After weeks of getting close but failing to finish, Auburn closed one out against Kentucky, winning 24-10 on the road. It was Auburn’s first Southeastern Conference win of the season, and the first win over a Power 4 team since a 48-10 win over Arkansas on Nov. 11, 2023.
Pro Football Focus gave Auburn an overall grade of 77.9, its highest since the Week 1 win over Alabama A&M. PFF also graded every player who appeared in the game.
Here are the highest and lowest graded players:
Offense
Top 5
- RB Jarquez Hunter- 85.1
- OL Dillon Wade- 72.2
- WR Camden Brown- 71
- TE Luke Deal- 70.1
- C Connor Lew- 69
Analysis
When you run for 278 yards, it‘s hard to not have the highest grade on the offense. Hunter set a new career high for rushing yards and was undoubtedly Auburn’s player of the game.
Hunter got a lot of help from his offensive line and tight ends, explaining Wade, Deal and Lew‘s inclusion on this list. Wade’s run blocking was good enough to put him in the top five despite a 28.4 pass blocking grade.
Brown is the only one in the top five whose grade is slightly skewed, having only played eight snaps in the game. He had one catch, but it was a big one where he had to fight through a defender for a first down.
Bottom 5
- TE Rivaldo Fairweather- 49.3
- WR Cam Coleman- 54.8
- RB Jeremiah Cobb- 55
- OL Bradyn Joiner- 57.5
- WR Perry Thompson- 58.2
Analysis
Cobb and Thompson are unlucky to make this list, having played just six and four offensive snaps respectively.
The rest of the group‘s low grades are all due to low blocking grades, mostly in pass blocking. Coleman is the exception as he’s not a pass blocker in any circumstances but had a 41.4 run blocking grade.
Defense
Top 5
- LB Keyron Crawford- 84.4
- CB Jay Crawford- 83
- DL Zykeivous Walker- 75.1
- LB Eugene Asante- 73.4
- DL Isaiah Raikes- 73.1
Analysis
Keyron and Jay Crawford‘s grades symbolize the complete game Auburn’s defense played against Kentucky. Keyron Crawford and the front seven got pressure on Kentucky‘s two quarterbacks all game and Jay Crawford was Auburn’s best player on the back end.
Despite being a true freshman and coming into the season as a rotational player, Jay Crawford has become arguably Auburn‘s best defensive back.
He‘s consistently among Auburn’s highest graded players and against Kentucky he caught his first career interception. His 87.9 coverage grade was the highest an Auburn player has had in a game since Champ Anthony’s 91.8 grade against Arkansas, with that mark coming on only 12 snaps.
Asante, Walker and Raikes’ grades all demonstrate how well the front played, although it should be noted that Walker only played eight snaps. Another player to mention is Jalen McLeod who finished just outside the top five at No. 6.
He had the highest pass rush grade on the team at 89.9, tallying four pressures. His pass rush grade was the highest an Auburn player has had in a game this season.
Bottom 5
- LB Demarcus Riddick- 40.2
- CB Kensley Louidor-Faustin- 50.2
- DB Sylvester Smith- 59.6
- Quientrail Jamison-Travis- 59.7
- Robert Woodyard Jr.- 61.8
Analysis
The good news about this list is only one of the five players listed played significant snaps.
Outside of Smith‘s 37 snaps, Riddick played 10, Louidor-Faustin played nine, Jamison-Travis played 19 and Woodyard played 15. There wasn‘t much of a common theme with the low grades, but with many of them playing so few snaps, it’s hard to give a fair grade.
Smith’s grade was brought down primarily by his 53.9 coverage grade, but he had the third-highest tackling grade on the team at 77.8.
Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m
