Brutal start leads to another Kentucky blowout loss

In Week 6, Kentucky got hit with a haymaker early against Georgia and never recovered. Against Tennessee, the Wildcats fell into a 10-0 hole and could never take the lead. A season trend repeated itself against another high-quality opponent.

A strong first quarter spoiled any chance Kentucky had to make the contest with No. 8 Alabama a four-quarter football game.

Defense is slow out the gate

Games are hardly ever won in the first quarter, but they can be lost. Kentucky lost against Alabama in the first quarter. The Wildcats haven’t figured out the right mix for starting games against top-25 offenses.

On the opening drive of the game, Alabama went 80 yards in 10 plays with Jalen Milroe finding Amari Niblack wide-open down the middle of the field for a 26-yard touchdown

That was only the beginning.

After a Kentucky three-and-out, Bama quickly went 55 yards in four plays with Milroe connecting with Kobe Prentice for a 40-yard touchdown pass on a scramble drill. Guess what? Alabama would score a touchdown on their third possession to go up 21-0 with 5:12 left in the first quarter.

THROWIN' DIMES!! 👀👀@JalenMilroe ➡️ @showtime1kp

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/PwI3Yc3VC1

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) November 11, 2023

The game was over before it started on Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field.

Offense did not play complementary football early

There is much blame to fall on the defense. Much of this upcoming week will be spent on talking about how short Brad White‘s unit is coming up in big moments this season. However, football is a team game with three phases. The offense contributed to the awful start on Saturday.

After a 10-play touchdown drive, the Alabama offense immediately found itself back on the field after a Kentucky three-and-out. After a 14-0 lead was taken, a Barion Brown fumble led directly to a Jalen Milroe one-yard touchdown run to put the Tide up 21-0.

Facing a huge hole, Kentucky followed that up with a three-and-out that but would be bailed out with a muffed punt leading to a short touchdown drive to get the Wildcats back in the game.

Big picture, Kentucky’s offense did some good things on Saturday against a top-10 defense. But they did not play complementary football. The Wildcats failed to give the defense help in the first quarter and came away with zero points in two scoring opportunities in the second quarter when the game was still in the balance.

The defense is a problem

When we look back and tell the story of the 2023 Kentucky football team, the bad play by the defense against the best opponents on the schedule will have to be addressed in the very beginning. Saturday was no different.

Kentucky has played four top-25 offenses. The Wildcats are 0-4 in those games both outright and against the spread. The Wildcats are providing no resistance on defense.

• Georgia: 51 points, 9.1 yards per play, 51% offensive success rate
• Missouri: 38 points, 4.9 yards per play, 43% offensive success rate
• Tennessee: 33 points, 7.2 yards per play, 51% offensive success rate
• Alabama: 49 points, 6.9 yards per play, 44% offensive success rate

Field position was a big deal in the Missouri game. One could argue that the defense would have had a better performance if the punting wasn’t so awful. However, the defense still could create stops against the Tigers. That has been the exception to the rule. Kentucky simply has had no answers against good offenses.

Alabama’s 49 points was their highest mark in SEC play. Tennessee’s 7.2 yards per play was their highest mark in SEC play. Georgia’s 51 points and 9.1 yards per play were their highest marks in SEC play. The defense is a major problem right now.

Kentucky is built to win games by playing complementary football. That means the defense has to get stops. That is not happening and is the biggest story of the season. White’s unit is coming way short of expectations.