Kentucky falls again at home: 3 reasons the Wildcats dropped another home SEC game, this time to Auburn

Kentucky started off hot, jumping out to a 10-0 lead. Momentum quickly stopped for the Cats. After a JQ Hardaway interception from Auburn's Payton Thorne in plus territory, the Wildcats would lose yardage and be forced to punt. After that, Auburn scored 24 straight to take a commanding lead early in the 4th quarter. Kentucky got the ball and had a nearly 8-minute drive stall inside the five as backup QB Gavin Wimsatt threw a pick. Wimsatt played the entire second half in relief of Brock Vandagriff. Here are the main reasons Kentucky lost a 7th straight home SEC game.

1. Tackling

It was just an absolutely dominant Auburn run game that broke tackle after tackle; Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter racked up over 270 yards on the ground with 23 carries. He easily bounced off tackles on several runs, especially in the second half, as Auburn established control. Kentucky players were in position and just couldn't make the play over and over.

2. Offensive Offense

Kentucky jumped out fast but really struggled after the first quarter. The numbers aren't pretty. Without lead back, Demie Sumo-Karngbaye and pre-season project starter Chip Trayanum, Jason Patterson (6 rushes for 38 yards), and Jamarion Wilcox (7 rushes for 25 yards and 1 score) couldn't break free as Auburn dominated the line of scrimmage.

Brock Vandagriff started off throwing deep but became less effective as the game wore on, being replaced by Gavin Wimsatt in the third. Brock finished 9-17 120 yards 1 interception and -11 yards rushing. Wimsatt finished 3-10, 34 yards, 1 interception, and 16 yards rushing. Dane Key had 87 yards on 4 catches. Nothing looked good offensively for the Cats.

3. Defense struggles again

Kentucky had been giving up over 5 yards a play but stiffened in the red zone all year. The last two weeks, not so much. This game saw Auburn finish with just under 500 yards of offense and over 6 yards a carry on 50 rushes. They had the ball nearly 8 minutes more than Kentucky and sent the home fans home, reeling off yet another loss.

Where does Bush Hamdan and the offense go from here? Can Mark Stoops and Brad White get the defense playing better? Dropping to 3-5 and 1-5 in the SEC and 0-4 in the SEC at home, will the fans show up against Murray?