FINAL: Kentucky Lays Egg in 49-21 Loss to Alabama

Kentucky had another opportunity to punch above its weight against a Top 10 opponent. The Wildcats once again got knocked out, almost immediately.

Alabama raced out to a 21-0 lead early in the first quarter and left the Cats in the dust. Jalen Milroe totaled 273 yards and five touchdowns in the 49-21 victory over the Wildcats. Nick Saban’s squad improved to 9-1 and clinched a spot in the SEC Championship Game.

Mark Stoops entered this game 1-17 all-time vs. Top 10 opponents. Over the last ten such contests, the Cats had nine losses by an average of 26.1 points per game. This 28-point margin is par for the course.

The Big Blue Nation delivered a solid crowd on Senior Day with SEC Nation in town during a marquee time slot on ESPN. Just like so many other games against Top 10 foes, the outcome was never in question. There was never a moment in the second half that Alabama felt pressure from Kentucky. Instead of shaking off a damning narrative, failing to show up in big games is becoming a norm in Lexington.

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Alabama Leads 21-0 in an Instant

It felt like deja vu all over again. Similar to the Kentucky defense’s performances against Josh Heupel‘s Tennessee offense, Tommy Rees had the Crimson Tide cooking in no time.

The Kentucky offense ran four plays and the Cats trailed 21-0.

Alabama methodically marched down the field on the game’s opening possession, using efficient first and second down runs to easily move the chains on third down. The dam finally broke with a busted coverage in the secondary for an Amari Niblack 26-yard touchdown.

A quick three-and-out by the Kentucky offense put the Cats into the danger zone. JQ Hardaway made an impressive tackle for loss to make it third and 12. Another busted coverage deep in the secondary gave Milroe an easy 40-yard touchdown toss to Kobe Prentice.

Instead of stopping the bleeding, Barion Brown coughed the ball up on the next offensive snap, giving the Crimson Tide an easy touchdown. Folks were ready to wave white flags and not even 10 minutes of time had elapsed.

Missed Kentucky Scoring Opportunities

Despite the disastrous start, Kentucky got off the mat and played frisky in the second quarter. Jordan Lovett picked off a pass near midfield and Devin Leary got a drive going with a few explosive plays to Dane Key and Brenden Bates. Unfortunately, points did not follow.

Kentucky made it to the Alabama 13-yard line and went for it on fourth and two. Leary never saw Bates open to his left and the ball was swatted to the ground. Following the Milroe interception, Leary threw one of his own inside the Bama 40. The Cats had opportunities, but never took them.

Interception by @Jordan_Lovett1 pic.twitter.com/Jnio9SHwIJ

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) November 11, 2023

Never a Doubt

It’s not that Kentucky didn’t do good things against Alabama. It’s that no matter what they did, you knew the one step forward would be followed by two steps backward.

The Cats opened the third quarter with a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive. It injected very little juice into the stadium because we all knew what was coming next. A great defensive play and a penalty gave the Alabama offense a third and 18. Instead of getting off the field, Milroe threw a 30-yard pass, then rushed in a score three plays later.

This is a very good Alabama football team. There’s no shame in losing to Nick Saban. What makes this loss so deflating is that it felt like the Crimson Tide could do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Kentucky didn’t come ready to play, they didn’t look prepared and they got punked on a big stage, again. That’s a problem, one of many facing Mark Stoops’ program this offseason.

Kentucky vs. Alabama Final Box Score

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