It’s nearly inconceivable that a football game against Kentucky could fall into the “must-win” category – even with the understanding that, at 4-1 coming in, this was not your average “when does basketball season start?” sort of Kentucky team.
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Peyton Barber rushed for two short touchdowns, including a 3-yarder with 7:56 remaining, helping Auburn outlast host Kentucky 30-27 Thursday night and earn its first Southeastern Conference victory.
Of course coach Gus Malzahn would use Kentucky as a tune-up game.
“We had a good matchup, I had Dorian, and it was just a bad read by me”, Towles said”. Stoops said. “We know we can make those plays, and I don’t fault our team, they’re prepared, they know – they believe they can make them, they know they can make them, and it comes down to a few plays here and there”. “And tonight just confirmed that”.
Auburn and Kentucky kept it close, with the Tigers scoring early in the first quarter off running back Kerryon Johnson. With a frame reminding fans of Cam Newton, an arm capable of hitting receivers anywhere on the field, and almost flawless performances in past games he looked poised to lead a championship run.
Following Will Muschamp’s hire in December, many predicted the Tigers defense – which ranked No. 66 overall in the FBS – would see an improvement.
It looked from my perspective that Kentucky is much improved this season, compared to what we are used to seeing from the Wildcats.
Brandon Doughty passed for 350 yards and four touchdowns, and Anthony Wales had 259 total yards and three touchdowns to help Western Kentucky beat North Texas 55-28 on Thursday night for its seventh straight Conference US…
The play was stopped for 2 yards at the Auburn 46.
Garrett Johnson was surer by the minute that Kentucky would pull off the win. The coaches chose to stick with Sean White at quarterback, and the decision paid off. White connected on 17 of his 27 passing attempts for 255 yards through the air.
But on 4th down, linebacker Justin Garrett knifed through the Wildcat offensive line, sacking Towles with 25 seconds left, allowing Sean White to kneel out the clock, snapping Auburn’s streak of five consecutive losses in the SEC dating back to the 41-38 loss to Texas A&M in 2014.
Auburn dangling from the ledge by its fingertips, trying to salvage its season in a suddenly crucial mid-October game at Kentucky that three months ago looked like little more than a speed bump.
All six touchdowns scored in the game, three by each team, came on the ground. There were far too many big-yardage plays for anybody’s comfort. It appears we are still looking for the right combination of folks to be more competitive.
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QB Patrick Towles, grandson of former U. S. Senator and Baseball Hall of Fame member Jim Bunning, in the second half of the Cats last game was 19-23, 83 percent. In the second quarter, Doughty threw a deep ball to Taywan Taylor for a 56-yard score and later found Taylor in the end zone for 31 yards.
