One half of football has been played in Lexington, where Kentucky and Auburn are tied on the scoreboard with 10 points apiece at intermission. The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead in the final SEC home game at Kroger Field in 2024, but Auburn responded with two scores of its own to even the count before the teams headed to their locker rooms to regroup. Here are the key plays behind the halftime score:
Alex Raynor put Kentucky on the board first
Kentucky received the opening kick and drove down to the Auburn 28, where kicker Alex Raynor banged in a 46-yard field goal for the game’s first points. It was the first time that Kentucky struck first since Raynor kicked a first-quarter field goal to go up by three on Georgia earlier this season.
Dane Key, Jason Patterson set up Kentucky’s touchdown
On Kentucky’s second series, following an Auburn three-and-out, Dane Key‘s highlight-reel catch put Kentucky in scoring territory. Key hauled in the 34-yard grab from Brock Vandagriff to get the Wildcats across midfield to the Auburn 26.
Freshman running back Jason Patterson ran 23 yards on the next play, setting up Jamarion Wilcox’s goal-line touchdown run to put Kentucky up 10-0.
JQ Hardaway picked off Thorne for the game’s first takeaway
Two plays into Auburn’s second series, Kentucky cornerback JQ Hardaway intercepted Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne at the Auburn 40. However, the Wildcats’ offense could capitalize on the turnover, going three-and-out for their first scoreless possession.
10 unanswered Auburn points tied the game
The Tigers responded to the early 10-0 deficit with a touchdown and a game-tying field goal on consecutive drives. First, Thorne led the Tigers 53 yards down the field into the end zone. He hit KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a six-yard receiving TD.
Auburn found itself in the red zone again on its next drive, although, this time, Kentucky held its ground and forced the Tigers to settle for three with four minutes on the clock before halftime.
Both teams had a shot to take a lead before the break, but neither could add to their score.
HALFTIME: KENTUCKY 10, AUBURN 10
