Texas A&M Football: 5 games you definitely want to watch in 2018
4. Texas A&M vs. Kentucky (Saturday, October 6 – Week 6)
The Kentucky game is an interesting one. It’s easily overlooked because when it comes to football, Kentucky isn’t a name brand power like they are in basketball. But make no mistake, Kentucky could be a trap game for A&M.
It comes at the end of a rough three game stretch in which the Aggies are at Alabama, play a neutral site game against Arkansas, and then host the Wildcats. It marks the midpoint of the season and has a rough three-game road trip that comes right after.
The Wildcats welcome back running back Benny Snell Jr. in 2018, who was 3rd in the SEC in rushing in 2017 with 1,333 yards. That was good for more than 50% of Kentucky’s total rushing yards in 2017 (2,102). Snell was also 4th in the SEC in total points in 2017 with 116, and the second-ranked position player. Auburn’s Kerryon Johnson scored the most points of any position player with 120.
Kentucky also led the SEC in return yards in 2017 with 1,036.
The Aggies will need to be a lot better at run defense – and defense in general – in order to win this game. SEC West victories are hard to come by, so picking up a win against a slightly easier (easier being a relative term in the SEC) team from the East would go a long way.
I think at the end of the day the Aggies take this one at home. The Wildcat’s unfamiliarity with Kyle Field will be a definite advantage for Texas A&M, but the game won’t be a cakewalk. Think along the lines of the South Carolina game in 2017.