Cole Cubelic is headed back to Kroger Field on Saturday, and Kentucky fans should get a familiar dose of sharp trench talk when the Wildcats face South Alabama.
ESPN split up the old SEC Saturday Night booth with Cubelic, Tom Hart and Jordan Rodgers, but Cubelic will be on the call for Kentucky’s 12:45 p.m. ET kickoff on SEC Network. He’ll work alongside Dave Neal, with Tori Petry reporting from the sideline.
That should make for an interesting watch after Cubelic’s reaction to Kentucky’s road win over Texas A&M on Sunday night. He posted his thoughts on Twitter and made it clear he liked what he saw from Will Stein’s offense.
“Massive win on the road,” Cubelic tweeted. “Loved the plan on offense.
Stubborn enough with the run. Used play action and pre-snap movement to split the defense.
Nice use of formations. Gave themselves options.
Protection a bit shaky at times. Liked how they moved the pocket.
QB [Kenny Minchey] operates things well, took check downs. Nice on move.
Hit shots. Good leaving the pocket.
No hero ball. TE inserts were big in the run game.”
As a former Auburn center from 1996 to 2001, Cubelic has always had a habit of zeroing in on the line of scrimmage. Kentucky’s front lived up to that focus against Texas A&M, helping the Cats pile up 408 total yards, average 7.6 yards per play and finish with 18 first downs - nine on the ground and nine through the air.
The run game produced 156 yards on 36 carries, while Kenny Minchey went 18-of-22 for 252 yards and two touchdowns.
Cubelic also singled out a couple of linemen in his Twitter breakdown.
“OL gave great effort, extra in the run game. No.
53 [Lance Heard] really good in short yardage! No.
72 [Coleton Price] had a nice game.”
Price was later named Center of the Week by Center Summit, and offensive line coach Cutter Leftwich was honored as Coach of the Week by the Shriners Children’s East-West Bowl. On the defensive side, Sam Greene picked up SEC Defensive Player of the Week after a game that changed the flow early.
Greene stopped Texas A&M’s first two drives, stuffing Rueben Owens II on 4th & 1 and then intercepting Marcel Reed. He added another key stop in the third quarter, shutting down Owens again on 3rd down to help force a punt.
Cubelic’s defensive notes from the game also pointed to a unit that settled in as the day went on.
“No. 2 [Sam Greene] a big takeaway.
No. 94 [Tavion Gadson] dominant again.
DL cranked it up later in the game. Kept LBs clean to make plays.
Knocked the ball down. Tackled well on intermediate routes.
Gave up quick throws but not many YAC. No. 8 was active, good rush reps.
Overall looked to be on the same page with both plans.”
Cubelic also spotlighted one of the key blocks from the Texas A&M game in his “Block Party” segment on “Read and React,” his Monday night SEC Network film show with Roman Harper. He posted that clip again this morning.
The week ahead is packed across college football, and Cubelic’s Kentucky assignment lands in the middle of a loaded Saturday slate. There are six Top 25 matchups in the SEC alone, including No.
1 Texas at No. 14 Tennessee, which kicks off at Noon ET on ABC.
Tom Hart, meanwhile, will also be in the Bluegrass this weekend calling Wake Forest at No. 16 Louisville. He’s been asking for Louisville restaurant recommendations on Twitter ahead of Friday night.
Kentucky vs. South Alabama is one piece of a massive Week 4 TV schedule, but for Wildcats fans, the main draw may be hearing Cubelic break down the game from the booth again.
In Other News...
Kentucky Finally Gets To Enjoy The SEC Shorts Joke
SEC Shorts leaned into another round of SEC chaos this week, and Kentucky got a rare turn in the spotlight for the right reasons. The Week 3 video touched on LSUs loss to Ole Miss and Kentuckys upset of Texas A&M, while also playing with Lane Kiffins return to Oxford and even bringing in Morgan Freeman as the voice guiding the mayhem.
For Kentucky fans, the amusing part is not just the win getting noticed, but the tone of the joke itself. After plenty of past sketches where the Wildcats were the punch line, this one had them in a much better place, which is about as good a sign as any that the football season has started to tilt their way. [Read more 🡒]
Kenny Minchey May Have Started A New Kentucky Quarterback Conversation
Kenny Mincheys performance against Texas A&M gave Kentucky something it has been searching for at quarterback, and the reward followed quickly. The Wildcats passer was named a Davey OBrien Great 8 Quarterback of the Week after completing 14 of 18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns in an upset victory that turned plenty of heads.
Mincheys recognition also moved him onto the Davey OBrien Midseason Watch List, adding another layer to a week that already felt significant for his place in the offense. For Kentucky, the bigger question now is whether one sharp outing was just a breakthrough moment or the start of a much larger conversation under center. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky's Upset Left Texas A&M Dealing With A Brutal New Blow
Kentuckys 31-21 upset of Texas A&M in Week 3 did more than hand the Wildcats a notable win. It also left the Aggies trying to absorb a sharp drop in the rankings, from No. 9 to No. 23, after a game that felt costly well beyond the final score.
Texas A&Ms bigger concern came almost immediately, when wide receiver and kick returner Terry Bussey went down on the opening kickoff and never returned. Bussey had been a key piece for the Aggies and entered the season as a preseason All-SEC kick returner, making the loss especially tough for a team already recalibrating after a setback that changed the mood in College Station fast. [Read more 🡒]