Texas A&M Football lost their first two games vs ranked opponents. Is it “third time’s a charm” as they host the surprisingly ranked, Kentucky Wildcats.
The Texas A&M Aggies have found themselves facing another AP Top 25 opponent this weekend, as they take on the Kentucky Wildcats. In their two previous games this season against a raked opponent, the Aggies ended up on the losing side; getting destroyed by the Alabama Crimson Tide, and losing a heartbreaker to the Clemson Tigers just two weeks prior.
Those two games also happen to be the Aggies only losses on the season. What A&M is now looking for is a quality win. Not that it matters in terms of the College Football Playoff, but Texas A&M wants to be mentioned with the likes of LSU and Auburn when it comes to teams that could dethrone Alabama, and represent the SEC West. A win over Kentucky any other season would be compared to FCS game, but this year, the Wildcats have proven that they’re one of the best in the SEC.
With wins over the Florida Gators and the Mississippi State Bulldogs, the Kentucky Wildcats are ranked inside the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since 2007, making in only the second time they’ve been highly ranked since 1984. For the Wildcats, they have the conference’s number one rush offense, which is led by running back Benjamin Snell Jr., who has 664 yards and eight touchdowns on the season.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of this team is their defense, which ranks as one of the best in the nation, in both points allowed, and total yards allowed. A win over the Aggies would become just another stepping stone on their best year in school history.
The Wildcats want to continue their remarkable season, while the Aggies look to spoil their hopes and improve to 4-2. Outside of the Virginia Tech-Notre Dame game, this will be one of the best games to watch of the late matchups on Saturday. So if you’re interested in a Kentucky football game, here’s everything you need to know:
How to Watch
Date: Saturday, Oct. 7
Time: 7:30 PM EST
Location: College Station, TX
Venue: Kyle Field
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: ESPN | FuBoTV
Keys to Victory
For Texas A&M, they’ll need to keep the game close early to keep the crowd going throughout the game. Another ranked team coming into your stadium and silencing your fans, won’t help any comeback you might have.
Also for the Aggies, they have one of the best rushing defenses in not only the SEC, but in the entire nation. If they’ve ever needed them to stay true to who they are, this is the game. With the Wildcats highly ranked rush offense, the Aggies will be in a chess match all night long.
For the Wildcats, they’ll need to establish the run early. They are playing a top-ranked rush defense, but they’ve proven to get the job done on the ground time and time again this season. If the run game is producing, this will allow the Wildcats to run some play action and score on big plays in a hostile environment. Enough big plays and the Wildcats could personally remove the nickname “12th Man” from Kyle Field.
Prediction
This will be one of the best games from the SEC all season. The atmosphere will be electric and the teams will battle it out until the final minute. The Aggies get the home crowd roaring after stopping Kentucky on their opening possession and scoring on their own.
But the Wildcats are able to answer back with not only one score, but two scores of their own. The Aggies and Wildcats both trade field goals late in the second quarter and Kentucky goes into halftime with a 17-10 lead.
In the second half, the Aggies tie the game up after both teams swapped punts on their opening drives. This is where the game gets interesting: driving down the field early in the fourth quarter, the Aggies make a mistake, turning the ball over in the red zone.
The Wildcats eat up a lot of clock be before scoring a touchdown that puts them up by 10. The Aggies are able to get a field goal to bring themselves within a touchdown of the Wildcats, but after failing the onside kick, the Wildcats run out the remaining time on the clock.
Final Score: Kentucky 27, Texas A&M 24.