Kentucky’s win over ninth-ranked Texas A&M had plenty going for it, but the clearest offensive storyline came from the backfield. CJ Baxter and Jason Patterson gave the Wildcats the kind of one-two running punch that can change a game in a hurry.
Baxter did the heavy lifting in Saturday afternoon’s 31-21 dismantling of the Aggies. The senior back handled 19 of Kentucky’s 36 rushing attempts and turned them into 87 yards and two touchdowns. Both scores came in the third quarter, the same stretch that helped Kentucky seize control and leave the 102,000 fans at Kyle Field stunned.
It was the second two-touchdown game of the season for Baxter, who also found the end zone twice in Kentucky’s season-opening win over Youngstown State. Through this point in the year, he has scored all four of UK’s rushing touchdowns and ranks 12th in the nation among running backs with those four rushing scores.
Patterson, meanwhile, kept building his own case as a dangerous complement. Against Texas A&M, he picked up 58 yards on only six carries, a 9.7-yard average against what was considered one of the SEC’s stronger defenses. For the season, he leads Kentucky in rushing yards with 189 on 28 carries, and his 6.8 yards per carry ranks seventh among all SEC players.
”He’s (Patterson) gotten so many reps that now he’s at a point where he feels extremely competent in our system,” said head coach Will Stein during his Wednesday radio show.
The performance against Texas A&M suggested Joe Sloan has plenty of answers for how to move this offense, using different approaches to keep the ball moving. Kentucky now turns to South Alabama, a 2-1 Sun Belt team, with Baxter and Patterson set up to keep the momentum rolling after their showing in College Station.
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Kentucky Faces One Early Test It Cannot Afford To Misread
Through the first three games, Lance Heard has given Kentucky exactly the kind of stability and edge it wants up front. The offensive lineman has played well and emerged as a voice for keeping the group grounded, which matters for an offense that has started to build some momentum without giving itself permission to relax.
South Alabama is the next chance to prove the Wildcats can carry that approach into a game they are expected to handle. Heard and his teammates have stressed the need for consistent effort no matter who is on the other sideline, and Kentuckys challenge now is making sure the habits that fueled those recent wins do not fade when the matchup looks more manageable. [Read more 🡒]
Kenny Minchey Just Changed Kentuckys Quarterback Conversation
Kenny Mincheys rise has started to draw more attention than most Kentucky quarterbacks get this early in a tenure, and the interest makes sense after the way he handled Texas A&M. The CBS Sports spotlight on his path from high school to Notre Dame and then Kentucky gave some background to the moment, but the performance itself did plenty of the talking, with Minchey completing 14 of 18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns.
Minchey also opened up about the people and places shaping the latest chapter of his career, from his relationship with coach Will Stein to the rougher lessons he took from past games against Alabama. Returning to Lexington clearly carried some extra weight for him, too, and the fan reaction showed how quickly he has become a player worth watching as Kentuckys quarterback conversation gets more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Just Added Another Quarterback Piece For Its Long-Term Future
Kentuckys long-term quarterback board picked up another name this week with the commitment of Marcus Washington Jr., a California prospect who gives the Wildcats another arm to build around for the future. The addition fits a growing trend around the program, which has been steadily lining up quarterback help for upcoming seasons as it tries to keep its depth chart stocked well beyond the present.
Washingtons decision also says something about the momentum Kentucky has been able to generate on the trail. He was influenced by the Wildcats upset win over Texas A&M, and his pledge gives the staff another early piece in a quarterback pipeline that already includes other committed players for future classes. Even with this commitment in hand, the bigger picture is still how Kentucky keeps stacking those wins and whether more of them are coming soon. [Read more 🡒]