The University of Kentucky Wildcats fell to the number one ranked and defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide 34-6 to drop the Wildcats record to 2-3. After two straight wins to get to .500, a win in Tuscaloosa wasn’t predicted for Stoops’ troops. The question for Head Coach Mark Stoops and his team would how would they perform under the bright primetime lights against the vaunted Crimson Tide? The Big Blue Nation is way beyond the point of chalking up moral victories, but there are some takeaways from the game that bode well for the remaining schedule.
The much maligned defense played very well. Overall the Wildcats held the Tide to their lowest point total of the season. The game was tied 3-3 at the end of the first quarter mostly due to the pressure the defense was able to generate against Alabama QB Jalen Hurts. Like most teams do against a Nick Saban coached team, the Cats wore down in the second half, but defensive coordinator DJ Elliot and his guys played very well. If you think that Alabama is the best team remaining on the conference schedule (and I do), this could bode well for the team moving forward.
The offense could have performed better (161 total yards), but with Stephen Johnson making his first career road start the offense had to be much simpler than usual. And without a passing game, the Wildcats running game had the unenviable task of running against the Crimson Tide’s NFL caliber front seven. 72 yards on 36 carries isn’t a great number and won’t get it done in Alabama (*although it is more than the 67 yards Alabama gives up on the ground per game).
Again, no moral victories, but the Cats played well. There’s not going to be a bigger or tougher opponent on the schedule and playing in front of 100,000 plus Roll Tide fans is as crazy as it gets from here on out. With Vanderbilt coming to town, the Cats have a chance to get back to .500, get the their third win of the season and get themselves one step closer to bowl eligibility.
I understand that Mark Stoops’ seat is hot and UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart’s seat may be warming up. But there are still winnable games out there. There’s still a chance for the Cats to go bowling and build some momentum toward 2017. 2-3 is about what reasonable people could have expected at this point. Get a win against the Commodores and things will really start to shine bright in my Old Kentucky Home.
