What 2 Watch 4: Two Kentucky Coaches in the College Football Playoff

The Kentucky Wildcats are not in the College Football Playoff, but BBN has a reason to pay closer attention to what’s transpiring during a pair of first round matchups on Saturday. New head coach Will Stein will be calling the plays for Oregon, while defensive coordinator Jay Bateman leads the Texas A&M defense.

Regardless of the result, there will be overreactions and under-reactions. We are crazy. Everything we can read into and dissect, we shall. The good news is that we are in a win-win situation. If Oregon loses a stunner in a low-scoring affair, it’s just more time for Stein to spend at Kentucky. If A&M can’t stop a nosebleed, that’s not Bateman’s fault. Blame it on Mike Elko.

Instead of focusing on the result of the College Football Playoff games, let’s spend some time on the process, something that should actually translate to what these coaches will do next year at Kentucky.

College Football Playoff Kickoffs
Miami (+3.5) at Texas A&M, Noon, ESPN/ABC
James Madison (+20.5) at Oregon, 7:30, TNT, truTV, HBO Max

Will Stein GAS

Everybody loves a good uptempo attack, particularly a Kentucky fanbase that has seen very little of that over the last decade. Stein is bringing tempo to Lexington, but it’s measured. You will not see it on every drive against a stingy James Madison defense. The GAS — get your ass set — package will be used in a timely fashion.

It manifested on the third drive of the Ducks’ game against Indiana. Oregon’s offense only had one first down on the day when they got the ball near midfield. That’s when Stein unleashed the GAS, and it turned into a 3-play, touchdown-scoring drive.

Will Stein's GAS tempo. pic.twitter.com/nKx6TUP1ip

— Adam Luckett (@AdamLuckettKSR) December 4, 2025

Oregon Tight End Usage

Earlier this week, offensive coordinator Joe Sloan said they plan on throwing the football to Willie Rodriguez and the talented Kentucky tight end room. The last time we saw Oregon take the field, the Ducks deployed two tight ends roughly 75% of the time. They received 40% of the 28 passing targets in what turned into a grind of a rivalry game.

Kenyon Sadiq, a First Team All-Big Ten selection, has been exceptional this year, but that formula may change against James Madison. Three injured Oregon wide receivers could return after missing roughly a month of action. It will be interesting to see how Stein balances the offensive attack with new pieces in play.

Can Aggressiveness Create Carson Beck Mistakes?

Carson Beck is a high-ceiling player with a floor that can bottom out. We saw how far that floor can dip when the Miami quarterback threw four interceptions, including the game-clincher, in a loss to Louisville.

Will Stein wants an aggressive defense at Kentucky. Jay Bateman’s Texas A&M defense is one of the best in the country at creating havoc behind the line of scrimmage. They lead the nation in sacks (41) and rank third in tackles for loss (104). Much of that can be attributed to an exceptional defensive line.

The question I have for this game is, will Bateman and Elko try to heat up Beck even more to create chaos? As good as A&M is at making plays behind the line of scrimmage, they’ve only generated nine turnovers, tied for the fewest in the SEC. In a game that could turn into a shootout, one timely turnover can tilt the scales.

Texas A&M on Third Down

The zone defense Mark Stoops deployed drew the ire of many around Big Blue Nation, particularly on third down. Kentucky has not had a Top 10 third down defense in the SEC since 2022.

Texas A&M has the best third down defense in college football, allowing opponents to convert only 22.7% of the time. Saturday will let Kentucky fans get a glimpse of the pressures and man coverage they can expect to see on Saturdays next fall.

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