Takeaways from Kentucky's loss at home to Auburn

Kentucky goes winless at home in SEC play this season.

Oct 26, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops runs onto the field before the game against the Auburn Tigers at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Kentucky football welcomed the Auburn Tigers into Kroger Field on Saturday night. The Wildcats were looking to bounce back after losses to Vandy and Florida, and it wasn't much better against the Tigers, as they fell 24-10. With the loss, Kentucky's bowl eligibilty this season is now against the wall. The Wildcats started out with a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but Auburn scored 24 unanswered points and never looked back.

Now, Kentucky's season just took another blow. A 3-5 overall record and 1-5 in the SEC is not a recipe for a bowl game. Unless something unexpected happens, it doesn't look good for Kentucky's bowl eligibility hopes. The Wildcats have now gone winless at home this season with a 0-4 record in SEC play, the first time since 2013. Kentucky is also now 2-11 in their last 13 SEC home games.

There's a lot of takeaways in this one. They are more of the same issues that have been bothering the Wildcats all season, so let's dive right into them.

1. Offense couldn't find a rhythm all night.

It has seemed to be a regular occurance this season, but Kentucky's offense didn't look the part. The Wildcats started the game with a 10-0 lead, but then it was 24 unanswered points by Auburn and the Wildcats never looked the same since. Quarterback Brock Vandagriff threw for just 120 yards and had an interception. During the second half, Vandagriff was benched and Kentucky decided to try out the backup, Gavin Wimsatt, which didn't turn out much better. Credit where it's due, though. Dane Key had 87 yards on 4 catches Saturday night. All in all, the Wildcats offense just stalled ever since the performance in the first quarter. Adding to the frustrating statistics mentioned earlier, Kentucky hasn't scored more than 20 points in an SEC game yet this season.

2. Kentucky’s tackling problems led to explosive plays.

This wasn't as much of a factor in the first half as it was the second half. Kentucky allowed explosive play after explosive play, especially in the running game, where Jarquez Hunter absolutely torched the Kentucky defense most of the night with an impressive 278 yards on the ground. It's crazy to think about just how much of an all-systems failure it was. Defensively, they had to answer since the first quarter for anything the Tigers did. The unit allowed 498 yards of total offense, most of it on the ground.

Kentucky struggled with a lot of the same issues again. Explosive plays and offensive struggles have been ongoing the entire season. With four games left, it doesn't get any easier for a team trying to claw back to become bowl eligible, but hope is fading there.