For the first time since mid-September, I get to write a review after a win. Finally, I don’t have to hate writing it. I can think about actual good things and type out how I remember them.
That said, things didn’t start off too well. It looked like one of those nights where the opposing team’s 2-star wide receivers were going to catch anything thrown in their direction no matter how well they were being defended, especially if they were doing a backflip and blindfolded. But the Auburn defense showed what was to come and held Kentucky to a field goal.
I love Jeremiah Cobb, but he refuses to let a ball go through the endzone on kickoffs. And it’s not that he’s a bad returner, it’s just that Auburn leads the universe in penalties on kick returns of any kind. It’s best to just shut down returns for the season and try again next year.
But yeah, due to another penalty on the return, the Auburn offense was in the shadow of their own endzone to start things off and punted four plays later. Then Kentucky scored, then Auburn threw a pick, but Kentucky didn’t score, and it was a quick 10-0 deficit after one quarter.
After sprinkling in a few runs from Alston and Hunter, Thorne found KLS in the corner of the endzone. It was a dime. A dot. And a great catch as well. The score was 10-7.
A few plays later, super-freshman Jay Crawford picked off the Georgia transfer quarterback to setup Alex McPherson’s first attempt of the season. He made it. The score was 10-10.
Yes, right before halftime, there was the weird thing where Auburn had to rush a field goal attempt that they couldn’t get off. There were fifteen seconds left on 3rd down in field goal range. You absolutely throw a ball in the endzone. If you do that, you have four possible outcomes.
- Touchdown pass. Go into the half up 17-10.
- Incomplete pass. Clock stops. Attempt a field goal.
- Interception. Likely touchback. Go into half tied 10-10.
- Sack (or sack-fumble). Clock runs. Not enough time to do anything else. Go into half tied 10-10.
So yeah, the 4th one happened. But if you’re one of those that says “you absolutely CANNOT take a sack right there,” go touch some grass or go watch another football team. It was a blindside sack about 2 seconds after Thorne took the snap.
It’s not like he ran around and tried to make something happen or even had a chance or thought to throw the ball away. He was literally hit from his blindside literally 2 seconds after getting the ball in his hands. Blame something else. Do something else with your life.
Anyway, the 2nd half was all Jarquez Hunter. It felt like some Kenny Irons at LSU stuff. Kentucky eventually got tired of trying to bring him down. By the end of the night, he had passed Brent Fullwood, Stephen Davis, Tank Bigsby, and Tre Mason to become the 6th leading rusher in Auburn history. Ben Tate should watch his back.
Auburn had the ball only four times in the 2nd half. Those drives ended in touchdown, missed FG, touchdown, and a taking a knee inside the 10 yard line. Weirdly, Kentucky only had the ball three times. Those drives ended in punt, punt, and interception.
Had Kayin Lee stayed in bounds on his interception, he would’ve had a 100-yard touchdown. Had Hugh Freeze a mean bone in his body, Auburn wouldn’t have taken a knee. What I’m saying is Auburn scored 24 unanswered, and it could’ve been 31 or 38 unanswered.
This was the game Auburn has been waiting for. They settled down after a shaky start on the road. The defense shut down Kentucky, made them change quarterbacks, and literally had the game in check by halftime.
The offense was finally able to find balance and rhythm. The playmakers made plays. The mistakes were very minimal. It just flowed.
Kentucky fans left early as they have been known to do anytime Auburn has visited Lexington since 1967.
Next up is Vanderbilt. At times, they aren’t your dad’s Vanderbilt. At times, they lose to Georgia State and struggle with Ball State.
But that’s for a later date. For now, Auburn has the monkey off their back. They have some more winnable games coming up and the win at Kentucky was just what they needed.
