Casagrande: Auburn had a stomach ache, but Hunter ate and finished with the slip

This is an opinion column.

Hugh Freeze is a prophet.

Looking like a man who had been sick for the past few days, his interview with the SEC Network after the first quarter of Saturday’s game was rough.

His team was down 10 times, and he went exactly 38 yards in the first 14 snaps. When TV time came, they were heading to their sixth straight SEC loss at Kentucky.

“We need to get the situation under control a little bit,” said Freeze, who is reportedly struggling with symptoms resembling food poisoning. “We tried to come out throwing. We don’t protect very well. We have to keep our balance, but we have to establish a course. “

And so it happened.

Genius.

From there, the Tigers exorcised some demons by blowing Kentucky away… with running the ball. AND Auburn won 24-10 ended a skid against SEC teams at five-seven against teams from power conferences in a show of brute force.

It’s called Jarquez Hunter and it’s a cure for season-long stomach pain.

Auburn (3-5, 1-4 SEC) elected to use its star running back and set career highs in rushing attempts (23) and yards (278). His previous best was 183 yards last year at Pavia Vanderbilt.

That 278 from Hunter easily eclipsed Kentucky’s total of 224 yards. It was also the fourth-highest single-game scoring drive in Auburn history, and it’s a story that featured some impressive running backs.

As a team, Auburn had 326 rushing yards, which was the most in SEC competition since 345 against Arkansas in 2017.

Kentucky (3-5, 1-5) hasn’t allowed this many rushing yards since Georgia gained 331 in 2018, according to the Herald-Leader.

So yes, running after the ball was a good idea.

Even more impressive? The total score of 326 yards included a first quarter that ended with a minus-8 score.

All 278 of Hunter’s record-breaking goals came in the final three quarters, as his only touch of the ball in the first 15 minutes was an unsuccessful run.

Then the light bulb turned on.

He then had 10 carries of over 10 yards. This includes three over 40 years old.

Hunter’s last four rounds in the game:

45 yards (TD)
10 yards
11 yards
46 yards

The latter set up a moment that no one had seen in a long time. Auburn showed mercy in the closing moments of the SEC game, opting for several knee drops inside the 10-yard line to run out the clock. This brought the Tigers’ total offensive range below 500 yards and a statement was issued.

The team, which had twice blown 11-point leads in the fourth quarter in four SEC losses so far this season, scored without missing a touchdown.

It wasn’t Kentucky’s crappy defense either. Last month, she held Georgia to 13 points in a 20-17 victory over Ole Miss. The Wildcats entered the night with the 22nd-best rushing defense, allowing just 102 rushing yards against Georgia (3.4-yard average) and 92 against Ole Miss (3.2-yard average). Auburn averaged 6.5, while Hunter had 12.1.

Running with the ball is a good idea.

The Tigers did this a total of 50 times on Saturday night, including 47 forgettable times after the first quarter. After this opening statement, Kentucky led 10-0, defeating the guests 115-38. Auburn intentionally ran it only twice, and the sack score was minus-eight yards.

Payton Thorn threw the ball 11 times before the start of the second quarter, was intercepted once and sent the Tigers right into the hole they’ve been in since beating Arkansas last November.

But then he started playing football. Auburn outscored Kentucky 313-36 in the middle two quarters in a statistical display of strength.

This is still modern-day Auburn, after all, so there was no consolation until Hunter scored from 45 yards out with 12:11 left.

That’s because Auburn had two impressive but scoreless drives during that period, similar to the ones that snapped that losing streak. First, there were 10 possessions for 66 yards to close the first half, which ended with a sack and a failed attempt to force the team out of bounds before time expired. The Tigers, who did not have a timeout after Thorne was fired, had 14 players in field goal formation before time expired.

Freeze unsurprisingly placed the blame on Thorne during his halftime interviews, but this article is about his genius, not bus driver Hugh.

The drive of the night, a 14-play, 75-yard march to open the second half, was a masterpiece. Auburn made 11 of 14 plays, averaging 4.2 pop. Possession lasted until 7:53 of the third quarter when Hunter’s one-yard throw gave the Tigers their first and last lead of the game.

The next drive was another one of those lopsided finishes, but this time a missed seven-play, 61-yard field goal didn’t scare Auburn.

Why? Because Hugh Freeze is a genius.

He saw Jarquez Hunter in the first-quarter huddle and decided his veteran, who was returning to action, deserved a chance.

Freeze was right.

The hunter was hunting.

And for the first time since November 11, 2023, Auburn walked away from the SEC field as the winner.

Michael Casagrande is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ByCasagrande or on Facebook.