Kentucky makes rare trip to Texas A&M
With Kentucky in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference and Texas A&M in the West, this isn’t the usual matchup you get in conference play.
Adding a twist is that Jimbo Fisher, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops’ former boss at Florida State, is in his first season with the Aggies after moving from Tallahassee.
“Yeah, that’s a little different,” Stoops said. “You always get some crossovers once in a while, but A&M definitely for me is new and fresh. Definitely not very familiar with them.”
How is he approaching it?
“It’s no different than playing a nonconference opponent,” he said. “You just look at it and we attack every week and look at it and see what we’re going to do and little tweaks.”
This will be Kentucky’s first meeting with the Aggies since A&M joined the conference for the 2012 season. They have faced off only twice, the last time in the 1953 season opener when a guy named Bear Bryant was coaching his last season at Kentucky before moving on to — ta da! — Texas A&M.
The No. 13 Wildcats (5-0, 3-0 SEC) come into the game having won their first five games of the season for the first time since 2008. They will be looking to go 6-0 for the first time since 1950 when they take on the Aggies (3-2, 1-1 SEC).
The Wildcats are 3-0 in the SEC for the first time since the 1977 Kentucky team won all six of its conference games.
Running back Benny Snell Jr. has been the catalyst on offense and linebacker Josh Allen the big-play guy on defense, but quarterback Terry Wilson has had a key role as well.
If not spectacular, the junior college transfer has been steady in completing 62-of-93 passes for 595 yards and rushing for 300 yards, second on the team to Snell’s 639 yards. Wilson has rushed for three touchdowns and passed for two.
“Good player getting better with every opportunity,” Stoops said. “Still a young guy, but he’s getting better and has played a lot. And a good dual-threat guy who always puts pressure on you, and he’s getting better and better every week.”
Stoops said he has seen Wilson’s comfort level rise from week to week.
“With the offense, what we’re trying to do is manage the games very well,” Stoops said. “He stood in the pocket and threw some good footballs, and there’s times when he had the time to maybe go back one more (read).
“And so, like any quarterback, until you get in there and get those game reps it’s hard to simulate all of that, but he’s doing some really good things, and he’s really managing the game well.”
After the trip to College Station, the Wildcats will have an open date on Oct. 13 before getting Vanderbilt at home on Oct. 20.