The Auburn Tigers got back on the winning side of things last week against Arkansas, overcoming an 11-point deficit en route to a 33-24 win – their first in conference play this season.
Now, the Tigers will look to make it two straight SEC wins as they host Kentucky on Saturday night.
The Wildcats, led by the longest-tenured coach in the league, Mark Stoops, sit at 2-5 overall and winless in conference play. They are coming off a 56-24 loss to Tennessee.
Auburn leads the all-time series 28-6-1, including a 13-2 record at home, and has won
19 of the last 20 matchups in the series dating back to 1967.
Here’s a look at the Tigers’ Week 10 opponent:
Stack ’em up
This week provides Auburn with a chance to string together multiple SEC wins for the first time this season. The Tigers are currently a 10.5-point favorite at home, according to Fanduel.
Kentucky comes into this one ranked 13th in the SEC in total offense, averaging 361.3 yards per game. It averages 207 yards through the air and 154.3 on the ground.
Defensively, it’s much of the same for the Wildcats, who sit in the back half of the standings in the SEC. They’re giving up 384.9 yards per game, which is 14th in the league, while allowing 30.1 points per game. Kentucky owns the ninth-best rushing defense in the SEC, holding opponents to 131.9 yards on the ground, but gives up 253 through the air, putting it at 15th in the league.
Statistically, Auburn sits in a better spot in every major category. With this one being under the lights in Jordan-Hare Stadium, the Tigers should handle business and be able to stack together multiple conference wins.
Offensive players to know
QB Cutter Boley
Boley took over for starting quarterback Zach Calzada in Week 3 after getting beaten for the job in fall camp, and hasn’t relinquished it since.
In six games and five starts, Boley has completed 105-of-158 passes for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns. He is fifth in the SEC and 34th in the nation with a 66.5% completion percentage.
In his last two outings, he completed 57-of-74 pass attempts (77%) for 588 yards and five touchdowns. He became the program’s first quarterback to complete at least 74.3% of his passes (min. 30 attempts) in consecutive games since Dusty Bonner in 1999. He is also the first Kentucky quarterback with at least 26 completions in successive games since 2015.
RB’s Seth McGowan & Dante Dowdell
These two are linked together because of the 1-2 punch they provide out of the backfield.
Transferring over from New Mexico State during the offseason, McGowan leads the charge with 476 yards on 93 carries and boasts a team-high seven touchdowns. He has been limited due to injury in recent weeks, but still ranks fourth in the SEC in rushing touchdowns, seventh in rushing yards per game (79.3) and 11th in yards per carry (5.1).
Dowdell, who made his way to Kentucky from Nebraska, has tallied 326 yards on 76 carries with one score on the season. He rushed for 129 yards in the season opener, marking the first Kentucky player to rush for that much in Week 1 since 2015.
WR Kendrick Law
Law transferred to Kentucky after three seasons at Alabama. He leads the Wildcats with 302 yards receiving on 24 catches with two scores.
Law is averaging 12.6 yards per reception and turned in a career-long 71-yard touchdown last week against Tennessee – where he tallied 103 yards on two catches and a score.
Defensive players to know
LB Alex Afari Jr.
Afari, who saw action in all 12 games in 2024 and was third on the team in tackles with 62, now leads the Wildcats with tackles on the season with one sack.
He ranks 15th in the SEC in tackles per game with 6.1, and has had a trio of 10-tackle games in his last eight games, dating back to last season.
Before the Wildcats’ game against Eastern Michigan, he turned in nine straight games with a tackle for loss, which tied the second-longest streak in program history and was one short of the school record.
DB Ty Bryant
One of five returning defensive starters from the Wildcats’ roster a season ago, Bryant is second on the team with 40 tackles and leads the squad with a pair of interceptions.
Both of Bryant’s interceptions came against Ole Miss, with each leading to Kentucky scores. He was the first Wildcat to record two interceptions in a home SEC game since 1999.
He’s notching 5.7 tackles per game, which is second on the team and 22nd in the SEC.
Game Overview
Auburn is coming into this one unsure of who will be starting under center after Jackson Arnold was benched last week for Ashton Daniels.
Freeze mentioned on Monday that the quarterback room would see an “open competition” this week, and he would simply be looking for whoever can provide a spark.
Needless to say, Auburn needs to rely on its ground game again on Saturday and get Jeremiah Cobb the touches he deserves.
Auburn’s defense has yet to allow more than 24 points in a game this season. Kentucky comes in averaging 24.1 points per game. But the Tigers’ defense has also held their opponents under its scoring average in all eight games this season, including 10-plus points under its average in seven of eight games.
The same should hold true on Saturday in front of the 20th consecutive sold-out game in Jordan-Hare Stadium.
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