This game was absolutely shocking. I don't think any of us thought it could be like this. Heartbreaking, and I don't know what the answer is at this point.
Photo by Danny Grant, TexAgs
On a sun-splashed day at Kyle Field, No. 9 Texas A&M faltered in the heat of SEC play as Kentucky upset the Aggies, 34-21.
The theme of the day was seen right off the bat.
The lively atmosphere turned somber when Terry Bussey was injured on the opening kick. Returning the kickoff, Bussey twisted his knee as he went down and had to be carted off. He was later seen on the sideline in street clothes.
After a few teammates gave Bussey love on the cart, the Aggie offense got to work. A&M marched 76 yards downfield until the drive stalled on a fourth-down attempt on UK’s 11, where Rueben Owens II fell short of the line to gain.
Although the drive didn’t result in points, Owens and freshman phenom KJ Edwards ran for 46 yards, offering an encouraging sign to the 12th Man after recent struggles on the ground.
A 19-yard completion to Kentucky’s DJ Miller began the drive until DJ Hicks ended it on third down by sacking Kenny Minchey.
Kentucky’s defense came back out and didn’t have answers for Mario Craver as he racked up catches on the Aggies’ second drive. That was until #1 was rolled up and didn’t re-enter until the next drive.
Danny Grant, TexAgs
Mario Craver finished with 11 catches for 119 yards.
Former A&M-turned-Wildcat defensive coordinator Jay Bateman’s crew won the drive as Sam Greene intercepted Marcel Reed. Kentucky marched right down the field on a few chunk plays and converted a fourth down in A&M territory before the first quarter expired.
The Wildcats barreled toward the end zone until a T.J. Searcy sack came on third down. Adam Zouagui missed a 39-yard field goal attempt to keep it knotted at zero.
A&M’s offense crossed midfield, and Reed went back to his reliable #1 on back-to-back third downs. A pass-interference call propelled the Aggies closer to the end zone, where freshman tailback Carysn Baker punched it in.
Linebacker Daymion Sanford made his first defensive appearance of the season on Kentucky’s scoring drive. On second-and-long, Minchey aired it out to Miller for a 53-yard gain, setting up a 3-yard touchdown to Henry Boyer.
A 10-yard rush from Owens and a 19-yard completion to Isaiah Horton were all the Aggie offense could muster before stalling out and heading into the locker room tied up.
The visitors resumed the ball game, firing out of the gate. They executed a 75-yard drive in no time and continued making Aggie defenders miss, as they did in the first. Kenny Darby’s 42-yard touchdown catch took the lead.
Danny Grant, TexAgs
Kenny Minchey finished with 252 yards passing and two touchdowns as Kentucky ran for 156 and two more scores on the ground.
An A&M three-and-out followed as the offense reverted back to uninspiring ways.
The big plays continued to trouble the Aggie defense. On back-to-back third-down attempts for Kentucky, the Maroon & White gave up gains of 22 on the ground and through the air. The Wildcats used those to storm into the red zone, where CJ Baxter scored from three yards out.
Back on offense, A&M went for it on fourth-and-2 in their own territory, and Reed underthrew Baker, forcing a turnover on downs. With prime field position, Kentucky needed just a few plays before Baxter was back in the end zone, 28-7.
A&M used a couple of big passing plays to ignite somewhat of a spark, scoring with 11:37 remaining on the clock. Reed took it himself on third down as A&M attempted to climb out of the hole.
A glimmer of hope remained until a 32-yard catch from Boyer propelled the Wildcats downfield, and a 52-yard field goal stretched Kentucky’s lead to 17.
On fourth-and-13, Reed took off for a 40-yard gain with his legs. However, Reed made another error in Kentucky territory by throwing an interception to Jordan Castell.
The Wildcats’ first three-and-out drive came late in the fourth quarter. A&M capitalized with a touchdown drive, but it was all too late as Micah Riley hauled in a five-yard grab with 3:45 on the clock.
A&M got the ball back with 1:57 to go, but nothing came from it.
Danny Grant, TexAgs
Texas A&M’s defense allowed 408 yards of offense in the loss.
RUMBLED: Joe Sloan’s offense handled A&M in the second half. The former LSU coordinator helped Kentucky outscore the Aggies 21-0 in the third stanza, while the Aggies floundered to find first downs. Minchey was 9-for-9 in that time. Reed was 13-for-29 with an interception.
STUMBLED: Kentucky averaged 18 yards per catch. A&M’s secondary gave up big gains of 53, 42 and 28 early on, accumulating more yards in those three plays than the Aggies' passing game did the entire first half. As seen a week ago facing ASU’s Reed Harris, A&M’s secondary has been susceptible to chunk plays.
TURNING POINT: Tied at the half, Kentucky came out and put their best foot forward while the Aggies couldn’t even move the chains. Going for it on 4th down on A&M’s 33, a Reed underthrow led to another UK score.
UNSUNG HERO: On a day when there’s not a ton to be positive about, Mario Craver was the most reliable offensive option. #1 had 11 catches for 119 yards and 57 yards after the catch. Coming off a three-reception game vs. Arizona State, it’s good to see the ball back in his hands.
KEY STAT: Thirteen of Kentucky’s 54 total plays were chunk plays. 24 percent.
Scoring Summary
Second-quarter
A&M: 5:18 - Carysn Baker 2-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 14 plays, 79 yards. TOP 7:02. Texas A&M 7, Kentucky 0
UK: 1:59 - Kenny Minchey 3-yard passing touchdown to Henry Boyer. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards. TOP 3:11. Texas A&M 7, Kentucky 7
Third-quarter
UK: 11:07 - Kenny Minchey 42-yard passing touchdown to Kenny Darby. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards. TOP 3:53. Kentucky 14, Texas A&M 7
UK: 3:55 - CJ Baxter 3-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 9 plays, 83 yards. TOP 5:24. Kentucky 21, Texas A&M 7
UK: 0:16 - CJ Baxter 2-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 4 plays, 33 yards. TOP 2:01. Kentucky 28, Texas A&M 7
Fourth-quarter
A&M: 11:37 - Marcel Reed 5-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards. TOP 3:39. Kentucky 28, Texas A&M 14
UK: 8:22 - Adam Zouagui 52-yard field goal. Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards. TOP 3:15. Kentucky 31, Texas A&M 14
A&M: 3:45 - Marcel Reed 5-yard passing touchdown to Micah Riley. Drive: 7 plays, 38 yards. TOP 1:49. Kentucky 31, Texas A&M 21
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