Kentucky Named Pop-Tarts Bowl Crazy Good Team of the Week
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky football team played crazy good Saturday, and the Football Writers Association of America feels the same.
On Monday, the FWAA named the Wildcats the Pop-Tarts Bowl Crazy Good Team of the Week in recognition of the 31-21 upset of No. 9/8-ranked Texas A&M at Kyle Field.
UK linebacker Sam Greene began the game by thwarting A&M’s first two drives with a fourth-down stop, followed by an interception. A touchdown pass from Kenny Minchey to Henry Boyer brought the Cats to a 7-7 tie at halftime.
Kentucky played a dominant third quarter with a 42-yard touchdown pass from Minchey to Kenny Darby, followed by a pair of touchdown runs by C.J. Baxter Jr., for a 28-7 margin at the end of the period. Adam Zouagui added a career-long 52-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Minchey finished the game with 11 consecutive completions – including 9 of 9 in the second half – and his final passing line was 14 of 18 for 252 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Baxter rushed for 87 yards, including the two TDs.
Meanwhile, the Kentucky defense intercepted two passes and forced three turnovers on downs. Safety Jordan Castell led the way with 13 tackles and linebacker Grant Godfrey had 11 stops, a career best for both players. Castell added a game-clinching interception in the fourth quarter. Greene was named Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his performance.
This is the 25th year that the FWAA has had a National Team of the Week program, and the fourth time the Wildcats have earned the honor. Previous times have been:
- 22, 2007, a 42-29 come-from-behind win at Arkansas
- 8, 2018, a 27-16 win at No. 25-ranked Florida, ending the Gators’ 31-game winning streak in the series
- 27, 2023, a 38-31 win at No. 9-ranked Louisville
For this week’s recognition, the Wildcats will not have the opportunity to enjoy the time-honored Pop-Tarts Bowl tradition of actually eating the mascot. However, the team will receive a delivery of assorted Pop-Tarts and a custom-crafted game ball from Big Game USA.
In addition to the FWAA, the National Team of the Week is sponsored by Florida Citrus Sports, whose annual events include the Pop-Tarts Bowl and the Citrus Bowl.
The FWAA announcement is at this link: https://www.sportswriters.net/fwaa/news/2026/09/21/kentucky-is-pop-tarts-bowl-crazy-good-team-of-the-week
The win at Texas A&M is a milestone in multiple ways. Since 2023, Kentucky has had three true road wins against Associated Press Top-10 opponents, more than any other team in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) during that time span. This marks the second highest-ranked road win in a Southeastern Conference campus stadium in school history, with the top such victory occurring in 2024 at No. 6 Ole Miss.
Kentucky’s all-time road wins over AP Top-10 opponents (not including neutral sites) are:
- 27-21 at No. 1 Ole Miss in 1964 (game played in Jackson, a home game for Ole Miss)
- 24-20 at No. 4 Penn State in 1977
- 20-17 at No. 6 Ole Miss in 2024
- 31-21 at No. 9 Texas A&M in 2026
- 38-31 at No. 9 Louisville in 2023
- 14-10 at No. 10 Vanderbilt in 1947
For Will Stein, he became the first head coach in Kentucky history to win a true road game against an AP Top-10 opponent. It also marks his first road win, his first SEC win and his first win over any ranked opponent. In the process, Stein extended UK’s streak of 12 consecutive seasons that the Wildcats have had at least one on-field SEC road win.
Kentucky returns to action Saturday at Kroger Field as the Wildcats play host to South Alabama. Kickoff is set for 12:45 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on SEC Network.
