FINAL: Kentucky falls to Alabama 63-3

Even before news broke that ten Wildcats were officially out of today’s game vs. No. 1 Alabama, Kentucky faced a monumental task in Tuscaloosa. For at least the first quarter, the Cats hung tough, staying within punching distance of the Crimson Tide. Unfortunately, the mistakes piled up all too quickly.

A holding penalty on Kentucky’s second possession turned what could have been a touchdown into a field goal. A fumbled field goal attempt prevented the Cats from getting on the board on the next drive. From there, Bama put its giant thumb down and shut the Cats out, romping to a final score of 63-3. Without stars like Chris Rodriguez, Jamin Davis, and Max Duffy and crucial role players like Luke Fortner and Brenden Bates, the chances for an upset were slim, but the myriad of mistakes made it even worse. According to Corey Price, it was Kentucky’s third worst SEC loss in program history (60 points) (66 points, Florida, 1994; 65 points, Florida, 1996). Ouch.

All three Kentucky quarterbacks played, but Terry Wilson was the only one to complete a pass, finishing 10-19 for 120 yards and one interception before exiting the game in the third quarter. On the other side of the ball, former UK commit Mac Jones was 16-24 for 230 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, a beautiful pick by Bossman Fat that momentarily made the blowout slightly less terrible.

With Rodriguez out, AJ Rose led Kentucky’s ground attack, rushing ten times for 68 yards. Kavosiey Smoke had nine carries for 26 yards. Peek all the stats below in the box score. We’ll have more coverage throughout the night, including comments from Mark Stoops.