This is now a must-win battle for the Cats.
The Kentucky Wildcats are coming off an embarrassing performance in Gainesville on Saturday night. Their three-game win streak against the Florida Gators came to a screeching halt. Despite the loss, the Cats still have five games remaining, and each one will play a huge role in their hope to become a bowl-eligible team.
First up on the docket for Kentucky will be a return to Kroger Field and a date with the Auburn Tigers.
Hugh Freeze’s squad rolls into Lexington at 2-5 (0-4) on the season and is coming off a heartbreaking loss at Missouri on Saturday afternoon to kick off college football Saturday. What are the struggles that the BBN has talked about with their offense? Well, the Tigers really have the same problem.
After switching starting quarterbacks back and forth, Auburn will roll in with Michigan State transfer QB Payton Thorne under center. A dual-threat quarterback, Thorne is the type of player who has given the UK defense fits over the last several weeks. Just see what Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia and Florida’s DJ Lagway did to the Cats. Will Brad White’s squad have an answer this week?
However, it will be an even more important outing for this Kentucky offense. After another tough performance in The Swamp, this unit has more question marks than answers over halfway through the season. Those problems have caused a major issue overall. One thing they do well, though, is run the football. The trio of running backs have shown flashes throughout the season. As they square off with an Auburn defense that is giving up 118 yards per game, hopefully, it will be a matchup that Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, Jamarion Wilcox, and Chip Trayanum can take advantage of.
The opening line does favor the Cats as Kentucky has opened as a 3-point favorite according to DraftKings. It will be interesting to see what way the line swings over the next few days.
Saturday has become a must-win game for the Cats if they hope to reach bowl eligibility this season. Let’s see if this team can respond.
Kentucky Wildcats vs Auburn Tigers
Date & Time: Saturday, October 26th at 7:45 PM EST
Location: Kroger Field
TV: SEC Network
Stream: WatchESPN
Radio: UK Sports Network with Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro
Odds: FanDuel has Kentucky favored by 2.5 points with an over/under of 42.5 points.
Early Predictions: Dimers projects a 24-21 win for the Cats. TeamRankings has them winning 23-20. DRatings has Kentucky winning 25-22.