Kevin Mahoney
- Nov 12, 2023
- 3 min read

#7 ALABAMA Cruises Past Kentucky 49-21 in Lexington

Alabama secured their spot in the SEC Championship Game with a dominant win over SEC foe, Kentucky, at Kroger Field in a Veteran's Day showdown.

Kentucky National Guard Veterans — 20171125_Z_GQ482_009 by Kentucky National Guard Public Affairs Office via Flickr

Game Summary:

1st Quarter

Alabama started strong scoring a touchdown on the opening drive for only the second time this season. The score capped off a 10-play drive consisting of 80yds and 5:13 of game clock. Jalen Milroe was injured during the drive but returned after sitting out one play. Kentucky would go three and out on their first drive punting the ball back to the Crimson Tide. Alabama would cap off a 4 play 55-yard drive with 40-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe to Kobe Prentice to go ahead 14-0. Kentucky would start their next drive with a fumble by Barion Brown after a completion from Devin Leary. The fumble would be picked up by Alabama's Terion Arnold and taken back to the Kentucky one-yard line. Jalen Milroe would score on a quarterback sneak the first play after the turnover, giving Bama a 21-0 lead. Kentucky's next drive would result in a three and out, but the punt would be muffed by Alabama's Kool-Aid McKinstry and be recovered by Kentucky's Nasir Addison at the Alabama 37 yd line. Kentucky would score after six plays shortening Alabama's lead to 21-7.

2nd Quarter

Kentucky would go three and out once again to start the 2nd quarter. Albama would score on their subsequent drive of 5 plays and 62 yards extending Alabama's lead to 28-7. The rest of the quarter would belong to the defenses as neither offense scored and both quarterbacks were intercepted. The score remained 28-7 going into the half.

3rd Quarter

After a fair catch on the 2nd-half kickoff, Kentucky would complete a 10 play, 75-yard drive for a touchdown cutting the score to 28-14 Alabama. Alabama would answer with a 9 play, 65-yard drive of their own to extend their lead to 35-14. UK would go 3 and out on their next drive and punting, resulting in Alabama taking over at the UK 38-yd line after a 27-yard return by Kool-Aid McKinstry. Alabama would drive the ball to Kentucky's 1-yd line by the end of the quarter.

4th Quarter

The first play of the 4th quarter would be a 1-yd touchdown rush by Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe giving the Tide a 42-14 lead. Kentucky would once again go three and out giving Alabama the ball back at their own 34-yd line. Alabama backup QB Ty Simpson would come in as relief for Jalen Milroe and lead Bama on a 7-play, 66-yd drive for a touchdown extending Bama's lead to 49-14. Kentucky would answer with a score of their own highlighted by a 74-yd run by Ramon Jefferson. That would be the last score of the game with the final being 49-21 Alabama.

Alabama - Player of the Game: Jalen Milroe

Jalen Milroe was 15-22 for 234 yds and 3 touchdowns though the air to go along with his 36 yds and 3 touchdowns on the ground. Milroe led his offense at an elite level and accounted for 42 of the 49 points scored by Alabama's offense. it was an all-around stellar game for Jalen Milroe.

Kentucky - Player of the Game: Ray Davis

While he might not have had best day statistically Ray Davis gave his offense what it needed at opportune times. While his 58 total all-purpose yards might not look all that impressive paper, he did have two touchdowns, and without him Kentucky's offensive production would have been much, much worse.

Conclusion:

With this win against Kentucky, Alabama has punched their ticket to Atlanta to represent the SEC West in the SEC Championship Game against a formidable opponent in the Georgia Bulldogs, and keeps their playoff hopes alive. For Kentucky this marks their fourth loss of the season, and while they are already bowl eligible most fans had loftier goals than that at season's start. With two games left in the season for both teams can Kentucky win out and finish a respectable 8-4 to salvage their season? Can Alabama avoid a letdown in the Iron Bowl and go into the SEC championship game with only the one loss? While this game answered many questions about these team's futures, there are still games to be played and we will have to wait they're played see how these teams finish the season to know who they truly are.