Key Takeaways from Auburn Football’s Loss to Kentucky

The Auburn Tigers suffered a brutal loss at home at the hands of Kentucky, and it didn't matter who the quarterback was

It's not looking good for the Auburn Tigers after the Kentucky loss | John Reed-Imagn Images

Saturday’s forecast was set to be clear in Auburn, but as the final whistle sounded, a monsoon of boo’s rained down on Auburn football head Coach Hugh Freeze as his team dropped a game to Kentucky, who many believed was the worst team in the SEC, 10-3.

Not much went right for the Tigers on Saturday: quarterback play was shaky at best, the Tigers’ ever-strong defense seemed out of form, and, when it was all said and done, Auburn never scored a touchdown against a team that had allowed at least 16 points in each of its prior SEC matchups.

At this point, all that’s left to do is to examine just what happened for the Tigers in what was likely Hugh Freeze’s final game with the team.

Quarterback Quandary

A common theme this season for the Tigers has been shaky quarterback play. Last week, against Arkansas, Hugh Freeze had seen enough from Jackson Arnold after the junior threw a pick-six, replacing him with junior transfer quarterback Ashton Daniels. 

Daniels, with a significant assist from the Tigers’ defense, led the Tigers to an 11-point comeback win against the Razorbacks and was named the starter for the Kentucky game this past Friday. 

Despite a strong win the prior week, Daniels struggled immensely to get the Tigers’ offense on its feet, completing just 46% of his passes for 108 yards. He rushed 15 times for 48 yards and was sacked five times for a total of 36 yards.

In the fourth quarter, Freeze decided to reinsert Arnold, but he only stayed on for a few drives before being directed to the bench once again for the Tigers’ final drive. Daniels ended the game with a hail-mary interception as the clock hit zero.

The Tigers’ leading receiver, Cam Coleman, only totaled 34 receiving yards on the day, and, of course, no receiver caught a touchdown for the team. Daniels’ offense never managed to put together a drive longer than 46 yards, and had just a single drive over four minutes.

The offense punted or turned the ball over on downs on every single drive except for a single drive, when a Tiger interception put the Tigers in good enough field position for a field goal; the offense’s only score of the game.

Since neither quarterback has been able to put together the Tiger offense, the quarterback position for the Tigers will remain up in the air, especially if Freeze is dismissed as head coach. 

No More Excuses

In many of Auburn’s losses, there’s been something other than the Tigers to blame, usually officiating or illicit tactics from the opposition. This time, there’s nothing for the Tigers to blame except themselves.

Cutter Boley, the Wildcats’ quarterback, struggled immensely to complete passes due to unforced inaccuracy, the Kentucky run game wasn’t special but still found its way through the Tiger front and there were simply not enough penalties for there to be any controversy surrounding officiating. 

Though the circumstances around the game changed for the Tigers, the issues that’ve abounded throughout their disappointing season did not. Playcalling, as it’s made a habit of, was suspect at best for the Tigers. Auburn quarterbacks took a total of seven sacks, and the team couldn’t get it in the end zone from the red zone.

Excuses are running dangerously low for Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze and his team. Significant issues don’t seem to be changing. The team is between quarterbacks, and top talent is hardly being utilized, particularly in key moments.

Something will have to change for the Tigers if they’re to get this season pointed back in the right direction; if it doesn’t, things could get spooky for the Tigers just days after Halloween.

Bowl Implications

The Tigers, now with a record of 4-5, have just three games left in their season and will need to win at least two if Coach Freeze is looking to be bowl eligible for the first time since his team lost the Music City Bowl in 2023. 

The problem? Two of these games are against teams that, as of this article, are ranked within the top 10. In most predictions, Kentucky and Mercer were supposed to be Auburn’s two “safety” wins; if the Tigers could win both, they’d have at least six wins and be bowl eligible with no additional pressure on the Alabama and Vanderbilt games.

Since the Tigers lost to Kentucky, though, they’ll need to beat two of their three final opponents: Vanderbilt, Mercer and Alabama, which will be a much more significant challenge than just needing to beat Mercer.

The Tigers are down, and fans will see if they’re out this coming Saturday when Auburn travels to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt. The game will kick off at 3 p.m. CST and broadcast on ESPN.