Greg McElroy: Kentucky played at level ‘only two, maybe three’ SEC teams have reached in a decade

Greg McElroy knows what success in the SEC looks like, winning a national championship at Alabama in 2010 with 5,691 career yards and 39 touchdowns compared to just 10 picks in 27 starts. Since his playing days, he’s been an ESPN and SEC Network analyst since 2014 and has called games since 2016. The dude knows ball and has seen plenty of it. That’s why we should believe him when he says Kentucky put together one of the most impressive stretches the conference has seen in a decade. Breaking down film of the Wildcats’ 31-21 upset in College Station, McElroy said on Always College Football this week that Kentucky‘s unanswered 28-point run from the end of the second quarter through the start of the fourth was as good as it gets in the SEC. “Kentucky showed us a level of dominance reserved for SEC elites,” he said. Coming in as three-score underdogs, the Wildcats controlled the line of scrimmage, hit on explosives and came up with stops in an all-around effort that left the Aggies drowning on their home field. Those types of performances are typically reserved for the Alabamas and Georgias of the world, along with LSU’s title run in 2019. And considering those are the only SEC teams to win a championship in the last decade, we can put two and two together here and figure out what he’s telling the world. For a single quarter — stretched to 20 minutes, if you include the end of the first half — Will Stein coached title-level football at Kentucky. “Kentucky was a 16.5-point dog and won this game by 10. For one quarter on Saturday, Kentucky played football at a level that only two, maybe three programs in the SEC have played at in the last 10 years,” McElroy said. “Nobody else has played like that, that level of dominance. In the third quarter, they scored touchdowns on all three of their third-quarter possessions; A&M was held to zero. The yards in that quarter were 196 to 20. The time of possession in that quarter was 11:18 to just 3:42. The first downs were 10 to zero. Texas A&M did not record a single first down in the third quarter of a home game, in which it was favored to win by more than two touchdowns. (Kenny) Minchey in that quarter went 8/8 for 110 and a touchdown. His favorite part? It was a direct response to the second-half collapse last week vs. Alabama. In that same spot, with momentum at halftime, the moment was too big for the Wildcats. Totally different story this time around, but in a tougher environment against a comparable opponent. Kentucky showed the world it was for real under Stein. “That’s a program spending 15 minutes in a gear I don’t think anyone knew they had,” he continued. “And here’s what’s amazing: it was the exact opposite last week against Alabama. The third quarter was disastrous for Kentucky. Boom, one week later, completely flipped the script.” It’s as complimentary as you’ll ever hear an analyst talk about this program—for now, at least. The Steinasty is here, folks. Hop on the train or get left behind.