The Final Prep: Kentucky vs. Auburn

It’s desperation time for Kentucky Football. The Wildcats have lost all five SEC games and are running out of chances to salvage the season. After getting blasted by Tennessee under the lights in Lexington, the team heads to Auburn with their season slipping away and fan frustration nearing a breaking point.

Mark Stoops is feeling the pressure more than ever. He’s the program’s all-time wins leader, but the patience that once defined his tenure has faded. A victory at Jordan-Hare wouldn’t fix everything, but it might quiet the noise for a week and prove that this team hasn’t quit on its bowl aspirations.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on SEC Network. Let’s get you ready for it.

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Pregame Storylines

1. Hot Seat Bowl: Both Mark Stoops and Hugh Freeze enter this one under pressure. Kentucky’s fan base is restless after five straight SEC losses, while Auburn has dropped four of its last five league games. Neither coach can afford another step backward.
2. Ground Game Showdown: Auburn leads the SEC in rushing behind Jeremiah Cobb, who ranks second in the league with 717 yards on 117 carries. Kentucky must find a way to slow him down.
3. Auburn’s Turnover Edge: The Tigers have forced 11 turnovers and own a +7 margin, the second-best mark in the SEC. Kentucky, meanwhile, has given the ball away 11 times.
4. Pass Defense Weakness: While dominant against the run, Auburn’s pass defense has glaring holes: ranked No. 111 nationally in passing success rate and surrendering over 60% completions in many games. Kentucky could attack here.
5. White’s Defense Hits Reset: After getting torched by Tennessee, Brad White called Kentucky’s defensive performance “embarrassing” and insisted the group is in a rebuild mindset.
6. Youth Movement Leading the Way: Kentucky’s offense is being powered by its next generation. It may be too late for Mark Stoops, but he seems to have finally found his homegrown quarterback with young pieces around him. They’re looking better and better each week.

Kentucky vs. Auburn: How to Watch/Listen

• Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: SEC Network (Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic)
• Local Radio: UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro, Dick Gabriel)
• AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Online: iHeart Radio
• Sirius XM: 374 (UK)

Player Spotlight

• Kentucky QB, #8 Cutter Boley: The Lexington native is coming off his best game yet, throwing for 330 yards and five touchdowns against Tennessee. He’s completed 66.5% of his passes this season and continues to show improved command each week.
• Kentucky WR, #6 DJ Miller: One of Kentucky’s breakout newcomers, Miller became just the seventh freshman in school history to record a 100-yard receiving game. His 120 yards and two scores against Tennessee added a spark to an offense searching for consistency.
• Kentucky LB, #6 Alex Afari Jr.: Kentucky’s defensive leader and tackling machine, Afari leads the Wildcats with 6.1 tackles per game and has already notched a 13-tackle outing this year. His ability to contain Auburn’s rushing attack will be crucial.
• Auburn RB, #23 Jeremiah Cobb: The Tigers’ feature back has rushed for 717 yards and five touchdowns, including 153 yards at Arkansas. He leads the SEC in carries and ranks second in rushing yards entering Week 9.
• Auburn QB, #12 Ashton Daniels: Daniels takes over for Jackson Arnold this week, part of a midseason QB change. The senior transfer from Stanford completed six of eight passes against Arkansas last week.
• Auburn LB, #17 Xavier Atkins: Auburn’s defensive enforcer leads the team with 61 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and seven sacks, all top-two marks in the SEC. He’s coming off a career game with 13 tackles and four TFLs at Arkansas.

Uniform Watch

The Cats will wear white on blue with blue helmets for the road trip to Jordan-Hare.

Blue and white for Caturday night, 🔵&⚪️ pic.twitter.com/fffxlouqq0

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 30, 2025

Injury Reports

For Kentucky, the injury report is a long one:

• WR Troy Stellato: Out
• CB DJ Waller Jr.: Out
• WR Ja’Mori Maclin: Out
• RB Jamarion Wilcox: Out
• OLB Jacob Smith: Out
• DB Jaden Smith: Out
• LB Devin Smith: Out
• DL Nic Smith: Out
• WR David Washington Jr.: Out
• TE Elijah Brown: Out
• CB Terhyon Nichols: Doubtful
• OL Aba Selm: Doubtful
• LB Landyn Watson: Probable
• RB Seth McGowan: Probable

Auburn is in much better shape:

• WR Horatio Fields: Out
• OL Connor Lew: Out
• DL Jourdin Crawford: Questionable
• WR Malcolm Simmons: Probable
• WR Cam Coleman: Probable
• K Connor Gibbs: Probable
• DL Jourdin Crawford: Questionable

Last Meeting / All-Time Series

The last time Kentucky played Auburn was only a year ago, when the Tigers came to Lexington to add to Kentucky’s home losing streak. The Wildcats went up 10-0 in the first quarter, but then surrendered 24 unanswered points to lose 24-10. Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter had a career day with 278 yards and two touchdowns, while Payton Thorne completed 20 of 26 passes against Kentucky’s defense. Kentucky’s top rusher was Jason Patterson with 38 yards on the night.

The last time Kentucky traveled to Auburn? The COVID season in 2020, when Chris Rodriguez was robbed of a touchdown in a 29-13 loss.

All-time series: Auburn leads 28-6-1

2025 Team Schedules/Results

Kentucky (2-5, 0-5 SEC)

• vs. Toledo (W, 24-16)
• vs. #20 Ole Miss. (L, 30-23)
• vs. Eastern Michigan (W, 48-23)
• at South Carolina (L, 35-13)
• at #12 Georgia (L, 35-14)
• vs. #21 Texas (L, 16-13 OT)
• vs. #17 Tennessee (L, 56-34)
• at Auburn
• vs. Florida
• vs. Tennessee Tech
• at #9 Vanderbilt
• at #17 Louisville

Auburn (4-4, 1-4 SEC)

• @ Baylor (W, 38-24)
• vs. Ball State (W, 42-3)
• vs. South Alabama (W, 31-15)
• @ #11 Oklahoma (L, 24-17)
• @ #9 Texas A&M (L, 16-10)
• vs. #10 Georgia (L, 20-10)
• vs. #16 Missouri (L, 23-17 2OT)
• @ Arkansas (W, 33-24)
• vs. Kentucky
• @ #9 Vanderbilt
• vs. Mercer
• vs. #4 Alabama

Join The Discussion over at KSBoard

Consider joining the conversation on KSBoard to interact with the KSR crew during the game. A live discussion can be found in the game thread, plus several other topics and conversations about the Wildcats and more.

Point Spread

Point Spread: Auburn -10.5
Over/Under: 44.5
Moneyline: Auburn -440/UK +340

Coach and Player Comments

Mark Stoops

Brad White and the offense

Bush Hamdan and the defense

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Pregame Link Dump

• Scouting Report: Auburn Tigers (KSR+)
• Bio Blast: Auburn Tigers
• KSR Football Podcast: Breaking down Kentucky’s annual loss to Tennessee
• Mark Stoops on Roster Construction: “We did as good as we could.”
• The Schematic Changes Helping Cutter Boley Improve Each Week
• Mark Stoops Does Not Regret How Kentucky Handled the Quarterback Situation
• Mark Stoops on Roster Construction: “We did as good as we could.”

Weather Report

Heading to Auburn? Expect some clouds over your tailgate, with a high of 64 and a low of 46 degrees.

Listen to the KSR Pregame Show

Tune in to the KSR Pregame Show at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, live from KSBar and Grille. Even better, get to KSBar and Grille for the watch party with fellow Kentucky fans in Lexington.

Go Cats.