The New Mexico State Aggies need to shore up a defense that is allowing 40.2 points per game before their contest on Saturday. They are on the road again on Saturday and play against the Kentucky Wildcats at noon ET Nov. 20 at Kroger Field. If the matchup is anything like UK's 62-42 win from their previous meeting in September of 2016, the scorekeeper will be kept real busy.
There's no need to mince words: the Aggies lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide last week, and they lost bad. The score wound up at 59-3. New Mexico State was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 49-3. QB Jonah Johnson had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: he passed for only 129 yards on 30 attempts.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats strolled past the Vanderbilt Commodores with points to spare last week, taking the contest 34-17. The squad ran away with 31 points in the first half and mostly just sat on those in the second to pick up the victory.
New Mexico State is the clear underdog, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. The odds have been favorable for them against the spread on the road this season, even if it's been tough sledding overall. They are 4-1 ATS in away games but only 5-4 all in all.
Kentucky's win lifted them to 7-3 while New Mexico State's loss dropped them down to an irreparable 1-9. RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. will be someone to keep an eye on after he rushed for one TD and 110 yards on 15 carries last week. Let's see if he can build on that strong performance or if New Mexico State's defense can bottle him up.