Which Auburn players had the highest and lowest Pro Football Focus grades versus Kentucky?

Auburn finally found a victory.

After weeks of getting close but failing to finish, Auburn closed out one out against Kentucky, winning 24-10 on the road. It was Auburn’s first victory of the season in the Southeastern Conference and the first victory over a Power 4 team since the 48-10 victory over Arkansas on November 11, 2023.

Focus on professional football gave Auburn an overall grade of 77.9, its highest since its Week 1 win over Alabama A&M. PFF also graded all players who appeared in the game.

Here are the players with the highest and lowest rating:

Offense

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 rush for 278 yards, it’s hard not to have the highest grade on offense. Hunter set a new career high in rushing yards and was easily Auburn’s player of the game.

Hunter received plenty 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 28.4 pass blocking grade.

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 important and he had to fight off a defender to get the first down.

last 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, as they played just six and four offensive snaps respectively.

The rest of the group’s low grades are all due to poor blocking grades, primarily in pass blocking. Coleman is the exception as he is not a pass blocker by any means, but he 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 complete game Auburn’s defense played against Kentucky. Keyron Crawford and the front seven pressured both of Kentucky’s quarterbacks all game and Jay Crawford was Auburn’s best player in the backfield.

Despite being a true freshman and starting the season as a rotational player, Jay Crawford has emerged as arguably Auburn’s best defensive back.

He is consistently among Auburn’s highest-ranked players and against Kentucky he caught the first interception of his career. His 87.9 coverage grade was the highest an Auburn player has had in a game since Champion Anthony’s 91.8 grade against Arkansas, with that mark coming in just 12 plays.

The grades for Asante, Walker and Raikes show how well the forward played, although it’s worth noting that Walker only played eight plays. Another player to mention is Jalen McLeod, who finished just outside the top five at No. 6.

He had the highest pass rush rating on the team at 89.9, totaling four pass rushes. His pass rush rating was the highest an Auburn player has had in a game this season.

last 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 of a common theme with the lower grades, but since so many of them played so few snaps, it’s tough give a fair rating.

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

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X in @peter_rauterkus or send an email to [email protected]metro