1. Not having Daymion Sanford has been a bummer, but Ray Coney and Noah Mikhail have proven themselves to be a very capable duo in their own right. Coney has been outstanding, handling the defensive calls and being right where he needs to be. There’s an argument to be made that he’s playing at as high a level as Taurean York ever did. And Mikhail is just a beast. He’s fast, strong and has great football intelligence, as we saw with the fake punt that he sniffed out. When Sanford returns, maybe this week, the Aggies are going to have three top-flight linebackers, a very capable one in Jordan Lockhart and a rising weapon in Tamarion Watkins.

2. Isaiah Horton has been everything the Aggies wanted — at least through three games. He’s tough to cover in the red zone and he knows how to use his size and strength to his advantage. He’s caught seven passes, and three have been for touchdowns. He can stretch the field better than most people expected, but what A&M really needed was the big body that can make for touch matchups. And that’s what we’ve seen.

3. A&M needs to figure out what to do with the running game. Fast. Maybe they switch things up and run more gut than zone up front, or maybe they make changes to the lineup. The guard play, especially, has been poor. These guys are big. They’re strong. So put a hat on a hat and go after your opponent. It’s not that simple, of course, but maybe they do need to simplify things until this group comes together — if they do.

4. The biggest complaints have to be about the run blocking, but the inability to hold up on longer developing pass plays has been a concern too. I’ve seen multiple instances where Marcel Reed is looking for a deep shot, but as soon as he turns to look down the field, he has to move because pressure’s there. That’s limited what the Aggies are able to do in the passing game.

5. Dezz Ricks said today that he played all last season with a torn labrum in his shoulder. He’s fully healthy and, so far, he’s given up one completion for five yards. Kenny Minchey and Kentucky may try to test him this weekend, but I’m not sure how effective they’d be in that department.

6. T.J. Searcy has been a guy I’ve really liked since the middle of last year, when he really caught his stride. He’s kept that up since and he’s been a quiet disruptor in the pass game as well as a strength against the run. This may not be really the case, but it sure seems like he’s getting better each week. Saturday’s game against Arizona State was the best game he’s played an Aggie uniform.

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7. Not only did Searcy have his best game, but Marco Jones did too. That duo was outstanding after the first quarter, and Anto Saka was really good too. Add in Sam M’Pemba and the defensive ends were all over the place after the first 15 minutes. Now they need to change hurries into sacks. 

8. How bad was the first quarter Saturday? Here’s a look: 

Rushing yards — first quarter, 4 yards, 6.4 YPC; the last three quarters — 51 yards (1.4, 1.3 and 4.5 YPC)

Total yards — 126 at 6 yards per play; the rest of the game, an average of 81 yards a quarter.

Time of possession — 10:24 to 4:36. They would hold the ball for less than 20 minutes for the remainder of the game.

A&M’s offense — 14 yards in the first quarter, 241 for the rest of the game. In other words, essentially identical to ASU.

9. Kentucky enters this game 100th in total offense, and that includes starting with FCS Youngstown State. Alabama held them to 209 yards of offense and 2.0 yards per carry Saturday while forcing three turnovers. For an Aggie defense that has already forced six turnovers in two games, That has to be something that catches their attention.

10. This may be an opportunity for the Aggie offense to get on track. UK gave up 155 rushing yards to the Crimson Tide and 246 passing yards to Youngstown State, so it has vulnerabilities. They’re currently ranked 113th in scoring defense, 85th in passing defense and 59th in rushing defense. If the running or passing game really struggles this weekend, then it’s time to hit the panic button.

Our sponsor

10 Things for Tuesday is sponsored by Brent Campbell, Fighting Texas Aggie Class of 1998. Brent is a Commercial Real Estate Broker, serving all of Central Texas and specializing in sales, leasing & development. He leads a retail acquisition and sales team and was recognized by the Austin Business Journal as a Commercial Real Estate Heavy Hitter in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2023, 2024 & 2025.

In the last 22 years, he has closed deals with a total transactional value of over $400 million and has leased more than 4.75 million square feet. Brent currently serves as the president of the board of directors for Habitat Homes, Inc. and Pathways Youth and Family Services. He is currently on the Downtown Round Rock Task Force.  He is a former president of the Heart of Round Rock Neighborhood Association and a former member of the Round Rock Zoning Advisory Committee, the Round Rock Business and Retention Committee, and the City of Round Rock Ethics Commission, which has led him to begin developing in Williamson and Travis County.

An Austin native, Brent lives in Round Rock where he and his wife have raised four boys. Brent works for Don Quick and Associates, Inc. in Round Rock and can be reached at brent@donquick.com.