Auburn amped to open season against veteran Kentucky squad

[aubiefifty 18,231]

Auburn amped to open season against veteran Kentucky squad

BY JORDAN D. HILL

5 hrs ago

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Auburn Tigers linebacker K.J. Britt (33) and Auburn Tigers defensive back Smoke Monday (21) lead the Tigers on the field before the Outback Bowl between Auburn and Minnesota on Jan. 1 at Raymond James Stadium.

Greg McWilliams/For the O-A News

 

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For the first time since 2014, the Auburn Tigers will square off with an SEC opponent to start the season. The matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats is an important one, and for Gus Malzahn and company it’s an early test to see just how prepared the Tigers are for the coming fall.

No. 8 Auburn will take on No. 23 Kentucky for the first time in five years Saturday when the two teams square off at 11 a.m. CT in a game that will be televised by SEC Network. Despite the top-25 rankings, the game could very well serve as a proving ground for an Auburn squad picked to finish third in the West division and a Kentucky team slated for fourth in the East.

“It’s been a long time coming to get to this point,” Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said. “Really when you look at (Kentucky) offensively last year, they were one of the best rushing teams in all of college football. To be able to do that in this league says a lot about them. Four returning starters up front that I think are very talented and really a strength of their team. Defensively, I’m very impressed. They’ve got most of their guys back on defense also. They’re very well coached.

“Overall, just what (head coach Mark) Stoops has done with that program, the consistency he’s had and the games he’s won, says a lot.”

The Wildcats are in the midst of a new era under Stoops, who took over a program that hadn’t posted a winning season since 2009 and has now produced four in the past four years. Kentucky dealt with some major injuries in 2019 — including one that sidelined starting quarterback Terry Wilson — but battled through to produce an eight-win campaign.

Kentucky’s sturdy offensive line was crucial in keeping the 2019 season afloat without Wilson, and fortunately for the Wildcats they return four of the team’s five starters. Malzahn keyed in on attacking that offensive line — a true test given Auburn’s relative inexperience on the defensive front — as one of the major battles Auburn needs to win on Saturday.

For Auburn linebacker K.J. Britt, seeing two preseason All-Americans across the line in Kentucky center Drake Jackson and offensive tackle Darian Kinnard is just part of a challenge that Britt is ready to take on as one of the Tigers’ most proven defenders.

“It's like any other game. We've got to make sure we try to come up with a win. We respect those guys,” Britt said. “I’m anxious to see the outcome, but I’m anxious to see the foundation we’ve laid in the process through March, through the quarantine, through July and camp. I’m just anxious to see all of this stuff pay off. Win or lose we’re going to fight our butt off, defense and offense. Just to see everything we’ve been through, the adversity we’ve been through, I’m anxious just to put it all together in the game we love.”

While the Auburn defense will have to prove itself, the Auburn offense will be tested against one of the nation’s top secondaries from a year ago.

Kentucky was stellar in stopping explosive passes in 2019, only allowing 28 passes of 20-plus yards through 13 games to rank second No. 2 nationally. The Wildcats return starting defensive backs Cedrick Dort Jr., Yusuf Corker and Brandin Echols, which means Auburn quarterback Bo Nix and new offensive coordinator Chad Morris will be tested from the jump.

“They’re really good with their technique. They’re where they’re supposed to be. They very rarely have coverage busts, which is extremely important in the back end,” Nix said. “We just got to execute and we got to do what we’re supposed to do.”

Auburn has waited 269 days since the last time it took the field for a football game. Although the crowd may be smaller due to the coronavirus and the early start time might not be ideal, count Britt among the players who is just excited to be playing football again.

“Whether it’s 11 a.m. or 5 a.m., it doesn’t matter. Just being out there, I can’t wait,” Britt said. “The closer it gets, the more butterflies I get. It’s good butterflies. I can’t wait. I’m like a kid going to a fair. I’m ready.”