An in-depth look at Kentucky’s loss to Auburn as the Wildcats (4-2, 2-2) fell to a conference opponent for the second time this season.

5 TAKEAWAYS

  • Where did the wheels come from?: Quarterback Patrick Towles is known to have a great arm, but Thursday the Fort Thomas, Ky., native showed he has some legs as well. On the night he scrambled for three first downs to keep drives alive.
  • Halftime adjustments: The Wildcats came out of the locker room in the third quarter looking like a different offensive team. They took the kickoff and mounted a methodical drive to score a touchdown that closed the score to 23-17. The defense also forced a punt on the first Auburn possession of the second half.
  • The gas tank: Kentucky ran up and down the field with Auburn for three quarters on offense and on defense stayed with the Tigers. In the fourth quarter, UK appeared to just run out of gas and Auburn took advantage.
  • Drops. Kentucky dropped too many passes. Especially in crucial situations. One in the end zone and two on third downs hurt badly.
  • What?: On a potential game winning/tying drive, Kentucky goes to a run with no timeouts and the clock running? The Cats were stopped and it cost them dearly.

REPORT CARD

Offense: B. Kentucky threw for 359 yards, but could not get the ball in the end zone consistently. There were no touchdown passes for the Cats in the game.

Defense: B. The Wildcats started slow and ended slow. But in the middle of the game, they were suffocating. If Kentucky could actually put together four quarters of that kind of defense, it would be a tough team to beat.

Special teams: C. The Wildcats get this grade simply because of the short kickoffs all night. Kentucky cannot continue to let teams take possession outside the 30 more than not.

Overall: B-. Kentucky simply can’t put all the phases of its game together at the same time. When the offense moves the ball, the defense gives up yards and vice versa.

GAME PLAN

The short passing game hurt Auburn all night. Not only did underneath passes turn into good gains, but they also opened up the vertical passing game and the rushing attack.

GAME BALLS

  • WR Garrett Johnson. Kentucky is not one of those teams that gets a lot of national exposure. But Thursday, Johnson put himself on the radar. He grabbed nine passes for 160 yards, including a one-hander that might knock Ole Miss’ Laquon Treadwell off the hightlight shows for awhile.
  • RB Boom Williams. The man lived up to his nickname. He pounded Auburn for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but more importantly, he gained the blue-collar yards between the tackles when his team needed them.

INJURY UPDATE

  • Nick Firios missed the game with a shoulder injury and Kobie Walker was held out with an ankle issue.
  • Melvin Lewis went out in the second quarter with a nasty-looking lower leg injury. He did not return. After the game, coach Mark Stoops announced that he suffered a fractured fibula.