AUBURN, Ala. – If you can't have a 14-point swing, a 7-point swing is the next best thing.
Late in the first half, Kentucky ran four plays inside Auburn's 3-yard line. On the Wildcats' fourth attempt, Roger McCreary intercepted Terry Wilson's pass in the end zone and raced 100 yards for an apparent Auburn score.
Though the touchdown was nullified by a penalty on the return, McCreary's takeaway preserved Auburn's 8-7 lead in the Tigers' 29-13 victory Saturday.
"A huge momentum shift," said Auburn safety Jordyn Peters.
"That was a momentum shifter," agreed safety Jamien Sherwood. "We came back after halftime and I feel like the defense really stepped up."
Auburn forced two more turnovers in the fourth quarter. Sherwood's fumble recovery set up Bo Nix's second touchdown pass to Seth Williams, giving Auburn a two-possession lead for the first time.
"I was the one coming up on the tackle," Sherwood said. "The next thing you know, the ball was on the ground, so I went and got it."
Late in the game, McCreary caused a fumble that Owen Pappoe recovered, giving Auburn a plus-three advantage in turnovers.
NOT FOOLED
With Auburn leading 22-13 in the fourth quarter, Kentucky attempted a fake punt from its 30-yard line on fourth-and-5.
Peters was ready. The senior sprinted across the field, taking down the Wildcats punter for a 3-yard loss that led to an Auburn touchdown two plays later.
"One of us had to make a play," said Peters, whose special teams unit sensed that a fake was forthcoming. "I was in the right place at the right time."Jordyn Peters celebrates after thwarting Kentucky's fake punt
'A REALLY GOOD MEASURING STICK'
Nick Brahms started 10 games the past two seasons at center, so starting Saturday's opener was nothing new for the junior. However, for the rest of Auburn's offensive line, it was all new. No other player up front had ever started a game before.
The Tigers opened the game with Alec Jackson, Tashawn Manning, Brahms, Brandon Council and Brodarious Hamm as the five starters, but the coaches also rotated in the likes of Austin Troxell and Keiondre Jones throughout the game knowing how valuable game experience would be for everybody except Brahms.
"I really liked how we got everybody in there for game experience," Brahms said. "We know those guys can play in a game, we trust them, and so I think that's big for them and for everybody just working with different people. I really liked how we did today. We made some mistakes, obviously. We knew that was going to happen. Every game, people make mistakes. You just have to get back on Sunday, correct those mistakes and get back to it."
Per head coach Gus Malzahn, they all deserved the chance to play Saturday.
"This will be a really good measuring stick for our offensive line to kind of see how we did against a very solid defensive line and hopefully be able to start getting some more continuity so we don't have to have the rotations," he said.
17,490
Auburn fans are used to seeing the number, 87,451, on the stat sheet, indicating a sellout at Jordan-Stadium.
With attendance capped at 20 percent for the season opener because of the coronavirus pandemic, Saturday's attendance of 17,490 represented a capacity crowd.
Auburn students comprised the majority of attendees, physically distancing throughout the stadium and impressing the Tigers with their enthusiasm and volume.
"We have the best fans in the nation if you ask me," Peters said. "They're going to be as loud as possible. It still felt like a real football game. They were still yelling and cheering, just like before. I loved it."
"The atmosphere was great." Sherwood said. "We've been waiting for this moment. They were loud and we just wanted to put on a good show for everybody who was here."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer