Football is a sport with three phases: Offense, defense, and special teams. Any good coach will tell you that all three matter greatly, and Kentucky won in all three on Saturday vs. No. 9 Texas A&M.
We have highlighted the offense and defense to this point, but the special teams need some love.
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To start the game, we had to go to the replay booth because the kickoff team knocked the ball out of the hands of the Texas A&M returner, and the call ended up being the Aggies after they claimed the runner’s knee had hit the ground before the fumble.
Something similar happened later when the special teams unit made Mario Craver muff a punt before ultimately falling on it and keeping possession.
That’s two examples of where the special teams unit was close, but didn’t end up on the positive side of those plays. Throughout the game, Kentucky received a couple more plays where the special teams group made huge plays at key moments.
Sure, Adam Zouagui missed an early field goal that would’ve given Kentucky the lead in the second quarter, but we don’t need to mention that, because he drilled it when it mattered most. The USF transfer doinked in a 52-yard field goal to make the score 31-14, allowing Kentucky fans to take a deep breath with the Wildcats now leading by three scores with 8:22 remaining in the game.
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In the Alabama game, whether it was by design or not, Thomas O’Hara couldn’t seem to get the field flipped against the Crimson Tide. In this one, when it was crunch time, he delivered. Texas A&M had scored a touchdown, making the score 31-21 in favor of Kentucky.
The ball was on the 50-yard line; Kentucky went to punt, and O’Hara was able to pin the Aggies on their own 5-yard line, giving everyone involved for the Wildcats a big sigh of relief.
The 2010 San Diego Chargers had the NFL’s No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense, but their special teams were historically bad, which resulted in the Chargers missing the playoffs that year.
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Hopefully that won’t be the case for the 2026 Kentucky Wildcats. The offense and defense are improving week in and week out, but the special teams have played a big role so far for Will Stein and his team in year one in Lexington.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
