Here's a sneak peek at the breakdown of Saturday's game that will be in tomorrow's paper:

Kentucky (2-3, 0-3 SEC) at Auburn (5-1, 2-1 SEC)

• Where: Auburn, Ala.
• When: 7:30 p.m., ESPNU
• Last meeting: Auburn 49, Kentucky 27, Nov. 5, 2005, in Lexington, Ky.

Offense:

Kentucky: All indications are that the Wildcats will go with true freshman Morgan Newton as their starting quarterback in place of an injured Mike Hartline. Expect them to lean more heavily on play-makers like tailback Derrick Locke and receiver Randall Cobb, who rank first and fifth in the SEC in all-purpose yards, respectively.

Auburn: The Tigers stumbled out of the blocks against Arkansas but still showed their explosive potential, scoring 20 points and gaining 248 yards in the third quarter alone. Running back Ben Tate leads the SEC in rushing, averaging 120.7 yards per game. He’s sixth nationally with 724 rushing yards.

EDGE: Auburn

Defense:

Kentucky: Auburn’s offensive line should be licking its chops going against the Wildcats’ run defense, which is last in the SEC, giving up 177.8 yards per game. Kentucky will be short-handed at cornerback, with All-American Trevard Lindley out with a high-ankle sprain and starter Paul Warford’s status in doubt because of a quad injury.

Auburn: The Tigers’ much-maligned defense gave up 495 yards to Arkansas last week, four weeks after allowing 509 yards to West Virginia. The 44 points Auburn gave up were the most since Georgia scored 45 in 2007. Cornerback Walt McFadden (knee) will be a gametime decision.

EDGE: Auburn

Special teams:

Kentucky: Locke and Cobb are burners. Locke is second in the SEC and eighth nationally, averaging 32.1 yards per kick return. Cobb is second in the SEC in punt return average (10.5 yards). Place-kicker Lones Seiber is Kentucky’s all-time leading scorer with 262 career points.

Auburn: The Tigers have yet to solve their problems on kickoff coverage, ranking 106th nationally in that category. A 70-yard return by Arkansas’ Dennis Johnson last week halted Auburn’s comeback bid. Place-kicker Wes Byrum is 11-for-12 on field goal attempts this season. He hasn’t missed from closer than 40 yards.

EDGE: Kentucky

Prediction: I think Auburn rebounds this week. Kentucky's got some offensive weapons, but it's quarterback situation is pretty dire, with a true freshman likely to get his first bit of action on the road in a hostile environment. The Wildcats have played some pretty tough SEC competition, so their defensive stats are a bit skewed right now, but injuries on the defensive side of the ball should contribute to a big offensive day for the Tigers. Auburn 45, Kentucky 34.