< Previous20 STATS COMPARISONS AUBURNTIGERS.COM AUBURN STATS LEADERS RUSHING ATT NET AVG TD LONG AVG/G Jarquez Hunter 97 585 6.0 3 38 83.6 Damari Alston 31 190 6.1 2 36 27.1 Payton Thorne 65 165 2.5 2 31 27.5 PASSING CMP-ATT-INT PCT YDS TD AVG/G Payton Thorne 94-158-6 59.5 1,414 11 235.7 Hank Brown 27-43-3 62.8 403 6 100.8 RECEIVING NO. YDS AVG TD LONG AVG/G KeAndre Lambert-Smith 26 526 20.2 6 67 75.1 Malcolm Simmons 22 289 13.1 2 57 41.3 Cam Coleman 10 259 25.9 2 47 43.2 DEFENSE UA A TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS Dorian Mausi 25 15 40 5.0-15 1.5-10 Jerrin Thompson 27 8 35 1.0-14 1.0-14 Jalen McLeod 23 9 32 9.5-47 5.0-28 KENTUCKY STATS LEADERS RUSHING ATT NET AVG TD LONG AVG/G Demie Sumo-Karngbaye 92 419 4.6 4 22 59.9 Jamarion Wilcox 32 224 7.0 0 25 32.0 Gavin Wimsatt 33 128 3.9 2 24 25.6 PASSING CMP-ATT-INT PCT YDS TD AVG/G Brock Vandagriff 91-158-4 57.6 1,116 6 159.4 Gavin Wimsatt 5-10-1 50.0 59 0 11.8 RECEIVING NO. YDS AVG TD LONG AVG/G Dane Key 35 500 14.3 2 42 71.4 Barion Brown 22 270 12.3 3 63 38.6 Demie Sumo-Karngbaye 12 108 9.0 0 18 15.4 DEFENSE UA A TOT TFL-YDS SACKS-YDS D’Eryk Jackson 20 17 37 5.0-21 1.0-15 Jordan Lovett 18 18 36 1.0-2 0.0-0 Zion Childress 23 11 34 5.5-18 1.0-7 Here is a quick look at the top team statistics for Tigers and Wildcats. . Quick Look n Total Touchdowns 2616 n Rushing Yards 1,1031,064 n Passing Yards 1,8501,175 STATS COMPARISONSTickets available now! featuring Herbie Hancock • Borromeo String Quartet • The Piano Guys The Magic School Bus • Dear Evan Hansen • Straight No Chaser • Black Violin Ain’t Too Proud — The Life and Times of The Temptations • and many more 2024–25 season22 COVER FEATURE AUBURNTIGERS.COM Well aware is KeAndre Lambert-Smith of his opportunity to end a quarter-centu- ry drought. Ronney Daniels in 1999, became the second Auburn receiver to produce a thousand-yard season. Terry Beasley did it first in 1970. “It definitely would be a blessing,” Lam- bert-Smith said. “Everybody keeps re- minding me of it.” With 526 receiving yards through sev- en games, Lambert-Smith’s 75.1-yards- per-game average ranks No. 5 in the SEC, as does his gaudy 20.3 yards-per-catch average, earning him the nickname “Big Play Dre.” To reach 1,000, Lambert-Smith would need to average 94.8 yards per game in Auburn’s five remaining regular-season contests. “I’m trying not to put my focus there,” said Lambert-Smith, describing himself as a “big jinx person.” “If I happen to do it, it’s a blessing. That’s an achievement anybody would take. I’m trying to put this team in the best position to win. If that’s going for a thousand-plus and setting a record, I’ll take that.” After four productive seasons at Penn State, Lambert-Smith transferred to Au- burn for his final season. “I felt with Coach Freeze’s offense, I had a great opportunity at hand while also leading a group of great young receivers,” Lambert-Smith said. “I feel like I’ve showcased a little bit throughout my college ca- reer but there’s way more left in the tank. I feel like I’m one of the top guys in the country and now I have an opportunity to showcase that.” His six receiving touchdowns are tied for 17th nationally and second in the SEC, eclipsing his career best as a Nittany Lion when he scored four in each of the previous two seasons. One of those touchdown grabs, a 31-yarder against Oklahoma, ranks among Lambert-Smith’s fa- vorites this season. “That was a nasty contested catch for a touchdown,” said Lam- bert-Smith, whose other top grab so far in 2024 came against Cal. “The toe drag in the end zone. That was good on Sundays. I got two feet in. It gave me that sense of self-confidence.” Lambert-Smith appreciates the oppor- tunity to mentor Auburn’s freshman re- ceivers while learning from assistant coach Marcus Davis. COVER FEATURE BY: JEFF SHEARER BIG PLAY DRE: KEANDRE LAMBERT-SMITH ‘GRATEFUL’ FOR AUBURN Committed to playing with purpose. At Alabama Power, we share your passion for gameday and your pride in our community. We celebrate victories on and off the field that move the state forward. For over 100 years, we’ve shown that our collective achievements make us stronger. It’s Power for a Better Alabama. We proudly support the Auburn Tigers. alabamapower.com © 2024 Alabama Power Company24 COVER FEATURE AUBURNTIGERS.COM “He’s a real humble guy. He’s a big rea- son why I came here,” Lambert-Smith said of his position coach. “He’s a real one. I felt that instant connection. We’ve got a great relationship, and I look forward to continu- ing to build it.” Labeling himself “a complete receiver,” Lambert-Smith says his strengths including route running, quickness, the ability to read defenses and the versatility to play inside or outside. His biggest area to improve, he says, is generating yards after receptions. Lambert-Smith takes pride in helping develop the Freeze Four – Auburn’s fresh- man receiving quartet of Cam Coleman, Malcolm Simmons, Perry Thompson and Bryce Cain, who jokingly refer to KLS as “Unc” or “Old head.” “I’m trying to be that big brother for them,” Lambert-Smith said. “I talk to them a lot, whether it’s helping them with tech- niques, route running and corrections. I try to give them all the tools and knowledge I didn’t have as a freshman. I didn’t have somebody wrap their arm around me and show me the ropes, so I try to be that for them.” Sometimes, says Lambert-Smith, he’s on the receiving end of the mentoring re- lationship. “I learn things from them,” he said. “The way Malcolm practices, his explosiveness, his energy, I try to challenge myself to be as happy as him every day.” A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Lam- bert-Smith totaled 156 receiving yards against Arkansas, the 14th-best per- formance in Auburn history. His 2,247 career yards rank second among active SEC players. To Auburn fans interested in getting to know the person who wears No. 5, Lambert-Smith offers this self-assess- ment: “A real humble dude, plays with a lot of energy. Grateful to make it this far in life and have an opportunity to play at this level. Genuine, energetic, big per- sonality. I get along with anybody. I’m not too good for anything.” Raised a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean, Lambert-Smith grew up around water but never visited a lake until a friend invited him to Lake Martin over the summer. “A whole different experience,” he said. “I’m like, ‘I can get used to this.’ I’m putting it on my bucket list: a house on a lake. My kids are going to grow up on a boat. I didn’t know how relaxing it could be. I found a new little chill spot.” His former team is undefeated and po- sitioned for a potential playoff spot, but KeAndre Lambert-Smith refuses to look back. He’s invested in Auburn’s immediate and future success – starting Saturday at 6:45 p.m. CT at Kentucky. It’s also his next opportunity to close in on an elusive Au- burn receiving record. “I feel like there are lessons to be learned in every situation,” Lambert-Smith said. “I don’t regret anything. I feel like I came here for a reason. God put me in front of Coach Davis, this staff and these teammates for a reason. I don’t regret any- thing, and I appreciate this experience.” Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at Au- burnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_ shearer COVER FEATUREPARTOFTHEFAMILY Y O U R T E A M S . Y O U R T E A M S .Y O U R S T A T I O N S . Y O U R S T A T I O N S . WINGSFM.COM CATCHAUBURNFOOTBALL,MEN’SBASKETBALLANDTIGERTALKONWINGS94.3 ANDAUBURNWOMEN’SBASKETBALLANDBASEBALLONAU100. Auburn-Opelika’sOfficialFlagshipStationsoftheAuburnTigers AU100FM.COM28 HEAD COACH HUGH FREEZE AUBURNTIGERS.COM Hugh Freeze became the 31st head football coach in Auburn history in No- vember, 2022. Freeze has nearly three decades of continued coaching success, including head coaching experience that has led to conference titles, nation- ally ranked recruiting classes and bowl appearances at multiple stops during his highly decorated career. In Freeze’s first season at Auburn, despite a shorthanded roster, the 2023 Tigers posted a 6-7 record and earned a Music City Bowl berth. Every home game was sold out as fans embraced Freeze’s brand of football and Auburn garnered a top 10 recruiting class for the 2024 campaign. Freeze came to Auburn from Liber- ty University, where he was head coach from 2019-22. Freeze led the Flames to four bowl games and a 34-15 record. Freeze experienced similar success at each of his head coaching stops prior to Liberty that include Lambuth Univer- sity (2008-09), Arkansas State (2011) and Ole Miss (2012-16). Freeze led each school to double-digit win seasons, while helping Ole Miss to a top 10 national fin- ish in 2015. His on-field coaching record in 13 seasons is 109-54. Liberty was just one of five FBS teams in the country to win a bowl game each season from 2019-21, joining Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Louisiana. It was the second team in NCAA history to win a bowl game during its first three full sea- sons at the FBS level, all coming under Freeze’s leadership. Freeze guided Liberty to a 10-1 overall record in 2020 and the team’s first-ever national ranking as it finished No. 17 in the country. That season, Liberty had the best start in program history (8-0), tied the program record for wins (10) and de- feated two Power 5 programs in Syracuse and Virginia Tech. For his efforts, Freeze was a finalist for the George Munger Col- legiate Coach of the Year Award. Known for his fast-paced offensive style, Freeze’s 2020 Liberty team set a school record for rushing yards in a sea- son in 2020 (2,776) and ranked No. 9 in the country in rushing offense. Liberty also ranked No. 15 nationally in total of- fense (482.7 yards per game) and No. 11 in total defense (317.7 yards per game). The Flames were one of three teams in the country to rank in the top 20 in both total offense and total defense in 2020, joining Clemson and BYU. Spearheading Liberty’s outstand- ing offense in 2020 was former Auburn quarterback Malik Willis, who burst into the spotlight leading the nation in rushing yards (944) and touchdowns (14) by a FBS quarterback. Willis earned All-America honors, was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Quarterback Class of 2020 and was on the 2020 Maxwell Award watch list. The Flames posted an eight-win sea- son in 2021 after facing eight bowl-eli- gible teams during that campaign. Lib- erty’s defense finished the 2021 season ranked No. 7 nationally in passing yards allowed, No. 11 in total defense and No. 24 in scoring defense. Offensively, Lib- erty finished 2021 ranked No. 25 in the country in scoring offense and No. 8 in passing yards per completion. Leading the charge for the Flames in 2021 once again was Willis, who was a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Na- tional Quarterback Award and the Max- well Award and a top 10 candidate for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Willis was a third-round draft pick of the Ten- nessee Titans in the 2022 NFL Draft. In 2022, Liberty finished the regu- lar season 8-4 with wins over Arkansas and BYU; three of the four losses came by a combined five points. The Flames earned a berth in the Boca Raton Bowl. While head coach at Ole Miss, Freeze took the Rebels to bowl games in three of his five seasons, including wins in the 2013 Music City and the 2016 Sugar bowls. Freeze’s time in Oxford was highlight- ed by a 10-3 campaign in 2015, the pro- gram’s first 10-win season since 2003. The Rebels won their first four games of the 2015 season, including a 43-37 road victory over No. 2 Alabama, Ole Miss’ first win in Tuscaloosa since 1988. The Rebels were ranked as high as No. 3 in the national polls in both 2014 and 2015 and finished in the national Top 10 for the first time since 1969 after the Sugar Bowl win. Ole Miss was ranked in the top 25 for 45 weeks over Freeze’s five-year tenure, including a string of 27 straight weeks in the polls for the first time since 1957-62. Freeze collected four nationally ranked recruiting classes at Ole Miss. In 2013 and 2016, his recruiting classes ranked in the top five nationally, the best in program history. Freeze and his staff developed 20 players who earned all-SEC honors, in- cluding All-Americans Cody Prewitt, Senquez Golson, Robert Nkemdiche, Laremy Tunsil, Evan Engram, Laquon Treadwell and Trae Elston. Treadwell was Ole Miss’ first ever SEC Freshman of the Year in 2013 and became HUGH FREEZE HEAD COACHNext >