It had been a while, but Texas A&M finally got a victory over an AP Top 25 team on Saturday, beating No. 13 Kentucky 20-14 in overtime at Kyle Field. It was the first such win for the Aggies since they took down No. 8 Tennessee back in 2016. That, too, was an overtime victory (45-38).

There was much to like for A&M about Saturday’s win; a lot of things must go right for a team to knock off a ranked opponent. And there are things the Aggies must improve. Here are five things I liked about the Aggies’ victory, and three things they could have done better.

Things I liked

1.Ball control: The Aggies held the ball for nearly 35 minutes with a balanced attack that leaned on the run game for continuity. The Aggies ran the ball 45 times while Kentucky ran a total of 50 offensive plays. Of A&M’s 21 first downs, 10 were achieved by a ground game that averaged 3.6 yards per try.

2. Third-down stops: The Aggies defense came up big on third down, and that was a major difference in the game. Kentucky converted on only 2 of 13 third-down plays. The Texas A&M defense forced Kentucky to go three-and-out on six of the Wildcats’ 13 drives in the game.

3. Defensive adjustments: The Aggies and defensive coordinator Mike Elko made the necessary adjustments after the first quarter to shut down Kentucky’s offense. The Wildcats led 7-0 at that point and looked to have things going their way, racking up 112 total yards of offense. But the Aggies tightened up and allowed Kentucky just 66 total yards through the final three quarters plus overtime.

4. Limiting Bennie Snell Jr: The Aggies defense keyed on the SEC’s leading rusher coming into the game. Keeping Snell in check was the deciding factor in a hard-fought conference victory. Snell had averaged 127.8 yards per game but A&M limited him to 60 yards rushing on 13 carries.

5. Braden is the Mann: The Texas A&M punter came through again. On five punts, Mann averaged 59.6 yards. That included an 82-yard punt, the longest in FBS this season, and longest by an Aggie in 74 years. Mann leads the nation in punting with a 55-yard average on 23 punts this season.

Things that need improvement

1.Pass protection: Aggies QB Kellen Mond was under duress for much of the game. Kentucky sacked him four times and got an additional two quarterback hurries.

2. Slow start: Things did not look good for the Aggies from the outset. The slow start resulted in Kentucky taking a 7-0 lead after the first quarter. The Wildcats possessed the ball for 9:10 of the first quarter and put the Aggies in a hole that they were fortunate to climb out of.

3. Fumbles: Taking care of the football in a conference game is critical. The Aggies fumbled three times, losing one that was returned for a tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Those are the kinds of miscues that can turn a game, though the Aggies overcame it this time.