EDITORIAL BY GRAYDON FOX

Overview:

On Saturday, October 6^th, the (5-0) Kentucky Wildcats will be on the road to take on the (3-2) Texas A&M Aggies.

The Crowd:

The Crowd projects a final score of Texas A&M 29.6 – Kentucky 25.6 with an over/under of 55.3.

Lou Holtz and Mark May:

Lou is predicting a final score of Texas A&M 31 – Kentucky 18.

Mark is predicting a final score of Kentucky 27 – Texas A&M 24.

2018-19 Statistics (130 total teams):

Passing offense: Texas A&M 279.6 YPG > Kentucky 153.0 YPG

Rushing offense: Kentucky 254.5 YPG > Texas A&M 232.2 YPG

Scoring offense: Texas A&M 36.0 PPG > Kentucky 32.4 PPG

Scoring defense: Kentucky 12.6 PPG > Texas A&M 21.4 PPG

Passing defense: Kentucky 177.4 YPG > Texas A&M 272.4 PPG

Rushing defense: Kentucky 110.4 YPG > Texas A&M 163.2 PPG

Turnover Margin Per Game: Kentucky -0.2 > Texas A&M -1.0

Summary:

Kentucky is a perfect (5-0) to start the season with wins over Central Michigan, #25 Florida, Murray State, South Carolina, and #14 Mississippi State.  The Wildcats rank 56^th in points per game (32.4) and 3^rd scoring defense (12.6 PPG).  Kentucky is a run heavy team as evidenced by their passing game ranking 118^th (153.0 YPG).  Quarterback Terry Wilson has struggled completing 66% of his passes for 595 yards with 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions.  Wilson is the team’s second leading rusher with 300 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground.  Running back Benny Snell Jr. is having a monster season with 639 yards (5.6 YPC) and 8 touchdowns.  Kentucky has been much better than people expected on defense both against the pass and the run.

Texas A&M is (3-2) with victories over Northwestern State, UL Monroe, and Arkansas.  They were defeated by #1 Alabama and #2 Clemson.  The Aggies rank 39^th in points per game (36.0) and 44^th in scoring defense (21.4 PPG).  Quarterback Kellen Mond has completed 60% of his passes for 1,221 yards with 7 touchdowns to 4 interceptions.  Mond has also been a threat on the ground with 215 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. Running back Tayveon Williams is having an excellent season with 582 yards (6.1 YPC) and 6 touchdowns.  The Aggies have a trio of pass catchers: Camron Buckley, Jace Sterberger, and Jhamon Ausbon with over 200 yards receiving.  The Aggies’ secondary has been torched by the pass this season.

Bottom Line:

There’s no shame in Texas A&M losing to #1 Alabama and #2 Clemson in what were somewhat competitive games.  The Aggies have a balanced offensive attack that will be vital against a Kentucky defense that has played extremely well.  Kentucky running back Benny Snell Jr. is arguably the best in the nation at his position but the Wildcats do not have much of a passing attack.  I think this will be a low scoring game with each team trying to impose their will in the ground game.  I think Kentucky’s passing deficiencies will finally come back to bite them and keep in mind Kyle Field is an extremely difficult place to play.

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