside of the touchdown on Kentucky’s first drive, the third quarter told much of the same story as the first half, with little offense to be found. That trend continued into the fourth quarter, as neither offense could get anything going for most of the game.
The Auburn offense finished with just three points after alternating quarterbacks throughout the final quarter. The game would result in yet again frustrating fashion as there was more of the same from the offense, who ended with just 240 yards of offense and could not get into position to score without the help of the defense.
Many fans will shift the blame to Hugh Freeze, and those cries will be well warranted. The Auburn fan base and student body will sit and wait throughout the upcoming week to see which direction the program chooses to head in.
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Reid is a sophomore majoring in accounting. He joined the Plainsman in the fall of 2024.
You can follow him on X (Twitter) at @ReidFarris2
