Within the walls of the Bright-Slocum Complex on the Texas A&M campus, they've long turned the page from Kentucky to LSU. Wildcats 31, Aggies 21 is the type of outcome one devotes tremendous mental and emotional energy to forget. But before they board the plane to Baton Rouge for Saturday night's showdown, there's a clip from Kentucky's mini-movie commemorating the Wildcats' win that would be useful, if painful, to watch.
"I'm telling you, I watched them play two-hand touch in pre-game," Will Stein told his team from the Kyle Field visitors locker room. "They are not ready. They are not ready for the (expletive) storm that's about to hit College Station. The way that you prepare has prepped your mind, body and (expletive) soul to go out there and attack. They haven't played an SEC game yet and y'all have. Y'all are (expletive) battle tested. Go (expletive) win this game."
That comment hurts to hear if you're an A&M fan, and it hurts because deep down you know it's true. When a kid that's already self-conscious about his weight overhears one classmate make a cutting comment about said weight, well, it's hard to brush it off. External evidence has just reinforced your preexisting insecurity, making it difficult to deny that you indeed have a problem on your hands. (Not that I speak from experience or anything.)
It's one thing for Stein to notice and tell his team that Texas A&M was soft, but Kentucky then went out and proved it. A week prior to that moment, Kentucky watched its 17-13 halftime lead turn into a 45-17 loss to Alabama.
On Saturday, Kentucky faced a similar moment -- a 7-7 halftime deadlock -- and produced a different outcome. The visitors completely dominated the third quarter, out-gaining the Aggies 191-16 on the field and out-scoring them 21-0 on the scoreboard. Every national observer harkened back to Stein's memorable turn at the podium at SEC media days. What's going to be different about Kentucky football moving forward? "Me." While one ranked road win does not make a tenure or even a season, Kentucky was not winning this game last season.
Kentucky 31, Texas A&M 21, unforeseen as it was, was the type of outcome that confirms both teams' priors.
For A&M: This year's team is not last year's team.
For Kentucky: We've got ourselves a coach, y'all.