Some games leave you walking away knowing you didn't play your best football. Then there are other games when you leave knowing you just got beat.
This past Saturday against Kentucky, the Aggies just got beat.
Texas A&M entered Kyle Field for this game ranked No. 9 in the country, 2-0 through the first two weeks and playing their first SEC game of the season. Kentucky came into this game looking to respond and make a statement after getting beat down by Alabama at home, 45-17.
The Wildcats did just that.
Quite honestly, Kentucky dominated this game in a lot of areas. This wasn't a game where we had one unlucky play, one questionable call or one final possession that decided the outcome. The Aggies had opportunities throughout this game but just could not get things going.
The game started relatively even, and the Aggies went into halftime tied. But when the Aggies came out to start the third quarter, Kentucky took control. The Wildcats came out hot, scoring 21 points before the start of the fourth quarter.
Kentucky outgained A&M by over 150 yards in that quarter, and the Aggies simply could not get off the field defensively or sustain anything offensively. As a former player, you know that is exactly what SEC football is about. You're going to get punched in the mouth, but ultimately, what matters is how you respond. Sadly, the Aggies were unable to respond in a way that allowed them to win this football game.
The Defense
Kentucky's offense deserves credit. Kenny Minchey played efficiently, completing 14-of-18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. CJ Baxter added two rushing touchdowns, and Kentucky consistently found ways to create chunk plays against an Aggie defense that made plenty of self-inflicted mistakes. Marcus Ratcliffe summed it up perfectly after the game when he said that their "eyes were really bad" on defense. He was right.
Kentucky used formations and misdirection to force the Aggie defense to communicate and play disciplined football, but sadly, the Aggie defense couldn't get the job done.
Another thing I noticed while watching the film is that the Aggies lost the battle up front. As a former tight end and defensive end, I understand just how important — and how hard — it is to win the line of scrimmage in a game. And for the first time this year, we saw the Aggie defense not win this battle. Too many times, we saw open seams for the Wildcats' rushing attack, and to me, this was where Kentucky was able to have success and open up their passing game.
Mike Elko said the same thing after the game. He also said there were too many "eye violation" issues and that many of Kentucky's chunk plays were things the Aggies gave away. This was definitely not the best showing for a defense that I feel is way too talented to play at that level. Now, that said, I've played for Elko, and I know that he will help this group grow and improve because of this.
This game will ultimately be a culture test for what this team and program will become with Elko. When your back is against the wall, and you have a game that causes everyone around the country to start bashing you and your teammates, how do you respond? How do you band together to shut everyone up who wrote you and your teammates off? Tests like this happen to a lot of teams around the country, but only the teams with great culture come out better from them.
On the other side of the ball, the Aggie offense had its own problems.
The Offense
Marcel Reed finished with 236 passing yards, one passing touchdown and two interceptions on 26-of-49 attempts. He led the Aggies in rushing with 80 yards and scored a touchdown himself, but ultimately, he struggled to find a rhythm in this game. We saw missed throws here and there that led to second-and-long or third-and-long situations for the Aggie offense, and when you're playing in the SEC, mistakes like that are drive killers. They can cost you football games. You cannot get away with self-inflicted wounds over and over again.
Even though this offense struggled, the main issues were finishing drives and not allowing turnovers. The Aggies actually had more yards than the Wildcats in this game. When the offense started to find a rhythm, a bad play or mental error stunted it. All that being said, I still have faith in Reed. I know he is a great QB, and we all saw what he was capable of last year.
Ultimately, the first few games of this season have not been his best showing, and I hope to see Reed find his stride as the season goes on. One thing is certain: We will have to see how he responds next week in one of the more hostile environments in the country, Death Valley.
Mario Craver was a bright spot, hauling in a career-high 11 receptions for 119 yards. But his great game was overshadowed by the turnovers and inefficiencies from this team in this game.
Sadly, one of the worst things to happen in this game was losing Terry Bussey on the first play to a significant lower-leg injury. Losing a player of that caliber early in the season is a tough break for this team, and I am really interested to see who will step up to fill the role left open by a great playmaker.
So What's Next?
This team didn't suddenly forget how to play football. We've seen what Reed can do. We know this defense is talented and has the ability to play at a high level. But Saturday was a reminder that talent doesn't automatically translate into execution. And that's where this team has to grow.
The Aggies still had enough talent on the field to win this football game. Kentucky just played better. That is the reality. The Aggies are now 2-1 and 0-1 in the SEC. The preseason expectations aren't gone because of one loss, but the margin for error certainly got smaller. Now comes the test as A&M heads into Death Valley to face a top-10 LSU team.
If there was ever a week where this team needed to respond, this is it. Kentucky exposed some things that A&M has to fix. The defense has to communicate better. The offense has to finish drives and play consistent football. This team has to eliminate the mental mistakes, and most importantly, when the other team creates momentum, A&M has to find a way to take it back. That's what separates good teams from great teams.
Every team will have a bad game.
Every team will get punched.
Every team will face adversity.
The question is what happens after.
Saturday's game wasn't the season. It was one game. But it was a reminder.
Momentum can change in a hurry.
And if this A&M team wants to be the team we thought they could be coming into this season, they have to find a way to get back on the right track. The next opportunity comes Saturday night in Baton Rouge, and there may not be a better place to find out what this team is really made of.
BTHO lsu.
