aggieswire
The sting of Texas A&M's historically poor loss to Kentucky is beginning to fade, but the Aggies now turn their attention to a crucial road clash with LSU on Saturday night. To keep any realistic hope of returning to the College Football Playoff, A&M must defeat the Tigers in Death Valley for a second straight year—a goal that seems highly improbable after last Saturday's setback.
After three weeks of unpredictable results across the country, including Oregon's road loss to Oklahoma State and Oklahoma's road loss to Michigan, determining which teams are truly elite remains difficult. Meanwhile, the Aggies' struggles against Kentucky have left them in a position that no one covering the program could have anticipated following last season's historic run.
Kentucky erased an early 7-0 deficit by tying the game before halftime, then dominated the second half by outscoring A&M 21-0. The Aggies mounted a brief comeback attempt, but it effectively ended when starting quarterback Marcel Reed threw his second interception of the day.
As a result of the loss, Texas A&M plummeted at least twelve spots in the US LBM Coaches Poll (to No. 20) and to No. 23 in the AP Top 25. Many national media members felt the Aggies deserved to be unranked entering Week 4.
On Monday, A&M predictably dropped 14 spots to No. 22 in ESPN's updated Power Rankings. ESPN Texas writer Dave Wilson elaborated on the significant fall.
"Kentucky jumped to a 28-7 lead at Kyle Field, with quarterback Kenny Minchey going 14-of-18 for 252 yards, and the Aggies couldn't mount a comeback. Marcel Reed struggled, going 26-of-49, 236 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, and had several misfires on short throws. Coach Mike Elko said there were no positives in this performance and compared Reed's struggles to a pitcher who can't throw strikes, and Reed agreed. A night game at Baton Rouge against LSU on Saturday will be quite a test for A&M to get things straightened out."
With the new nine-game SEC schedule in full swing, the Aggies have no margin for error. They need to beat LSU before hosting Arkansas for a primetime matchup in Week 5.
Buckle up, folks.
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Originally reported by aggieswire.