What Auburn players said about Jarquez Hunter’s career night against Kentucky

Jarquez Hunter’s performance against Kentucky was one to remember.

He set a new career high in rushing yards and his 278 yards on the ground were the most by an Auburn player since Tre Mason’s 304 in the 2013 SEC Championship game. Most importantly, it gave Auburn its first win since Week 3 yielded.

“I got tired of losing,” Hunter said after the match. “I tried to take advantage of the opportunities I had today. I tried to exhaust them.”

Hunter certainly wore Kentucky down and the only people who seemed to enjoy the performance more than him were his teammates.

“I get to watch from behind the play. I’ve never seen someone who’s so hard to tackle when you hit the guy right in front,” Payton Thorne said after the game. “He’s incredibly strong, and that’s a credit to him and his work ethic.”

Hunter’s performance made life easy for Thorne after the first quarter, as Auburn’s spread of play over the final three quarters was 47 runs against 15 passes. Thorne also completed 15 of his last 16 passes.

Hunter’s big night was worth watching for the defense as welland saw their success pay off when Hunter helped put the game away in the second half.

“It gives us more power to go out there and give them the ball,” defenseman Keldric Faulk said after the game. “When they do something great, it’s like they give us energy. If we get a stop on third down or force a fumble, it gives them energy. They’re waiting to come out and hit the ball into the end zone.

For linebacker Dorian Mausi Jr. it was extra special to see how the player he regularly faces in training shows what he is capable of.

“Finally someone else can experience it. That kid is a runner,” linebacker Dorian Mausi Jr. said. after the match. “I’m glad he’s doing something that we see every day.”

For Auburn corner Kayin Lee, the performance left him in awe.

“It felt like I was watching myself play a video game,” Lee said. “He rushed for 270 yards; I’ve never seen that from anyone on my team. I thought that was quite strange to see.”

Lee himself made a big impact in the game, catching an interception near the goal line that sealed the game for Auburn. After the interception, Hunter had runs of 10, 11 and 46, which put an exclamation point on what was already an impressive evening.

For weeks, Auburn couldn’t find the final straw to pull away from teams and finish games. In a game where he was “tired of losing,” Hunter was just that for Auburn against Kentucky.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn Sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X on @peter_rauterkus or email him [email protected]M