Texas A&M has plenty that they need to work on in this upcoming week before they square off with Will Stein's Kentucky Wildcats at Kyle Field next Saturday, but they have one advantage over UK that they may not have had in a vacuum. The Aggies rolled to a 48-20 victory today over the Arizona State Sun Devils (one that very much did not feel like it), while the Wildcats got rolled over by Alabama, 45-17.
Kentucky actually looked like they were very much in the game with the Tide for a while, despite the final score— as a matter of fact, it was the Wildcats who were in the lead at the half, not Alabama. It was just that UK failed to register any points in the second half, while Alabama began to pull away in a big way.
That was a highly emotional game for the Wildcats, as you could tell in the leadup from Kentucky fans. It was the first big home game for Will Stein, and he wanted a sellout crowd leaning on Alabama the whole game— but for whatever benefit that yielded in the first half, it may work against them going into this matchup with the Aggies.
Texas A&M may benefit from Kentucky's emotional hangover after huge week two matchup
To be extremely clear, this is a game that the Aggies should win going away. They are by far the more talented team, despite the fact that Stein and company have brought in a bevy of talented transfers to Lexington— including potential first-round tackle Lance Heard.
However, with a road trip to LSU on the docket for the Aggies in the upcoming week, you can't take anything for granted— and A&M would certainly not want to lose a game thanks to overlooking an opponent. Though Kentucky will come into this game with an upset on their mind, just like Arizona State did, the physical and emotional toll that the Alabama game exacted is very real.
It was as an electric an environment as you could imagine Kentucky having at Kroger Field for today's game, and the deflation in the second half as Alabama began to enact the blowout was quite the reversal. There was no sense leaving that game that the Wildcats were simply one or two plays away— the enthusiasm had completely evaporated.
Maybe we find out that Will Stein is indeed a master motivator and the Wildcats come into this next game firing on all cylinders. But, more realistically, the Aggies just saw a much more effective and talented version of the Kentucky offense from Arizona State today— and they ended up completely mauling them by the time the game was done.
This should be a game that ends up with the Aggies emerging 3-0— it would be a shock if it weren't. But ahead of a contest like what the Ags have awaiting them in Death Valley, A&M fans would love to get this game put away early and get out of dodge— and they may have had an extra helping hand in doing so lent to them today.
Add us as a preferred source on Google