Kentucky faces another difficult SEC assignment just one week after losing 45–17 at home to Alabama.
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3:30 p.m. ET — ESPN/ESPN2
This time the Wildcats travel to College Station to face a Texas A&M team that improved to 2–0 with a convincing 48–20 victory over Arizona State.
Texas A&M was particularly opportunistic against Arizona State. Marcel Reed threw three touchdown passes, while Marco Jones and Julio Humphrey returned interceptions for touchdowns as the Aggies forced four turnovers. That is an ominous combination for a Kentucky team that cannot afford to give A&M short fields.
The Wildcats need to rediscover their physical identity. Kentucky’s best chance is to establish the run, shorten the game and prevent Kyle Field from becoming a factor. Long possessions would keep Reed and the Aggie offense on the sideline while reducing the number of opportunities A&M has to create explosive plays.
Texas A&M should attack Kentucky early. The Aggies have demonstrated the ability to score quickly, and forcing the Wildcats into obvious passing situations would play directly into the strength of an aggressive A&M defense.
Kentucky has enough talent to make this competitive, particularly if it avoids turnovers and controls possession. But consecutive games against Alabama and Texas A&M represent a brutal opening to conference play.
The Aggies appear deeper, more explosive and more confident at this stage of the season. Add the atmosphere at Kyle Field, and Kentucky faces an uphill battle.
Prediction: Texas A&M 35, Kentucky 17
