TUSCALOOSA — Kentucky came into its second road game of the year with a different mindset than it did three weeks ago after a 45-7 loss at Florida. The difference was noticable against top-ranked Alabama Saturday night, especially in the first quarter.
The Wildcats (2-3, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) used a field goal and forced a fumble in the first quarter that caught the Crimson Tide (5-0, 2-0) off-guard and facing a 3-0 deficit going into the second frame.
Despite the optimistic opening by Kentucky, Alabama scored 34 unanswered to slam the door on any hopes of the Wildcats pulling off an upset bid hours after Tennessee used a Hail Mary in the closing minutes in a thrilling win over Georgia. Kentucky managed just 161 yards and 12 first downs against the league’s stingiest defense.
“We did some better things in this game and the bad thing is, we’re still capable of so much more and that’s what aggravates you,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “I definitely felt like we grew. We’ve been talking about improvement and growing as a team. I think we did that in certain phases and maybe took a step back in others, but we’ll keep on working. That’s a quality football team in a hostile environment. We did handle, we started the game better than the last time we were in this situation.”
Although not its best offensive showing of the season, it was enough to lift Alabama’s record to 10-0 against UK in a stadium named after legendary Alabama and former Kentucky coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
“I think everyone wanted to win tonight,” Kentucky linebacker Jordan Jones said. “We were all excited for this game. Everyone wanted to win and the effort was there.”
Because of Alabama’s larger-than-life stature and top ranking, Kentucky could have rolled over at the opening kickoff, the Wildcats made somewhat of a respectful showing against a Crimson Tide squad that’s well on their way to second straight National Championship.
A surprise to many, Alabama coach Nick Saban wasn’t alarmed by Kentucky’s early showing against his squad.
“Kentucky has got a much better team than what everybody gives them credit for, especially in the last couple weeks, when they’ve sort of been trying to run the ball and do what they can do very well,” Saban said. “Their defense has played a lot better, and I think that was certainly the case today. So you’ve got to give them a little bit of credit.”
Overall, Kentucky’s defense gave up a pair of field goals and just three touchdowns. Alabama’s other score was a 55-yard fumble recovery in the second quarter, the seventh-straight game the Crimson Tide has tallied a non-offensive touchdown.
“I think we did pretty well on the defensive side,” Kentucky linebacker Jordan Jones said. “We held them to their lowest scoring (output) of the season against the No.1 team in the country. I think we could have held them to one or two touchdowns if certain guys, including myself were more disciplined and paid more attention to what was going on.”
Jones, who was vocally critical of the team’s showing against the Gators, said the Wildcats also could have used more discipline on both sides of the ball, but said the team’s overall mentality has shifted since the dismal setback in the Swamp.
“Everyone just tried to do too much, including myself,” Jones said. “If one person messes up, it messes up the whole defense.”
Undisciplined plays on offense, namely two turnovers, coupled with inconsistency in the trenches, played a role in Kentucky’s inability to gain traction against the Crimson Tide.
However, the Wildcats can’t afford to look back. With three big conference games looming against Vanderbilt, followed by a bye week, Mississippi State and Georgia, Jones said the Wildcats can’t dwell on the loss or get too hyped about the defensive showing against the the Crimson Tide.
“It’s a long season,” said Jones, who finished with eight tackles, including one for a loss and three quarterback hurries. “We can’t let one loss hold us back the rest of the season. The loss to Southern Miss didn’t hold us back from beating South Carolina and New Mexico State. We can’t do it with this game either. They’re the No. 1 team in the country and we got a chance to see where we stand. It gives us a chance to see where we are and where we can grow.”
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter