The Auburn Tigers finally got back into the win column on Saturday, playing a dominant, error-free game on the road against Kentucky.

Auburn’s 24-10 victory may not have propelled the Tigers far in most rankings, but it allowed them to ahead of Kentucky in this week’s Tuscaloosa News SEC Power Poll. The Tigers, who had consistently been ranked as the second-worst team in the SEC in columnist Chase Goodbread’s poll for most of the season, now sit at No. 14 in the poll.

Hugh Frozen‘s team was in danger of another brutal loss early on, but the Tigers rallied to a career-best night after running back. Hunter Jarquez to pick up a huge 24-10 road win, putting them back in playoff contention as we enter the final month of the season.

The aforementioned Hunter ran for 278 yards in the victory, earning himself a spot among the top 4 single-game rushers in Auburn history. His total was the highest rushing output by a Tiger since Tre Mason in 2013, and Hunter tops the list of SEC rushing leaders this season (863 yards). While quarterback Payton Thorne didn’t do anything very impressive, the Auburn signal-caller took care of the football and made key throws to important spots, helping the Tigers extend drives behind the stellar night by Hunter.

As for the programs at the top of the Goodbread rankings, Georgia (No. 1) retained first place in the conference after a week of inactivity. Texas AM (No. 2) climbed two places after another major victory, while Texas (No. 3) fell for a second consecutive week. Tennessee (n°4) lost a place after a week of inactivity and Alabama (No. 5) moved back into the top 5 after a 34-0 loss to Missouri.

With a matchup against No. 9 Vanderbilt on the schedule this Saturday, Hugh Freeze’s team has a chance to knock on the door of the top 10 with a second straight victory.

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