When the Kentucky and Auburn football programs met last season in Lexington, it featured two struggling clubs. The Wildcats were 14th in the 16-team SEC, with a 1-4 record in conference games at that point; the Tigers were 0-4 and in a tie for last (alongside Mississippi State).

A year later, UK and AU are once more fighting to climb out of the conference cellar.

Kentucky is last in the league standings, sitting at 0-5. Auburn is only one game better, with a 1-4 mark. The Tigers have a better overall record as well. They’re .500 (4-4) on the season, while the Wildcats are 2-5.

UK and coach Mark Stoops seek an end to a 10-game conference losing streak that has lasted more than a year.

The Wildcats also hope they can change their luck in the series with the Tigers. Heading into Saturday night’s matchup, Auburn is 28-6-1 versus Kentucky all time. AU is 19-1 against UK in the past 20 meetings.

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Which Kentucky defense shows up? The one that limited Texas to fewer than 200 yards in an overtime loss on Oct. 18? Or the one that gave up seven touchdowns and more than 500 yards in a one-sided setback to Tennessee last week? Much like life, the answer is probably somewhere in the middle. Think back to last season’s game between the Wildcats and Tigers: It was 10-all at halftime before Auburn scored the final 14 points in a 24-10 win at Kroger Field. Expect another close battle for a good portion of Saturday night’s contest on the Plains. But the Wildcats haven’t been able to get over the hump and vanquish an SEC foe in quite some time. Desperate for a winning season for the first time since 2020 — an accomplishment that, perhaps, would save coach Hugh Freeze’s job in the process — Auburn will hold serve at home and hand Kentucky its 11th consecutive conference loss.

Why Kentucky has an advantage: The Wildcats have clarity at quarterback. While the Tigers are sorting through whether to stick with Jackson Arnold (who started the first eight games this fall) or Ashton Daniels (who led a second-half comeback to top Arkansas last week), the Wildcats know Cutter Boley is QB1. The redshirt freshman is fresh off a record-setting performance. His five touchdown passes last week set a single-game UK record for a freshman. How well Tigers defensive coordinator DJ Durkin disguises his coverages could be the difference in this one, particularly if Seth McGowan, the Wildcats’ leading rusher and top offensive threat, misses his second straight game and forces the unit to rely more heavily on Boley’s arm.

Why Auburn has an advantage: The Tigers have one of the best defenses around. They give up just 84.1 rushing yards per game, which is second in the SEC and fifth nationally. They also rank among the top 30 in the FBS in scoring defense (18.6 points per game; tied for 21st) and total defense (318.5 yards per game; 29th). The most points Auburn has allowed this fall is 24 — on three occasions (Arkansas, Baylor and Oklahoma). The Tigers are one of only four teams in the country, and the only one that resides in the SEC, not to allow an opponent to reach the 25-point threshold in 2025.

Auburn 31, Kentucky 20.

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

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OCALA, Fla. (WKYT) – The man convicted in the stabbing death of a 6-year-old who was arrested in Florida while serving mandatory re-entry supervision is headed back to Kentucky.

In a press conference on Tuesday that included Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, officials announced that Ronald Exantus is being transported back to Kentucky.

Ronald Exantus was charged with stabbing and killing Logan Tipton in 2015. While he was found not guilty of the child’s murder by reason of insanity, Exantus was convicted on three assault charges for stabbing other members of Logan’s family.

The court sentenced Exantus to a combined 20 years in prison.

On October 1, The Department of Corrections released Exantus on mandatory re-entry supervision, overriding the parole board’s recommendation that he complete his full sentence behind bars. Exantus chose to service his mandatory re-entry supervision in Florida.

Exantus was arrested in Marion County, Florida on October 9. In a release, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office said Exantus failed to register as a felon with the sheriff’s office within 48 hours as required by law.

WKYT is working to learn more details about the situation.

This is a developing story.

Copyright 2025 WKYT. All rights reserved.

It hasn’t been pretty for the Kentucky Wildcats on the football field this season, but one obvious bright spot comes in the form of a 6’5″ redshirt freshman quarterback out of Hodgenville in Cutter Boley. He entered the game late vs. Ole Miss and has started every outing since with one win and four losses, but steady growth leading to a breakthrough against Tennessee this past weekend.

Boley racked up 330 yards and five touchdowns on 26-35 passing with 31 rushing yards on seven carries, hitting marks matched by only four other SEC quarterbacks in the last 30 years. Tim Couch is the only other Kentucky gunslinger to throw for at least 330 yards and five touchdowns on 74-plus percent passing in a single game.

“He’s really done a phenomenal job with his presence in the pocket, and each and every week, he’s getting more and more confident in that,” Mark Stoops said during his call-in show Monday evening. “The other thing I think he’s really doing at a high level right now is he’s been exceptional at throwing the ball with accuracy on the move. Under duress, he’s gotten way better since the first game of the year this year that he started, and then in trusting that he’s going to have some protection. …

“He’s been hanging in there when he has to hang in the pocket, but he’s escaping at times, and then he’s been remarkably accurate when he’s on the move.”

Seeing so many quarterbacks torch the Kentucky defense this year, along with coming up with game plans for all of the opposing greats to come and go over the years, Stoops is grateful to have an elite one on his sideline that others have to figure out.

“Cutter is a tough young man, and he’s getting bigger and stronger. He has a very good feel for that pocket right now. That’s been fun because, as a defensive guy, to coach a lot of defenses, that’s very aggravating when you feel like you got things matched up really well and pretty decent pressure, and you escape and make something happen.”

What if I told you not one, but two former Wildcats are helping Boley in that ongoing breakthrough?

Andre Woodson, who threw for 9,360 yards and 81 touchdowns as a two-time All-SEC selection in his four-year career in Lexington, has built a relationship with the redshirt freshman as he’s found his footing. From one in-state kid to another, the Radcliff native has been in Boley’s shoes and wants to help him live up to that superstar potential in the blue and white.

“I know Andre reached out to him and talked to him, and I appreciate that. With Andre — you know, these guys care about Kentucky. They care about how we play and want to see a guy like Cutter develop. It’s been good.”

It’s not just Woodson, though. In fact, there is a former player in that building taking Boley under his wing as a hands-on mentor — the guy who actually followed No. 3 in Lexington, suiting up from 2007-2010. Mike Hartline, who threw for 5,680 yards and 38 touchdowns during his time at Kentucky, is now an offensive quality control coach on Stoops’ staff.

What Bush Hamdan doesn’t have time for as offensive coordinator, Hartline steps in to do the heavy lifting with Boley’s development. Without him, we don’t see the current on-field success for the kid from Hodgenville.

“Another one that has made a big difference for him is Michael Hartline,” Stoops said. “I tell you, Michael does a really good job. Bush has a lot on his plate and a lot to work on, and we’re up there all hours, day and night, but a lot of times when Cutter comes in, he spends one-on-one time with Michael. He’s really done a good job, he’s been a great addition to our staff.

“It’s another UK guy that cares about this place, and I’m very impressed with him. He’s a great coach, and he’s really helped us, and he’s helped Cutter.”

Two great Kentucky quarterbacks, but can Boley be better? He’s already up to 1,553 yards and 11 touchdowns with five games to go as a redshirt freshman — then three more years of eligibility.

Things are starting to stick for the kid.