It’s no stretch to say the game between Kentucky and Auburn is potentially a big one, just not the normal way you’d expect. In fact, with Arkansas, Florida, and LSU already firing their coaches, the two whose seats are now the hottest meet Saturday night down on the plains at 7:30 on the SEC Network. Both Mark Stoops and Hugh Freeze need wins, and quickly, or they could be next to join the SEC Fired Coaches Club. The Wildcats are trying to break a long losing streak, while the Tigers want to build momentum. Let’s look at both teams, give you some history, and make a prediction as Kentucky Hits The Road Needing A Win.<\/p>\n
Lost in the whole “will Stoops be fired or even make it to the end of the year” debate is the fact that\u00a0Cutter Boley <\/a>is doing some really good things at quarterback. After throwing for 258 yards and running for a score against Texas, the redshirt freshman was even better against Tennessee.<\/p>\n Yes,\u00a0the Cats lost big. <\/a>However, the young signal caller played well. Against a Volunteer defense that’s given up plenty of yards and points, Boley threw for 330 yards and five touchdowns. In addition, his quarterback rating was an astounding 195.<\/p>\n He became the first Wildcat signal caller to hit that mark since Andre Woodson did it versus Tennessee in 2007. No matter what happens the rest of the year, keeping him in Lexington is priority one for 2026.<\/p>\n Over the last few games, Kentucky’s become more of a pass-oriented team rather than run first like many of Stoops’ teams. Leading rusher Seth McGowan <\/a>didn’t play against UT due to a shoulder injury suffered the week before. However, McGowan is listed as probable for Saturday night. Dante Dowdell <\/a>and\u00a0Jason Patterson<\/a> got 103 yards between them in his absence. However, they face a tough test on Saturday night.<\/p>\n Let’s now turn to the Wildcats’ opponent as Kentucky hits the road needing a win.<\/p>\n Heading into 2025, big things were expected of Auburn. However, things haven’t worked out quite the way Tigers fans hoped. As a result, Freeze sits squarely on the hot seat. In some ways, they mirror Kentucky as they’ve had trouble getting yards and scoring points.<\/p>\n Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold <\/a>hasn’t quite been the guy throwing for 1,263 yards and six touchdowns with two picks. In the come-from-behind win over Arkansas, Freeze sat Arnold in favor of Stanford transfer Ashton Daniels.<\/p>\n While the Tigers won 33-24, Daniels didn’t lead them to a touchdown. In fact, Auburn hasn’t scored more than two touchdowns in an SEC game all year. That’s something Kentucky hadn’t done until last week. As of this writing, the Tigers have yet to announce a starting quarterback for this week.<\/p>\nScouting\u00a0 The Tigers<\/h3>\n