UK massive underdog as it heads to No. 9 Texas A&M this weekend
COLLEGE STATION, Texas —
Kentucky football will face another tough challenge on Saturday when they head to Kyle Field to take on No. 9 Texas A&M, coming off a crushing loss to No. 10 Alabama in their SEC opener last weekend.
Kentucky led Alabama at the half 17-13, and an upset seemed possible for the Wildcats. But they were shut out in the second half by Alabama, which scored 32 unanswered points to win 45-17.
Now, Kentucky is a massive underdog as it takes on its next SEC opponent. The Aggies are 16.5-point favorites for Saturday’s game.
While the Aggies are ranked ahead of Alabama in the AP poll, Kentucky’s defense may have an easier time containing the Texas A&M offense. The Aggies rank 86th in total offense, with an average of 380 yards per game and 10 touchdowns across their first two games.
The Wildcats aren’t far behind, sitting at 100th in total offense. A big question for UK will be how Stein and the O-Line going to adjust after getting slammed against Bama. Quarterback Kenny Minchey was sacked four times, but despite that, Kentucky still ranks ahead of Texas A&M in passing offense.
It also wasn’t pretty for the Wildcats’ ground game against Alabama, totaling 63 yards on the ground. The offensive line adjustment for UK could be a game changer, getting Minchey more time in the pocket and creating holes for running backs to slip through.
But Texas A&M’s defense won’t be rolling over for UK. The Aggie D is ranked 16th overall, holding teams to an average of 218 yards per game and only giving up two touchdowns in its first two games.
The Kentucky defense carried the Wildcats in the first half against Alabama, coming up with a pick-six for the first score of the game. However, UK’s ability to defend the pass showed a major hole. UK’s passing defense ranks 85th, allowing 10.85 yards per completion.
Texas A&M sits at 83rd in passing offense, but the Aggies are averaging 10.8 yards per completion. Pending UK’s defense making some major improvements from last week, this could be where Texas A&M exploits Kentucky.
Kentucky and Texas A&M kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. The game will air on ESPN.