Kentucky-Texas A&M Postgame Notes

KENTUCKY AT TEXAS A&M
SEPTEMBER 19, 2026
KYLE FIELD, BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS 

FINAL SCORE: KENTUCKY 31, at No. 9/8 Texas A&M 21

Team Records and Series Information

• Kentucky is 2-1 overall, 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Texas A&M is 2-1, 0-1.
• The all-time series now is tied 2-2 and Kentucky is 2-1 in games played in Bryan-College Station.

Next Game

• On Sept. 26, Kentucky returns home for its first matchup with South Alabama. Game time is 12:45 p.m. and it will be televised on the SEC Network.

What the Win Means for the Wildcats

• For Coach Will Stein, this marks his first road win, first SEC win, first SEC road win and first win over a ranked opponent.
• Coach Will Stein is the third first-year UK coach to register a victory over an AP Poll Top 10 opponent (3-23 all-time; others include John Ray vs No. 8 Ole Miss in 1969 and Joker Phillips vs No. 10 South Carolina in 2009).
  • Stein is the first UK head coach to win a true road game versus an AP Poll Top 10 opponent in his first season at the school.
• It is the second-highest-ranked (Associated Press) road win in an SEC opponent campus stadium in school history.
  • The record was set two years ago when the Wildcats defeated No. 6-ranked Ole Miss, 20-17, in Oxford.
• Road wins over AP Top 10-ranked opponents in Kentucky history (does not include neutral sites)
  • 27-21 at No. 1 Ole Miss in 1964 (game played in Jackson, home game for UM)
  • 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
  • 14-0 at No. 10 Vanderbilt in 1947
• This is UK’s second-largest margin of victory ever in a true road game against an AP Poll Top 10 opponent. (Won 14-0 at No. 10 Vanderbilt in 1947).
• Of the six top-10 ranked road wins in Kentucky history, three have come in the last four seasons.
• This is the 12^th consecutive season that Kentucky has at least one on-field SEC road win. (The wins from 2021 season later vacated by the NCAA.)

Team Notes

• UK’s 21 points in the third quarter are its most in a single quarter in a true road game against an Associated Press Poll Top 10 opponent since September 2002 at No. 7 Florida (28 – 3^rd quarter).
• The offense scored touchdowns on four of five possessions spanning the second and third quarters with the only one it did not find the end zone a one-play drive just before the half.
• Kentucky’s offense averaged 7.6 yards per play.
• The Kentucky defense came up with a fourth-down stop on 4^th-and-1 deep in its own end of the field on Texas A&M’s first possession. Linebacker Sam Greene recorded the tackle for loss.
• On the Aggies’ second possession Greene came up big again with an interception in UK’s end of the field.

Player Notes

• QB Kenny Minchey completed 14-of-18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns.
  • He completed his final 11 passes of the game.
• RB J. Baxter rushed 19 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns.
  • He surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for his career. (1,019 yards)
  • He added a 28-yard pass reception.
  • He crashed in for two short touchdown runs in the third quarter, tying a career high.
• RB Jason Patterson rushed six times for 58 yards.
• TE Willie Rodriguez caught three passes for 22 yards.
  • He has a reception in 14 of the past 15 games.
• WR J. Miller hauled in five passes for 96 yards.
  • Miller had explosive plays on each of his first two receptions.
  • He caught a 19-yard catch and run on UK’s first play from scrimmage and later added a 53-yard reception.
  • He also recovered a late onside kick attempt by Texas A&M.
• Making his first collegiate start, true freshman WR Kenny Darby caught two passes for 64 yards and a touchdown.
  • He snatched a career-long 42-yard touchdown reception on the first drive of the second half to give UK a 14-7 lead. UK never trailed again.
• TE Henry Boyer caught two passes for 35 yards and a touchdown.
  • Boyer caught a 3-yard touchdown pass just before halftime to record UK’s first score.
  • He also caught a 32-yard pass in the fourth quarter.
• LB Sam Greene had six tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and an interception.
  • On TAMU’s first possession of the game he made the tackle on a fourth down stop.
  • On TAMU’s second possession he dropped in coverage and intercepted a pass. It was the first interception of Greene’s career.
  • On TAMU’s first possession of the second half, Greene made a stop for no gain on 3^rd-and-2 to force a punt.
• SS Ty Bryant made 10 tackles and had a pass breakup despite being in and out of the game with an injury.
• FS Jordan Castell had a game-high 13 total tackles with an interception and pass breakup.
  • He intercepted a pass in the shadow of UK’s own goalpost with 6:34 remaining in the game.
  • It was his fifth career interception and second in as many weeks for Kentucky.
  • It was his second interception at Kyle Field, also had one while playing for Florida.
• LB Grant Godfrey had 11 total tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup.
• K Adam Zouagui was 1-for-2 on field goals and 4-for-4 on PATs.
  • He banged a career-long 52-yard field goal off the left upright and through to give UK a 31-14 fourth quarter lead.
  • He now has two 50+ yard field goals in his career.
  • It is UK’s first field goal of 50 or more yards since Jacob Kauwe made a 51-yarder vs. Eastern Kentucky in 2025.
• P Thomas O’Hara punted three times for 128 yards for a 42.7-yard average.
  • He deadened a punt at the 5-yard line inside the final two minutes of the game.

First Starts

• True freshman WR Kenny Darby

Game Captains

• C Coleton Price, WR Nic Anderson, DL Tavion Gadson, DB Jordan Castell