Kentucky Could Test Texas A&M in an Area Arizona State Couldn't

SEC play has finally arrived for the Texas A&M Aggies as they are scheduled to take on the Kentucky Wildcats in Week 3 action this Saturday afternoon in front of what should be another jam-packed Kyle Field crowd.

The Aggies are looking to start 3-0 for the second straight year in a row and while they won't have to down a top 10-ranked team to get that third win like they did last season, they will still have to meet a Kentucky team that was able to keep No. 12 Alabama at bay for a decent chunk of last Saturday's contest.

Yes, they went on to get shut out in the second half and lost 45-17 to Kalen DeBoer's Tide in the process, but there was still a lot to be said about Will Stein's Wildcats that Texas A&M fans and coaches need to take note of.

In particular, the pressure on the quarterback.

Can Texas A&M's Shaky Offensive Line Handle Kentucky's Defensive Front?

Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko watches warmups prior to the game against Arizona State Sun Devils at Kyle Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Texas A&M is 2-0 to start the season and they have scored an average of 49 points per game up to this point, but the offense has seen a slight step back in the first two games, while the defense has easily been the more dominant area of play for the Aggies.

Let's hope that Elko and the rest of the coaching staff have been prepping the offensive lineman to be a wall for quarterback Marcel Reed this Saturday, because Kentucky was wearing out Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell last week.

The Wildcats sacked Russell four times during the game and kept his rushing to a minimum. In fact, Russell officially rushed eight times for negative nine yards.

With an offensive line that only has one returning starter and a lot of kinks to work out, that isn't exactly a stat line that Reed should be excited to hear about, given that he was taken down himself on back-to-back plays against the Sun Devils.

Luckily, those were the only two sacks of the game that Arizona State was able to gather, and Reed finished with a positive rushing total, with 17 yards on seven totes.

And with Kentucky possessing former Texas A&M defensive coordinator Jay Bateman on the sideline, there is no telling what kinds of coverages or blitzes could be coming A&M's way, so Reed and the rest of A&M's offensive front lines need to be ready to dig into their own bag of tricks this weekend, given that Arizona State wasn't as heavy with the pressure.

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