AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Kentucky used a seven-sack gem to end a four-game skid.
The Wildcats harassed quarterbacks Ashton Daniels and Jackson Arnold all night, allowing Auburn just one trip to the red zone in a 10-3 victory over the Tigers on Saturday night that raised more questions about coach Hugh Freeze's future on the Plains.
Auburn (3-5, 1-5 SEC) has lost five of six.
It was Kentucky's first win against Auburn (4-5, 1-5 since 2009. The Wildcats had lost 19 of their previous 20 in the series.
“I was emotional walking off that field because of the pride that I feel for this team,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “It’s been hard. I acknowledge that, but these guys have not flinched. I know the results aren’t always there, but I know in my heart that these guys are getting better.”
Both offenses struggled, with the score tied 3-3 at halftime. But the Wildcats opened the second half with a 75-yard drive that ended with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Cutter Boley to Kendrick Law, giving them a cushion they were able to sustain — thanks to a relentless defense.
Boley finished with 161 yards passing, a touchdown and two interceptions. Seth McGowan ran for 53 yards.
Daniels threw for 59 yards and ran for 57 more in his first start for the Tigers and was replaced briefly in the fourth quarter by Arnold, who was 2-of-3 passing for 15 yards. Both of them were under duress all night.
“At the end of the day, I’m frustrated, too,” Freeze said. “We all know that when we sign up for this. We accept it. I love what we’re doing here, but we haven’t gotten the results.”
Freeze now occupies one of the hottest seats in college football following his third consecutive loss at Jordan-Hare Stadium. He hasn’t recorded a winning season at Auburn in three seasons, and the noise surrounding his potential firing keeps getting louder.
“I wish I could ask for patience, but that’s not something that people want to give in this day and time, and I understand that,” Freeze said. “I just think we’re so dang close.”
Kentucky: The Wildcats secured their first conference win of the season despite limited offensive success. The defense for Kentucky was able to shut down Auburn all night. The only points allowed came from an interception to set Auburn up in Wildcat territory.
Auburn: The Tigers have not won back-to-back SEC games since 2023. Auburn’s defense continues to be a bright spot, as the unit is one of only three in college football to hold every opponent to 24 points or fewer. However, offensive production has been almost nonexistent.
Kentucky: The Wildcats host Florida next Saturday.
Auburn: The Tigers play at No. 9 Vanderbilt next Saturday.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Murder for Two Read moreMurder For Two
Much Ado About Nothing: A Modern Verse Translation, tells the timeless and hilarious story o… Read moreMills High School Much Ado About Nothing: A Modern Translation
Cathy Baird said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.