Kentucky football faces their first road game of the season as they travel down to College Station to take on Texas A&M. We have previewed the Aggies offense
and what the Wildcats defense can expect to see in the matchup on Saturday. As we do every week, we will go over the offensive X factors in this game for both teams. Kentucky needs to bounce back offensively after a rough performance against Alabama.QB Kenny Minchey
Quarterback Kenny Minchey did not play well against Alabama. At times, there were open receivers running down field but the offensive line allowed quick pressure. Other times, the pocket was clean but no one was open in the route concepts. Obviously, Minchey had a few passes he wants back, especially the pick six early in the game.
Minchey is
at his best playing in rhythm, and that was rarely the case against the Crimson Tide defense. The coaching staff has to put Minchey in a better position to get in rhythm early in this matchup. Kentucky is struggling to create explosive pass plays, the offensive line has to give Minchey time in the pocket and allow the receivers to get open in the route concept. Everyone on the offense has to play better to have a shot in this one, but it obviously starts with the quarterback.
HB Jason Patterson
Jason Patterson looks like the best running back on the roster through two weeks, and he looks like a completely different player compared to his last couple years at Kentucky. Patterson has always had the explosiveness, but his vision has improved and physically he looks more like an SEC running back. The offensive line opened up holes in the running game during the first half, but they were not creating much movement in the second half last week. If the offensive line can block it up, Patterson has a great opportunity on Saturday.
Kentucky struggled to run the football in the second half against Alabama's two-high safety looks. The Aggies will do something similar, and it is crucial for the Wildcats to have success on the ground to get the defense out of those two-high safety looks. Once the defense gets in single-high safety looks, it opens up downfield shot play opportunities in the passing game. Kentucky has to have consistent success on the ground this week.
TE Willie Rodriguez
Willie Rodriguez is the best playmaker in the passing game, and it has shown up early this season. Kentucky finds creative ways to get him the football, but he needs more down field opportunities in this one. Rodriguez creates a mismatch and will continue to see a ton of targets every week. I will say it until I am blue in the face, the offense has to lean on these three tight ends because they are the most complete unit on this side of the football.
QB Marcel Reed
Marcel Reed is dynamic with his legs and can be a handful when he is making accurate throws down the field. Reed can also get happy feet and become inaccurate in the passing game. Reed is a very up-and-down quarterback that can struggle with his decision making, it will be fascinating to see which version of him the Wildcats see on Saturday. This game will come down to which quarterback can limit turnovers and capitalize on their shots down the field.
WR Mario Craver
Mario Craver has had a solid start to the season, but he has yet to have that breakout performance that we saw multiple times last season. Craver is an explosive playmaker that can take the top off of a defense. Similar to Ryan Coleman-Williams, Craver is tough for defensive backs to cover on downfield routes. It is critical for the defensive line to get pressure on Reed to help out the secondary for covering Craver and the rest of the wide receiver room.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky at Texas A&M: Week three Offensive X Factors
