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Birmingham News In all, Auburn had eight new players on offense see the field for the first time on Saturday, while five defenders and one special teamer made their debut against Kentucky . . . Even though the tight ends barely show up on the stat sheet, they were more present than usual . . . The Wildcats had three trips inside the Tigers' 20-yard line on Saturday but finished the day with just seven points to show for it . . . After playing alongside the line and then watching film, wide receiver Anthony Schwartz was impressed with the offensive line's overall performance . . . Following its 29-13 win over Kentucky to open the season, Auburn moved to No. 7 in both the Amway Coaches Poll and the AP Poll, advancing one spot from its No. 8 ranking the week before . . . Auburn got it right in the second half with its adjustments, and the Tigers looked more like the team that finished 2019 with the nation's eighth-best third-down defense . . . The running backs picked up those 50 yards as they ran behind an untested, inexperienced offensive line . . . Although the first half featured its share of difficulties including an ejection for targeting, the Tigers were able to come out of halftime with a tightened up game . . . Auburn's head coach wore the signature Pat Dye game day attire with a navy baseball cap paired with an burnt orange and navy tie . . . College GameDay will broadcast live from Athens next weekend for an expected top-10 showdown between longstanding SEC rivals Auburn and Georgia . . . "This offseason, we've just practiced and practiced . . . Nix's start was inauspicious, misfiring on two of his first three pass attempts but soon found his rhythm on the afternoon . . . The limited fans in the stands on the Plains went wild, and all felt right on this fall Saturday in the South . . . Out of Williams' six catches against the Wildcats, the two biggest were the ones in the end zone, for both their impact and level of execution . . . No. 8 Auburn beat No. 23 Kentucky 29-13 in the season-opener at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday . . . If the OL can gel a bit more and AU's front 7 can get more consistent, fun times could be ahead . . . Malzahn said, "I thought our tackling was very good. We worked extremely hard. We were more physical in fall camp . . . The Tigers are a legitimate contender . . . Auburn helped its cause by forcing three turnovers while the Auburn offense did not throw an interception or lose a fumble . . . Seth Williams is going to be a problem this year for everyone in the SEC . . . Auburn-Kentucky stats . . . Auburn would pull away come the fourth quarter, and that run included a circus-like touchdown catch by Auburn receiver Seth Williams . . . Box score and MVP . . . For Auburn, it was a solid, gritty win . . . Auburn cashed in a two-play scoring drive capped by Nix's 21-yard pass to Eli Stove . . . Auburn forced two key turnovers that changed the game -- an interception by Roger McCreary just before halftime and a fumble recovery by Jamien Sherwood . . . Auburn showed off some of the offensive changes it made as it scored its first touchdown of 2020. The two-point conversion put the Tigers up 8-7 early . . . The Auburn Tigers face the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium next Saturday with kickoff at 6:30 p.m . . . Malzahn noted the adjustments Auburn's defense made in the second half being a key to the team's win . . . Bo Nix needs to show what he's learned from Chad Morris in the offseason . . . Listen: Why Auburn should be optimistic . . . Has an offensive line ever been watched as closely as Auburn's will be Saturday? . . . Gatewood is still awaiting word as to whether he will be able to play for the Wildcats in 2020 . . . Kentucky added more depth at QB with sophomore Joey Gatewood, who transferred from Auburn after playing backup to Nix last year . . . 93 Consecutive games without being shut out for Auburn, the second-longest streak in school history . . . Malzahn has given Morris full control of the offense, which has undergone a bit of a facelift this offseason . . . Kemtucky vs Auburn: Saturday, Sept. 26 , Noon ET, Jordan-Hare Stadium -- Auburn, Alabama, SEC Network, ESPN+, fuboTV (Try for free) . . . Auburn is a 7.5-point favorite with William Hill and 19/20 to cover the spread . . . "I'd say I'm completely different from where I was last year at this time going into Oregon . . . This season, Kentucky returns four of its five starters from that group, only replacing first-team All-SEC guard Logan Stenberg . . . How do you expect the experience on Kentucky's offensive line to match up against an inexperienced but traditionally talented Auburn defensive line? . . . Barkley may not be sweating the Cats visit but that's not the case for Malzahn and defensive coordinator Kevin Steele . . . Podcast: Chad Morris, Joey Gatewood, surprise starters and more . . . It will certainly be a different experience, especially when players have grown accustomed to sold-out stadiums, raucous environments and, within the confines of Jordan-Hare Stadium, what they believe to be the best homefield advantage in the country . . . Wooten's decision meant Auburn either has to switch up the way it rotates its linebackers in or find his replacement . . . While the Auburn defense will have to prove itself, the Auburn offense will be tested against one of the nation's top secondaries from a year ago . . . In a close game, give me the quarterback who knocked off Alabama as a freshman . . . Two-Minute Drill: Auburn football defensive freshmen to watch . . . Behind that trio there is nobody on the linebacker depth chart with any collegiate experience . . . A redshirt freshman out of Georgia, Simpson has played in four college games — the max a freshman can play without losing his redshirt . . . That's exactly what Auburn sought when it hit the transfer market in search of depth at quarterback . . . While Auburn had no shortage of options to fill that void, thanks to the high-level recruiting by Steele and Garner along the defensive line over the years, the player who settled into Brown's former starting job turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of Auburn's 2020 depth chart reveal on Tuesday . . . With the Kentucky Wildcats up first in Saturday's football season opener at Jordan-Hare Stadium, Nix said he feels like both himself and the offense are in a good spot despite the challenges of no spring practice and limited time together during the summer . . . While the left tackle spot is still up for grabs, the other four starting jobs along the retooled offensive line are settled, with Nick Brahms returning at center, grad transfer Brandon Council taking over at right guard, Tashawn Manning earning the left guard spot and Brodarious Hamm at right tackle . . . It's a game Auburn should win . . . Auburn freshman Jeremiah Wright has switched positions ahead of the Tigers' season-opener against Kentucky . . . Redshirt freshman linebacker O.C. Brothers and true freshman Buck edge-rusher Romello Height both underwent procedures on their shoulders this offseason and are still recovering . . . A 4-star prospect coming out of Archer High in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Wooden is a player that got better and better throughout his high school career while playing against some of the top competition in the country week in and week out . . . Auburn released its official two-deep depth chart on Tuesday for the 2020 season . . .
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