LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kenny Irons, Tristan Davis and Tre Smith combined for 365 yards rushing and five touchdowns as No. 17 Auburn beat Kentucky 49-27 on Saturday.
Irons carried 23 times for 103 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half, while Davis added 162 yards and a touchdown on eight carries as the Tigers (7-2, 5-1 Southeastern Conference) prepped for a showdown next Saturday at No. 11 Georgia.
Kentucky (2-6, 1-4) has lost 15 straight games to Auburn, dating to 1966, but scored more points against the Tigers than any other team this season. Auburn entered the game ranked fourth in NCAA Division I-A in total defense, while Kentucky ranked 108th in total offense. The Tigers had allowed a total of 47 points in five previous SEC games.
Auburn finished with a season-high 589 yards of offense, wearing down the Wildcats with touchdown drives of 80, 69, 80, 75, 81 and 80 yards. Irons scored on runs of 9, 1 and 2 yards, while Davis – a part-time defensive back who entered the game with two carries this season – took over in the second half and sprinted 75 yards for a score the first time he touched the football.
Receiver Prechae Rodriguez caught a 41-yard touchdown pass in the first half and scored on a 5-yard reverse play in the fourth quarter. Smith finished with 13 carries for 99 yards, including a 46-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run.
Kentucky tailback Rafael Little, the SEC’s leader in all-purpose yards, rushed 17 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns and caught six passes for 122 yards. He became the first Kentucky player to record at least 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game since Anthony White against South Carolina on Oct. 10, 1998.
Little scored on a 25-yard run, after Kentucky’s Arliss Beach recovered a fumbled punt, to put Kentucky up 7-0 less than three minutes into the game. But Auburn responded with touchdowns on four of its first five possessions to take a 28-10 halftime lead.
Irons’ first touchdown tied the score. It came one play after officials ruled Auburn receiver Ben Obomanu was down and didn’t fumble after catching a pass. The play was reviewed and upheld.
Irons scored on a fourth-and-goal play from the 1 to put Auburn up 14-7. Kentucky pulled within 14-10 on a 25-yard field goal from Taylor Begley, but then Auburn caught another break from the officials midway through the second quarter.
Rodriguez went out of bounds, then came back in before catching a 41-yard pass from Brandon Cox and stepping into the end zone.
An offensive player who goes out of bounds on a play cannot be the first player to touch the football after coming back inbounds, but officials ruled that Kentucky cornerback Antoine Huffman blocked Rodriguez out of bounds and allowed the touchdown to stand. Replays showed Rodriguez had pushed Huffman before going out of bounds, but that wasn’t reviewable.
Kentucky coaches protested the call so much they drew two personal fouls, and a few fans threw items onto the field. When officials exited the field at halftime, a dozen uniformed officers were present on the field and in the stands for crowd-control purposes.
Kentucky athletic department spokesman Scott Stricklin said neither the officiating crew nor the replay official would comment about the calls.
