Kenny Minchey and CJ Baxter turned Kentucky’s trip to College Station into a statement win, and they did it with one ruthless third quarter.
Minchey threw two touchdown passes, Baxter ran for two scores, and Kentucky stunned No. 9 Texas A&M 31-21 on Saturday after flipping a tight game with a runaway stretch after halftime.
The Wildcats, now 2-1 overall and 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference, beat a ranked opponent for the first time since knocking off No. 6 Mississippi 20-17 on Sept.
28, 2024.
For rookie coach Will Stein, it was the kind of response he had been looking for after last week’s collapse against Alabama. Kentucky led then-No.
12 Alabama 17-13 at halftime before getting outscored 32-0 in the second half of a 45-17 loss. This time, the Wildcats took the punch and kept throwing.
The game also brought a familiar face back into the spotlight on Kentucky’s sideline. Defensive coordinator Jay Bateman, who spent the previous two seasons in the same role at Texas A&M, had the Aggies uncomfortable from the start. He helped hold Marcel Reed to 26 completions on 49 attempts for 236 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, and the Aggies never found a clean rhythm.
After a 7-7 halftime tie, Kentucky came out and seized control immediately. Minchey, the Notre Dame transfer, hit Kenny Darby wide open for a 42-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the second half. From there, Baxter took over the next two possessions, punching in touchdown runs that pushed the Wildcats ahead 28-7.
Texas A&M had no answer during that stretch. Kentucky outgained the Aggies 196 yards to 20 in the third quarter alone, and the Wildcats kept building the margin when Baxter finished off a 2-yard run late in the period for his second touchdown.
The Aggies finally responded when Reed scored on a 5-yard run with about 11 1/2 minutes left, trimming the deficit to 28-14. Kentucky answered with Adam Zouagui’s 52-yard field goal, a kick that bounced off the upright and still went through to make it 31-14 with less than nine minutes remaining.
Texas A&M still had life after that, but Jordan Castell shut the door with an interception at the 7-yard line while the Aggies were driving. Reed later found Micah Riley for a 5-yard touchdown with less than four minutes to go, but by then Kentucky had already done the damage.
Minchey finished 14 of 18 for 252 yards, while Baxter carried 19 times for 87 yards. Kentucky’s offense was sharp when it mattered, and the defense kept Texas A&M chasing all afternoon.
The Aggies, now 2-1 and 0-1 in SEC play, had taken a 7-0 lead on Carsyn Baker’s 2-yard touchdown run, which capped a 14-play, 79-yard drive with about five minutes left in the first half. Kentucky answered before the break, tying it on Minchey’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Henry Boyer with about two minutes to go. That scoring drive was set up by DJ Miller’s 53-yard catch two plays earlier.
Texas A&M now faces a tough reset after losing at home to an unranked opponent, while Kentucky returns home to host South Alabama next Saturday. The Aggies visit No. 7 LSU next Saturday night.
In Other News...
Kentucky Just Got A Harsh Week 3 Reality Check
Week 3s College GameDay panel gave Kentucky fans a snapshot of how unpredictable the early season can be, with ESPNs analysts and celebrity guest Morgan Freeman weighing in on a slate of big matchups around the country. The show leaned into the LSU at Ole Miss atmosphere, where the crowd was described as hostile, and the picks from Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Nick Saban and Pat McAfee showed plenty of disagreement across the board.
For Kentucky, the larger takeaway was less about any single prediction and more about the reality check built into a Saturday like this one. When the sports most visible voices split on so many games, it reinforces how thin the margins can be in September and how quickly expectations can shift. The Wildcats are watching a college football landscape that already feels unsettled, and that kind of week has a way of exposing who is ready to handle it. [Read more 🡒]
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The momentum kept swinging Kentuckys way in the third quarter, when CJ Baxter helped stretch the lead and put Texas A&M on its heels. With the Wildcats suddenly in front 28-7, the question became whether Kentucky could turn that fast start into the kind of statement win that changes how the rest of the league sees it. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Has A Rare Chance To End One Painful Texas A&M Trend
Kentucky heads into Saturdays trip to Kyle Field with a chance to chip away at one of the stranger streaks in its football history. The Wildcats take on Texas A&M in College Station at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, with streaming options on ESPN+ and Fubo, and the matchup brings a long-running challenge back into view for a program still looking for a breakthrough in the series.
The last Kentucky win over Texas A&M came in 1952, a reminder of just how long this road has been. The teams have not played often, but their most recent meeting in 2018 ended with a Texas A&M overtime victory, leaving Kentucky with another reminder of how hard this matchup has been to crack. [Read more 🡒]