Jarquez Hunter rushed for a career-high 278 yards and scored two touchdowns to assist Auburn rally to a 24-10 victory over Kentucky on Saturday night time in Southeastern Convention play at Lexington, Ky.
Hunter rushed 23 instances and had a 45-yard landing run along with non-scoring runs of fifty and 46 yards because the Tigers (3-5, 1-4 SEC) halted a four-game slide. Hunter’s output is the fourth-best speeding efficiency in class historical past behind Curtis Kuykendall (307 yards in 1944), Tre Mason (304 in 2013) and the legendary Bo Jackson (290 in 1985).
Hunter (3,033 yards) additionally turned the sixth participant in Auburn historical past to prime 3,000 profession speeding yards.
Payton Thorne accomplished 20 of 26 passes for 172 yards, one landing and one interception for Auburn, which gained for the tenth consecutive time in Lexington. Kayin Lee hauled in a key interception and KeAndre Lambert-Smith had a scoring catch for the Tigers.
Brock Vandagriff accomplished 9 of 17 passes for 120 yards and an interception for Kentucky (3-5, 1-5) earlier than being benched for the second half. Gavin Wimsatt performed the second half and was 3-of-10 passing for 34 yards and one interception.
Jamarion Wilcox rushed for a landing and Dane Key had 4 catches for 87 yards for the Wildcats, who misplaced their third straight recreation.
Auburn outgained Kentucky 302-79 within the second half to complete the sport with a 498-224 edge in whole yards.
Auburn overcame an early 10-point deficit with 24 unanswered factors.
The Tigers struck on Thorne’s 6-yard scoring go to Lambert-Smith with 10:56 left within the first half. Auburn knotted the rating on Alex McPherson’s 27-yard area aim with 3:57 remaining.
The Tigers opened the second half with a dominant 14-play, 75-yard drive that lasted over seven minutes. Hunter capped it by scoring from the Kentucky 1 with 7:53 left within the third quarter as Auburn took the lead for good.
On the Tigers’ subsequent possession, Hunter broke unfastened for a 50-yard run to the Wildcats 35-yard line. However the drive stalled, and McPherson was extensive left on a 47-yard field-goal try.
Within the fourth quarter, Hunter obtained free for a 45-yard landing run to offer the Tigers a 24-10 lead with 12:11 left within the recreation.
The Wildcats had an opportunity to chop their deficit, however Wimsatt had a fourth-down throw intercepted by Lee on the aim line and returned to the Auburn 9 with 4:39 remaining.
Hunter then obtained unfastened for a 46-yard run to assist put the sport away.
Kentucky scored the primary 10 factors of the sport on Alex Raynor’s 46-yard area aim and Wilcox’s 2-yard scoring run.
–Discipline Degree Media
