Kentucky Falls to No. 12 Alabama
Kentucky scored first and held the lead at halftime, but No. 12 Alabama used a big second half to win 45-17 on Saturday at Kroger Field.
Kenny Minchey connected on 18 of 31 through the air for 146 yards and a touchdown for Kentucky. Jason Patterson led the Cats with 53 rushing yards.
Ty Bryant led the Cats with 10 tackles, while Jordan Castell had nine tackles and an interception.
Kentucky had the first possession of the game, and the Cats made two first downs, crossing midfield in the process. However, Minchey was sacked and the drive stalled, forcing the Cats into a punt. Alabama took over at its own 20 yard line with 11:04 to play in the first quarter.
The UK defense stepped up huge on the Tide’s first possession. Grant Godfrey forced Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell into an intentional grounding call. The second down play saw Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace tackle Alabama’s Daniel Hill for a two-yard loss. Then on third down, Humphrey-Grace tipped Russell’s pass into the air, caught it and dove into the end zone for a touchdown. Adam Zouagui added the PAT and Kentucky led 7-0 with 10:11 to play in the first period.
On Alabama’s next possession, the Tide got three first downs and drove into UK territory. However, Humphrey-Grace struck again, forcing a fumble that was recovered by teammate CJ Works at the Kentucky 27. The Cats took possession with 7:09 left in the quarter.
On Kentucky’s ensuing possession, Minchey was intercepted by Alabama’s Luke Metz, who returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. Conor Talty added the PAT and the game was tied 7-7 with 6:35 left in the first quarter.
Kentucky would respond with a drive that got the Cats into the red zone as the first quarter ended.
On the first play of the second quarter, Minchey found tight end Henry Boyer for a 20-yard touchdown, capping a 13-play, 83-yard drive. Zouagui added the point after and Kentucky led 14-7 with 14:56 left in the first half.
Alabama would score on its first possession of the second quarter. The Tide went 68 yards in 11 plays, but a sack by Ty Bryant and Tavion Gadson stopped the drive and Alabama settled for a 25-yard field goal from Talty to cut the UK lead to 14-10 with 9:27 left in the half.
The Cats were able to get a first down on their next drive but were eventually forced to punt. Alabama took over at their own 33 with 6:20 remaining in the half.
The Tide would get points on the ensuing drive, covering 44 yards in nine plays, ending with a Talty field goal that cut the Kentucky lead to 14-13 with 2:09 left in the half.
Kentucky punted the ball back to Alabama and the Tide took over with 1:04 left in the half. On the second play of the drive, Russell was intercepted by UK’s Castell and the Cats took over at their own 46 with 55 seconds to play in the half. UK would get into field goal range when Minchey connected with Kenny Darby for 24 yards, getting the Cats to the Alabama 29. On the last play of the half, Zouagui connected on a 39-yard field goal and Kentucky took a 17-13 lead into the half.
Alabama had the first possession of the second half, but the Kentucky defense forced a three-and-out and the Tide punted. Kentucky took over at its own 10 with 14:06 left in the third quarter.
The Cats would get one first down on the next drive, but UK was forced to punt and Alabama took over at its own 41 yard line with 10:58 left in the third period.
Alabama would cut into the UK lead on its next possession. The Tide used nine plays to cover 43 yards, ending with a 34-yard field goal by Talty, cutting the Kentucky lead to 17-16 with 7:10 left in the third quarter.
On the third play of Kentucky’s next drive, Minchey was sacked, fumbled and Alabama recovered at the UK 21 with 5:42 remaining in the third stanza.
The Tide took advantage of the good field position and took their first lead of the game. E.J. Crowell scored on a three-yard rush and Talty added the point after, giving Alabama a 23-17 lead with 3:00 left in the third quarter.
Kentucky went three-and-out and was forced to punt on its next drive. The Cats tried a fake but Henry Boyer was stopped short of the line to gain.
On the second play of the ensuing drive, Alabama’s Hill scored on a three-yard rush to extend the lead. The Tide was successful on a two-point conversion when Russell connected with Lotzeir Brooks to extend the lead to 31-17.
In the fourth quarter, Kentucky was forced to punt and Alabama cashed in on the next possession. The Tide went 74 yards in nine plays, ending with a five-yard touchdown pass from Russell to Rico Scott. The PAT gave Alabama a 38-17 lead. The Tide would score again later in the fourth to provide the final margin of victory.
Kentucky returns to action next week, hitting the road for the first time this season. The Cats will be at Texas A&M on Saturday at 3:30. TV assignment for the game is still pending.
