Kentucky stunned No. 8 Texas A&M with a 21-point third quarter and won 31-21 at Kyle Field to shake things up in the SEC.
While delivering the type of win that could help vault the Wildcats to new heights in coach Will Stein’s first season, the upset reveals flaws in how A&M is constructed and be a harbinger for a disappointing season for Mike Elko and the Aggies.
A week ago, Kentucky led No. 10 Alabama 17-13 at halftime but were blanked from there amid some very sloppy play and lost 45-17.
This time, the Wildcats blew things open in the second half to deliver the type of result that could impact the College Football Playoff. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the upset:
Winners
Will Stein
The latest under-40 offensive wunderkind to take over a Power Four
program, Stein earned praise during his stint as an offensive coordinator at Oregon and elsewhere for his development of skill talent, especially quarterbacks. Facing off against a defense that had allowed just 436 yards through two games, the Wildcats gained 408 yards on 7.9 yards per play. Coming out of the break, the offense scored on drives spanning 75, 83 and 33 yards, the last after the Aggies turned the ball over on downs. Kentucky hired Stein to breathe life into a stale program; he’s clearly done that and more.
Kenny Minchey
The Notre Dame transfer wore most of the blame for last week’s collapse against the Crimson Tide. But he was excellent against the Aggies, completing 14 of 18 attempts for 252 yards with two scores and no interceptions. Kentucky should have no early regrets after outbidding programs such as Nebraska to land Minchey after he lost last year’s competition for the starting job in South Bend to CJ Carr.
Losers
Texas A&M
Losing to Kentucky is survivable, but teams that lose to Kentucky typically don’t factor into the race for the national championship. (Unless the Wildcats are going to be really good, which is possible if not very probable.) The warning signs are obvious: A&M was listless on offense, did not play with a sense of urgency after things turned in the third quarter and gave up too many explosive plays on defense despite having a stronger and more expensive roster. A trip to LSU comes next and a loss there could end any SEC and College Football Playoff hopes.
Marcel Reed
Reed was always a minor Heisman Trophy candidate, lost in the shuffle even within his own conference behind Arch Manning, Gunner Stockton, Sam Leavitt and others. But leading the offense to just one score and putting up subpar numbers along the way will be incredibly difficult for the junior to overcome. Reed went just 26 of 49 for 236 yards (4.8 yards per attempt) with two interceptions but did add TK rushing yards and a score, with nearly all that damage coming in the fourth quarter.
SEC depth
The SEC could have a season-long edge in the debate against the Big Ten after No. 1 Texas topped No. 6 Ohio State. But this loss will do damage to the league’s reputation as far deeper at the top than the Big Ten. We've now seen two teams that started in the top 10 - Oklahoma and Texas A&M - lose in the first three weeks.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kentucky-Texas A&M winners, losers: Will Stein gets big win as Marcel Reed flops
