Each and every week prior to a Kentucky football game, Cat Scratches will talk with head coach Joker Phillips about his of plan of attack. Without giving away too much of the game plan, Phillips will tell us his keys to the game, a key matchup and who Kentucky has to look out for on the opposing team.Offensive keys – Get back to mistake-free, clean football: “It is crucial that we do not turn the ball over. We have turned the ball over five times (in the last two games). Most of them have turned into points for our opponents. The week befoer, we had an interception that went for a touchdown, and also we turned a ball over that was a potential touchdown for us. We have not turned the ball over a lot, just five times in the season. We still have the least amount of turnovers in the conference, but those five times have cost us points. You have to play smart. They have to understand the importance of not turning the football over. The quarterback has to understand that and go through the proper reads, and the running backs and receivers have to understand the same thing. The running backs have done a great job of securing the football. That’s unusual for a team to have five turnovers and none of those coming from the running back. It has been a huge emphasis throughout the year, and we have been really good. The thing is you have one or two games where the touchdown cost you and then that looks bad. We have moved the ball well. We have scored on our first drive in all but one game. We have a lot of yardage, but the thing is we haven’t always sustained the drives. There have been turnovers, and penalties, which is something you can’t have in big games.”

Cat Scratches’ take: The formula is rather simple. In three wins, UK turned the ball over zero times and had a turnover margin of plus-four. In Kentucky’s two losses, the Cats have turned the ball over five times and had a turnover margin of minus-four. The problem with the turnovers is they have cost the Cats dearly. Only one of five UK’s turnovers this season has not resulted in a touchdown (one interception against Florida was run back for a touchdown, and all three against Ole Miss came in UK territory), and that one was a costly pick thrown in the other’s team end zone. UK’s offense, for all the unwarranted grief it has received, has actually moved the ball pretty well this season, ranking 25th in the nation with 453.6 yards per game. The key this week is avoiding drive killers: turnovers and penalties.Defensive keys – Containing, tackling Cameron Newton: “We have to stop Cam Newton. He is the head of the body there at Auburn. If you stop him, everything else will take care of itself. … You’ve got to get under him and he’s a real athletic guy that plays behind his pads, but you’ve got to get up underneath him and stop his feet, and we have to gang tackle.”

Cat Scratches’ take: Slowing Newton will be the single most important key to the game. Auburn is solid up and down its roster – you don’t get to the nation’s No. 8 ranking without having a great team overall – but Newton is clearly the lifeblood of the Auburn team. Some of the statistics are almost too good to believe, especially for a guy in his first year in the offense. Newton is fourth in the SEC in rushing (94.8 yards per game), second in total offense (280.4 ypg), and first in passing efficiency (191.4). His passer rating is second in the entire country. Key matchup – Deciding how to attack Newton: “He hasn’t thrown it a ton, but he is completing 65 percent of his passes. That’s the thing with this offense is that if you get people playing downhill they will run right past you. Last week they did that and the play action set up a 94-yard touchdown. You have to play so close to the box. … You’ve got to be gap sound. You can’t chase. Your eyes have to be where they’re supposed to be. You can’t chase because there is a lot of misdirection, a lot of deceiving. They’ll bring a back across, fake it to him and make you think he’s got it and Newton is right down in your gap. We’ve got to play sound and stay square because as soon as you turn your shoulders a guy like him will out-leverage you in a hurry. And then you’ve got to wrap him up and knock him back because if he falls forward it could be three yards.”

Cat Scratches’ take: UK will have to pick its poison with Newton. If the Cats try to blitz Newton and put pressure on him early, he has the potential to burn UK deep. Newton is averaging a nation-best 10.67 yards per pass attempts, and his ability to make big plays in the passing game is backed up by his touchdown percentage. Every time he throws the ball, 13.79 percent of the time it results in a touchdown, tops in the country. Fortunately for UK, the Cats boast the nation’s eighth-stingiest pass defense. Now the really bad news: Newton is at his best on the run. A player Phillips called an “animal” earlier in the week, Newton is 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, which is bigger, weight wise, than eight of the 11 UK defensive starters from last week. That’s troubling news for a team that has struggled with tackling this year. To blitz or not to be blitz? Slowing down, is really the only manageable answer.Joker’s biggest concern (other than Newton) – Red-zone defense: “We just have to play better. If you are in man-to-man coverage, your eyes can’t go to the backfield. We have given up way too many touchdowns, and that has been our problem. We want to hold teams to field goals when they enter the red zone. Thirteen of 16 times we have allowed a touchdown, and that can’t happen.”

Cat Scratches’ take: Phillips’ stat says it all. Every time a team has entered UK’s red zone this year it has scored. Only three times in 16 tries have the Cats limited the opposition to a field goal. Auburn, meanwhile, usually makes teams pay when it gets inside the 20. Of the Tigers’ 23 red-zone opportunities, 19 have ended in scores.Auburn player to watch for (other than Newton) – Defensive tackle Nick Fairley: “We have to be aware of Nick Fairley. He is playing unbelievable. Kind of like his defensive line coach, Tracy Rocker, used to play back in the day. He is playing great. He is leading the league in sack and tackles for loss. … It will be a good challenge for our offensive line. We have played solid. I really like how those guys are battling and fighting and they are going to have to bring it this week.”

Cat Scratches’ take: Fairley’s five sacks are tied for sixth most in the country and his 11.5 tackles for loss are tied for third most. Fairley has at least 1.5 tackles for loss in every game this season and he was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Mississippi State. He’ll test arguably UK’s best position group, the offensive line. Kentucky’s front five has only surrendered two sacks all season, tied for seventh best in the nation.UK  players that have to step up – Safeties, Chris Matthews and Mike Hartline: “On defense, both of our safeties have to play well for us to win. And then offensively, we need Chris Matthews to continue to play well. You know, Randall Cobb is who he is, but we need Chris to go out there and make some plays for us on offense. I think Mike is also playing well.”

Cat Scratches’ take: UK’s safeties, particularly Winston Guy and Mychal Bailey, could be in for a workout Saturday. They’ll have to help in run defense against Newton but be aware of the long ball should Newton fake the option, drop back and throw it. Matthews had a career game against Florida with six catches for 114 yards and two scores. He followed up that up against Ole Miss with another six catches and a touchdown, but he was unable to stretch the field against the Rebels. Hartline has unfairly been the team’s piñata in its two losses. The starting quarterback has played very well this season, ranking 16th in the country in the NCAA’s QB Positive Impact Factor list and 37th in pass efficiency. Hartline needs to continue to shut out the noise and throw the ball down the field.Final injury report: Freshman linebacker Qua Huzzie remains questionable after having surgery Tuesday to repair a ligament in his right thumb. Huzzie will be a game-time decision, depending on how much pain he can tolerate. He will dress for the game. If he can’t go, freshman linebacker Avery Williamson will see increased time.