Ahead of Auburn's season opener against Kentucky, our Nathan King chatted with Justin Rowland of CatsIllustrated.com. Dive in for his assessment of the Tigers-Wildcats matchup and how he sees the action shaking out Saturday morning in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

NK: How much time do you think it will take 'Cats QB Terry Wilson to readjust to the speed of the game following his injury? Will Kentucky lean more on its ground game while easing Wilson back into things?

JR: That's a very fair question. He hasn't seen live game action in nearly a full year. The coaches seem pleased that his speed has returned and they're saying he's throwing the ball like he did at the start of last year, which appeared to be better than in 2018 when he was a bit inconsistent.

Wilson is not going to be asked to go out and win many games single-handedly. He played a fantastic game in Kentucky's win at Florida in 2018 but more often than not his winning recipe is going to be avoiding turnovers, moving the chains with his legs, and making a few timely throws.

It's safe to say Kentucky will lean heavily on the ground game. Its top three returning backs combined for almost 2,000 yards last year and the offensive line is a Joe Moore Award contender primarily because of how they create rushing lanes.

Given that the wide receivers are the least proven unit on the team I'd be surprised if Kentucky passed more than 25 times. Mark Stoops likes to keep it on the ground as well.

NK: In that same vein, how successful do you see Kentucky's experienced front performing against a relatively inexperienced Auburn D-line?

JR: There's no question the offensive line is the strength of the team. It has really come to define the entire program. Offensive line coach John Schlarman has done a tremendous job evaluating and developing guys up front.

One thing I'd say is this isn't a feel good story about overachievers. These guys have lots of prospect pedigree. Left tackle Landon Young was a five-star recruit. Drake Jackson will be a four-year starter at center. He was a four-star prospect and had offers from everybody, too. At right tackle Darian Kinnard was a U.S. Army All-American and he's likely gone for the NFL after this season even though he's a junior. He's PFF's top returning offensive lineman in the SEC according to last year's grades. Luke Fortner is a long-time starter at right guard.

This group has been tremendous blocking for the run game. They have been solid in pass protection but haven't needed to do as much of that. For Kentucky to pull an upset at Auburn this group needs to dominate.

NK: Who are some Kentucky X-factors that Auburn fans need to know about?

JR: Kentucky's secondary was a top five unit in several pass defense categories last year and they return almost everyone to the point where they go about three deep at most spots. But one player Kentucky fans have not seen in live game action is Kelvin Joseph. He transferred from LSU as a former Rivals100 recruit and sat out last season. Joseph has beat out two former starters at cornerback for the top line on the depth chart opposite Brandin Echols. In terms of raw talent he might be the most gifted defensive back to come through Kentucky in my lifetime, at least based on what the coaches have said.

Josh Paschal is going into his junior season and last year he was a solid outside linebacker for Kentucky. He has moved up to defensive end this year. With Calvin Taylor gone from last year's team, Paschal needs to bring some explosiveness to the front of the line to help generate a pass rush.

Wide receiver Josh Ali didn't put up big numbers last season because when Lynn Bowden took over the passing game became a non-factor but he's UK's top pass-catcher and had a big hand in the win over Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl. For UK to win they'll have to get something in the pass game and he needs to step up.

Overall I'd just say this Kentucky team has as much talent and depth as just about any UK squad we've ever seen in the modern era, at least on paper, but it remains to be seen who the "stars" are going to be. There's no Josh Allen or Benny Snell like we saw a couple of years ago, but there aren't any holes either, with the possible exception of the passing game.

NK: What are the primary keys to a Kentucky victory?

JR: Kentucky will need this to be a lower scoring game just because it's not really in a Stoops team's DNA to be comfortable in a shootout. If this is a 21-17 or a 17-14 score in the fourth quarter then that's exactly the kind of game they're going to want to play. Key to that will be limiting big plays. Kentucky probably feels like it can line up and physically match up well against Auburn at most spots on the field, but one advantage the Tigers may have is the ability to break the game open with big plays. They have some of the best receivers and skill players the Wildcats will see this year. UK has been good at preventing big plays in recent years but this will be a test.

The other thing is Kentucky has to get something through the air. They should be able to run the ball on most teams but the passing game remains a big question. Auburn will not be easy to throw on.

One thing Kentucky has apparently struggled with during camp was red zone scoring. They can't just kick field goals inside the 20 and win this game.

NK: Game prediction?

JR: I've gone back and forth on this prediction and have actually written it a couple of times. It's hard for me to pick a seven point underdog but Kentucky is a veteran team with the line advantage on paper, and given the reduced number of spring practices and the weird fall schedule with COVID and contact tracing I don't think that's insignificant. I think a team with a very experienced leadership core goes on the road and gets one of the bigger wins of the Mark Stoops era in a close game. Kentucky 21, Auburn 17

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