Auburn finally got a win.

After weeks of coming close but failing to finish, Auburn edged Kentucky, winning on the road 24-10. It was Auburn’s first win of the season in the Southeastern Conference and 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 its Week 1 win over Alabama A&M. PFF also rated every player who appeared in the game.

Here are the highest and lowest rated players:

attack

Top 5

1. RB Jarquez Hunter – 85.1
2. OL Dillon Wade – 72.2
3. WR Camden Brown – 71
4. TE Luke Deal – 70.1
5. C Connor Lew – 69

analysis

When you run for 278 yards, it’s hard not to have the best grade on offense. Hunter set a new career high in rushing yards and was undoubtedly Auburn’s player of the game.

Hunter received a lot of help from his offensive line and tight ends, which explains the inclusion of Wade, Deal and Lew on this list. Wade’s run blocking was good enough to place him in the top five despite a pass blocking grade of 28.4.

Brown is the only one in the top five whose grade is slightly skewed, as he 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 to get a first down.

Below 5

1. TE Rivaldo Fairweather – 49.3
2. WR Cam Coleman – 54.8
3. RB Jeremiah Cobb – 55
4. OL Bradyn Joiner – 57.5
5. WR Perry Thompson – 58.2

analysis

Cobb and Thompson are unlucky to be on this list, having only played six and four offensive snaps, respectively.

The poor grades from the rest of the group are all due to low blocking grades, especially in pass blocking. Coleman is an exception as he is not a pass blocker under any circumstances but had a run blocking grade of 41.4.

defense

Top 5

1. LB Keyron Crawford – 84.4
2. CB Jay Crawford – 83
3. DL Zykeivous Walker – 75.1
4. LB Eugene Asante – 73.4
5. DL Isaiah Raikes – 73.1

analysis

Keyron and Jay Crawford’s grades symbolize the entire game Auburn’s defense played against Kentucky. Keyron Crawford and the front seven put pressure on Kentucky’s two quarterbacks all game long, and Jay Crawford was Auburn’s best player on the back end.

Despite being a true freshman and entering the season as a rotation player, Jay Crawford has become arguably Auburn’s best defender.

He is consistently one of Auburn’s top-rated players, and against Kentucky he caught his first career interception. His coverage grade of 87.9 was the highest an Auburn player had in a game since Champ Anthony’s 91.8 grade against Arkansas, although that grade was achieved in just 12 snaps.

The grades from Asante, Walker and Raikes all show how well the front line played, although it should be noted that Walker only played eight snaps. Another player worth mentioning is Jalen McLeod, who came in at No. 6, just outside the top five.

He had the highest pass rush grade on the team at 89.9 and counted four pressures. His pass rush grade was the highest by an Auburn player in a game this season.

Below 5

1. LB Demarcus Riddick – 40.2
2. CB Kensley Louidor-Faustin – 50.2
3. DB Sylvester Smith – 59.6
4. Quientrail Jamison-Travis – 59.7
5. Robert Woodyard Jr. – 61.8

analysis

The good news about this list is that only one of the five players listed played significant snaps.

Aside from Smith’s 37 snaps, Riddick played 10, Louidor-Faustin played nine, Jamison-Travis played 19 and Woodyard played 15. There wasn’t much in common with the low grades, but since many of them played so few snaps, it’s hard to pick one to give a fair grade.

Smith’s grade was brought down primarily by his coverage grade of 53.9, but he had the third-highest tackling grade on the team at 77.8.

Peter Rauterkus reports on Auburn Sports AL.com. You can follow him on X below @peter_rauterkus or send him an email at [email protected]M