Jarquez Hunter runs wild as Auburn shuts out the Wildcats 24-10

After a poor start and an early 10-0 deficit, Auburn ran the ball with senior running back Jarquez Hunter and dominated Kentucky en route to a 24-10 victory and its first conference win of the season.

Auburn came out with a throw, and it worked in Kentucky's favor. After running -8 yards and passing 110 yards to 38 in the first quarter, the Tigers served senior running back Jarquez Hunter 23 times for 278 yards. Hunter had two runs for three yards in the first quarter, but finished with the fourth-most rushing yards in a game in school history.

Hunter's previous high yardage total was 183 on 19 carries last season at Vanderbilt. His previous high for carries was 20 for 152 yards against New Mexico earlier this year.

Hugh Freeze had stated numerous times during Auburn's 2-5 start to the season that they needed to find ways to get the ball to Hunter. On Saturday against Kentucky, the offensive staff finally caught on and Hunter delivered.

In his first-ever collegiate game with more than 20 carries, Hunter passed Brent Fullwood, Stephen Davis, Tank Bigsby and Tre Mason on Auburn's all-time rushing list with 3,033 yards.

Hunter ranks sixth all-time in rushing yards at Auburn behind Bo Jackson, Carnell Williams, James Brooks, Joe Cribbs and Ben Tate.

Not only was Auburn's running game strong against Kentucky, but the defense dominated the final three quarters. From the start of the second quarter to the start of the fourth quarter, Auburn outgained Kentucky 374 to 36 yards.

The game was tied 10-10 at halftime after Auburn's coach missed a chance for a short field goal. A pass play was called with 15 seconds on the clock and no timeout. Payton Thorne was sacked and time expired before Auburn could kick a field goal. It was another mistake to end a half that left the Tigers struggling.

Still, Auburn had the momentum going its way. This continued in the third quarter as Auburn took the lead on a one-yard score from Hunter and made it 17-10 heading into the fourth quarter.

Auburn took a 24-10 lead early in the fourth quarter on a 45-yard run by Hunter. Kentucky made the next drive inside Auburn territory. With four plays inside the three-yard line, Auburn's defense held its own. On fourth down, cornerback Kayin Lee broke up a pass in the flats for an interception.

The Auburn offense had a chance to extend the lead at the end, but had to force its way into Kentucky territory for the 24-10 win. Auburn improved to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the SEC.

For the game, Auburn outgained Kentucky by 500 yards to 224. Kentucky only had 114 yards after the first quarter. With Auburn's running game working, the Tigers' offense was able to gain a first down on 8-14 third-down attempts compared to 4-12 for the Wildcats. That helped Auburn win 76 games. Kentucky ran just 54, including just 34 in the final three quarters.

Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne finished the game 20-26 for 172 yards with an interception and a touchdown pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith. He had 11 attempts in the first quarter, leading to Auburn's early 10-0 deficit. Thorne only had eleven attempts the rest of the way.

Vanderbilt visits Auburn next Saturday, November 2nd.