AUBURN’S HUNTER IS DOAK WALKER NATIONAL RUNNING BACK OF THE WEEK
Senior breaks looks in second half for career-best 278 yards rushing in 24-10 win over KentuckyDALLAS (SMU) – Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter ran for a career-high 278 yards and scored two touchdowns in the second half as the Tigers pulled away Saturday to win at Kentucky, 24-10. For netting the highest rushing total in the FBS this season, Hunter earned the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week honor for games of the weekend of Oct. 26.
The 278 rushing yards are the third-best total by a Southeastern Conference player in the last five seasons and the fourth-best mark in Auburn history. In the second half alone, Hunter ran for 214 yards to break the school record for most yards in a single half, surpassing Bo Jackson’s 206 yards in a game from 1985.
The 5-10 senior-eligibility back from Philadelphia, Miss., toted the ball a career-high 23 times and took 10 of them for 10 or more yards, including three breakaways for 45-plus yards. Hunter averaged 12.1 yards per carry and added 19 more yards on four receptions to bring his all-purpose total to another career-best mark of 297 yards.
Hunter, who has already earned his degree in Natural Resource Management, also earned the SEC’s Offensive Player of the Week honor this week. He is the 21st player in Auburn history torush for 200-plus yards in a game and the first since 2017. It marked the second time this season he has topped 100 yards, the other coming against New Mexico on Sept. 14 with 152 yards. He has 10 career 100-yard games. His 50-yard run in the third quarter against Kentucky was a season long.
Hunter was a 2023 second team All-SEC honoree and now has 3,033 career rushing yards, sixth among Auburn players. Auburn has not had a finalist for the Doak Walker Award in its history.
Hunter’s previous career-high rushing total of 183 yards came last season against this week’s opponent, Vanderbilt. Hunter scored twice in Auburn’s 31-15 win on Nov. 4, 2023. Auburn hosts Vanderbilt (5-3) on Saturday with a 12:45 p.m. ET kickoff on the SEC Network.
