21 Things I Noticed in Alabama's 49-21 Win Over the Kentucky Wildcats

The No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide went to Lexington and claimed the SEC West division championship with a win over Kentucky.

The No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide didn't do anything special on Saturday, but it did beat a quality opponent on the road in the Kentucky Wildcats. Let's rewatch the game and notice how the Tide took down he Wildcats and what Alabama needs to improve on as the year comes to a close. 

1. Alabama's offense starts fast.

It hasn't been very often that Alabama has taken its opening possession and scored this season but that's exactly what the Crimson Tide did, stretching the Kentucky defense out and finishing with a touchdown pass to set the tone for the day.

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Alabama comes out in 12-personnel and Jalen Milroe is moved off his spot by the inside pass-rush. He decides to run and gains five yards.
• Snap 2 - 2&5: Alabama tests the Cats up the middle and Jase McClellan only gets two-yards.
• Snap 3 - 3&3; Tommy Rees comes out with three receivers in a bunch and it ends up being a give to McClellan who gets the first down by just a yard. Could McClellan have broken it to the right side and had a bigger gain?
• Snap 4 - 1&10: Milroe does a fine job adjusting to the unique blocking scheme up front and checks the ball down to McClellan quickly for a small gain.
• Snap 5 - 2&6: Alabama, back in 12-personnel, fakes to the running-back and rolls Milroe out. He quickly decides to run, instead of pass, and gives the Tide a big gainer. 
• Snap 6 - 1&10: Milroe is out hurt so Ty Simpson comes in and hands the ball off to Roydell Williams. The play looks blocked up nicely, Kentucky's ends do a nice job of pinching down the line and limiting Williams.
• Snap 7 - 2&8: Milroe returns after missing just a single play, Kentucky decides to test him by bringing six rushers. He wisely checks it down to Williams for a short gain. 
• Snap 8 - 3&4: Milroe completes a six-yard pass to Kobe Prentice for a first down. McClellan does a nice job picking up where the pressure is coming from, Prentice does a good job returning to the football, Milroe is decisive and on-time with his pass. 
• Snap 9 - 1&10: Kendrick Law takes the pop pass for a first-down but notice the effort Williams gives to break him free. Williams assists Amari NiBlack on his block and then goes and blocks a man of his own. 
• Snap 10 - 1&10: The Wildcats left the middle of the field wide open and Milroe took advantage of it with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Amari NiBlack. Isaiah Bond's vertical-route occupied one safety while the other was occupying space, leaving NiBlack wide open for the easy reception and score. It's the Tide's first opening possession touchdown since Week 1 against Middle Tennessee State.

For just the second time this year, the Crimson Tide scores on its opening possession.

Jalen Milroe to Amari Niblack for 26 yards.#Alabama 7 | Kentucky 0
9:38 1st

— Austin Hannon (@austinhannon_) November 11, 2023

2. Tide's defense bolstered by strong offensive start.

The Alabama defense responds to the positive momentum the offense has built by delivering a three-and-out, punctuated by a sack.

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Ray Davis follows good blocking and gains five yards. Kristian Story, playing for the injury Jaylen Key, gets the tackle but barely. If Story takes a better angle or fills the whole quicker then it becomes a more favorable play for Alabama. As it was the Tide is fortunate to make the tackle at all.
• Snap 2 - 2&5: Alabama is in nickel to open the game, and Malachi Moore sets a beautiful edge here. Moore stretches the play out and Jihaad Campbell is athletic enough to make the play for a small loss. 
• Snap 3 - 3&6: The Crimson Tide subs into its "Raptor" package and sends six rushers at Devin Leary. Alabama's pass-rushing specialists get in on Kentucky's offensive line and sack Leary forcing the Wildcats to punt.

3. Milroe fires up another dot for his second touchdown. 

Jalen Milroe, already five-for-five for 52 yards and a score through just one drive, picked right up where he left off, scoring in just four plays to double up the Alabama lead.

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Jalen Milroe finds Isaiah Bond for 17-yards down the sidelines. They both read that Kentucky's giving up the underneath route and connect nicely. The Alabama QB isn't even touched as the Tide is in seven-man protection.
• Snap 2 - 1&10: Jase McClellan takes a handoff for just a few yards, he's taken down by the backside defensive tackle that JC Latham was supposed to block.
• Snap 3 - 2&7: This looks like a missed read by Milroe here as he perhaps should have given this ball off. Either way, it's well read by the safety and he takes the Alabama QB down for a loss. 
• Snap 4 - 3&12: Kentucky only rushes three, giving Kadyn Proctor and JC Latham plenty of space to take their edge defenders wide. Milroe steps up and finds Kobe Prentice wide open for a 40-yard touchdown. The Wildcats bust a coverage over the top and Milroe finds the right guy with his eyes down the field and completes a perfect ball to Prentice for a TD.

4. Terrion Arnold is an NFL first round draft pick.

Alabama almost capitalizes on the very next play from scrimmage with a non-offensive touchdown by Caleb Downs, however he's marked down at the one after Terrion Arnold forced the fumble. 

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Leary finds his target for a five-yard gain but Terrion Arnold punched the ball out leading to a scramble situation. Caleb Downs picks up the ball and returns it down the the Crimson Tide 1-yard line.
• Snap 2 - 1&Goal: Alabama gets into 'Tush Push' formation and Jalen Milroe gets into the end zone from a single yard away to put Alabama up 21-0. 

5. Alabama errors allow Kentucky on the board. 

Alabama is off the field twice against the Wildcats on this next series but the Crimson Tide insists on letting them back into the game. Nick Saban called Kool-Aid McKinstry's punt returning error someone being blocked into him. Do you agree?

Caleb Downs was called for a pass-interference in which he definitely grabbed and pulled his man and the Wildcats leave the door cracked open for a competitive game.

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Devin Leary is off the mark on a play-action pass that appears as if no one was open downfield.
• Snap 2 - 2&10: Kentucky is called for a false-start.
• Snap 3 - 2&15: Leary's pass was off-line and incomplete, while Terrion Arnold was in coverage. 
• Snap 4 - 3&15: Leary dumps the ball off to Ray Davis who gains some yardage but is short of a first down.
• Snap 5 - 4&4: Kool-Aid McKinstry muffs the punt and Kentucky jumps right onto the ball, restarting their drive. McKinstry looked like he had a clean shot at it but lost his concentration.
• Snap 6 - 1&10: Davis gets around the edge a little bit but Dallas Turner and Jihaad Campbell prevent him from going far.
• Snap 7 - 2&5: Davis drags Chris Braswell and Malachi Moore for a first down. 
• Snap 8 - 1&10: Leary decides to throw out of an RPO and is met by Turner, Tim Keenan and Campbell knocking the pass down.
• Snap 9 - 2&10: Davis takes a handoff and picks his way for a five-yard gain.
• Snap 10 - 3&5: Barion Brown draws a penalty on Caleb Downs in the end zone for pass interference. The pass from Leary was certainly under thrown, but Downs grabbed and turned Brown, earning the penalty.
• Snap 11 - 1&Goal: Kool-Aid McKinstry is actually drawn up close to the formation due to the motion and sets a nice edge, not allowing Davis to make a gain on a toss pitch.
• Snap 12 - 2&Goal: Leary finds Tayvion Robinson coming across the formation and Arnold couldn't keep up with him through the traffic of the formation. The Wildcats worked hard and got themselves on the scoreboard with 90-seconds left in the quarter. 

6. Alabama loses momentum with three-and-out.

Alabama failed to respond offensively to Kentucky cutting the lead, but protect the football and end the drive in a punt. 

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Jalen Milroe misses a wide open man down the sidelines. Would he have been better served taking CJ Dippre as his passing option?
• Snap 2 - 2&10: Milroe's pass to Malik Benson is ruled no-play after offsetting penalties.
• Snap 3 - 2&10: A handoff to JAM Miller out of 12-personnel goes for a quick-six yards and sets up a third and short.
• Snap 4 - 3&4: Tommy Rees sends Roydell Williams across the formation to help Milroe identify man or zone before the snap but it doesn't matter as he misses his man downfield again.

7. Alabama gets its defensive mojo back. 

After giving up a long touchdown drive on the prior possession the Alabama defense decided to flip its switch back to "on" and delivered a three-and-out series to retake momentum. 

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Kentucky tries Kool-Aid McKinstry again in the running game but Ray Davis only picks up two yards. The Alabama defense stalemated it opponents, leaving minimal running room. 
• Snap 2 - 2&8: Davis falls after a catch for one yard. The turf-monster got him but he wasn't going for much farther. 
• Snap 3 - 3&7: Alabama utilizes its "Raptor" package again to speed up Devin Leary who takes an underneath completion for just a few years, forcing Kentucky to punt. 

8. Alabama orchestrates final drive of the first half

The Crimson Tide stretches the lead back to 21-points by utilizing the middle of the field successfully. Milroe scores his third passing touchdown of the half by dumping the ball off to Williams and letting him find his way to the end zone. 

• Snap 1 - 1&10: The Kentucky defensive lineman reads the play right into the backfield and takes down Jase McClellan for a loss. 
• Snap 2 - 2&13: Jalen Milroe fakes a toss to McClellan and finds CJ Dippre over the middle for a big gainer and a first down. 
• Snap 3 - 1&10: The Tide goes fast and swings it out to Malik Benson for 12 yards.
• Snap 4 - 1&10: Tommy Rees slows it down and shows some patience by calling an inside handoff to McClellan who gives Alabama three yards.
• Snap 5 - 2&7: Alabama called for illegal formation.
• Snap 6 - 2&17: Milroe hangs in the pocket but eventually rolls right. He directs traffic and notices Roydell Williams breaking open. It's not the prettiest pass but the ball drops right into the bucket and Williams has enough time and space in front of him to make defenders miss in the open field. The 27-yard score put Alabama up 28-7.

9. Alabama's defense plays with character. 

The Crimson Tide has done a good job the season of getting more difficult to outmatch inside the red zone. Alabama got Kentucky to a fourth and short and the Wildcats knew that touchdowns would be the name of the game. 

• Snap 1- 1&10: Devin Leary's play-action pass to Dane Key moves the Wildcats to midfield right off the bat. 
• Snap 2 - 1&10: Kentucky calls an RPO leaving Josh Kattus wide open over the middle. He's not tackled cleanly by Caleb Downs so he gains an extra few yards and sets up the Wildcats inside the red zone. 
• Snap 3 - 1&10: Alabama brings five rushers and Leary misses his man while throwing into double-coverage. 
• Snap 4 - 2&10: The Alabama defense doesn't even nibble at the slider coming across the formation and instead hits the Kentucky running back at the line of scrimmage. 
• Snap 5 - 3&10: Leary checks down to Davis who runs almost to the first down line but is stopped short, stopped by Christian Story and Trey Amos.
• Snap 6 - 4&1: Alabama takes a timeout.
• Snap 7 - 4&1: Kentucky shifts in and out of formations before settling on a gun empty bunch concept. Leary has time but stares down his receiver making the throwing window much smaller. It looked like his tight end leaking off to the left side was breaking open but he never saw him and the ball is turned over on downs.

10. Jalen Milroe makes awful mistake

Alabama's Jalen Milroe has been playing incredibly to this point and he does lead the Tide off the goal-line, but he makes a crucial mistake that against more talented teams could harm the Tide. 

• Snap 1 - 1&10: The Crimson Tide, in 12-personnel, call a run behind Kadyn Proctor with Jaeden Roberts and Robbie Ouzts pulling. They both get good blocks and Jase McClellan rips off an eight-yard gain. 
• Snap 2 - 2&2: Alabama, still in 12, calls a QB-run for Milroe who fakes out a defender on the edge for 12-yards. 
• Snap 3 - 1&10: The Tide, again in 12, calls a play-action pass. Proctor is beat to the inside making Milroe throw it early to Isaiah Bond for the incompletion. 
• Snap 4 - 2&10: Alabama tried to flank the Wildcats around the left side but their play-side linebackers were all over the give to McClellan.
• Snap 5 - 3&11: The Wildcats rush three but drop out a defensive end to spy Milroe. All of the Alabama routes seem to be covered from the two shots we get and yes applaud the Crimson Tide QB's ability to extend the play but you can't throw back across your body and into the defense. Terrible decision turns into an interception for Kentucky. Instead Jalen should have thrown this away or scrambled for as many as he could have and protected himself and the ball. 

11. Terrion Arnold makes a second game-changing play

Alabama's defense is right there to pick up Jalen Milroe after he made a mistake. The stingy defense allowed just 19-yards before intercepting the ball back for its offense once more.

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Devin Leary takes a quick out pattern while Kool-Aid McKinstry is playing off coverage. 
• Snap 2 - 2&5: Alabama brings six rushers but can't get home on play-action pass. Leary's pass is incomplete as there was mutual contact between the Wildcat pass-catcher and Caleb Downs. 
• Snap 3 - 3&5: Leary, against five rushers, hits a seven-yard slant to Dane Key to keep the drive alive.
• Snap 4 - 1&10: A simple handoff to Ray Davis turns into a tackle for loss by Caleb Downs who fills the gap at 100 mph and takes down the Kentucky back. Just gorgeous execution by the freshman. 
• Snap 5 - 2&11: Alabama only brought four rushers but Leary missed his target bringing up third down. 
• San 6 - 3&11: Alabama appears to be in its "Raptor" package upfront bringing pressure on Leary, but only four really rush. Jihaad Campbell appears to get some pressure on Leary and he throws it to the far side of the field in which Terrion Arnold makes a nice interception to end the Kentucky drive.

12. Terrible offensive drive, but proof of a lesson learned.

Alabama gets the ball back with 2:39 and two time-outs and should be looking to score just for the sake of it. The fact that the Tide is up 28-7 shouldn't have any bearing on the game, but it seems like it does as the Alabama offense sputters and punts before the half. 

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Jalen Milroe misses Isaiah Bond on an out route to the far-side of the field. 
• Snap 2 - 2&10: Roydell Williams is hit in the backfield after Kadyn Proctor's man busted him on the block.
• Snap 3 - 3&13: Kentucky only rushes three and Milroe buys time and rolls to his right, just like the previous drive. Unlike the previous drive, he doesn't throw an interception back across his body, instead throwing the ball out of bounds as nothing was open down the field. A small sign of growth perhaps even on a largely negative play.

13. Inaccurate Leary leads to another punt. 

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Ray Davis runs up the middle for six yards on the Tide. Kendrick Blackshire gets his nose in the mix for Alabama. 
• Snap 2 - 2&4: Leary finds his receiver in one of the soft spots in the Alabama zones. It was a perfect pass with anticipation an pace leading to a first down.
• Snap 3 - 1&10: Leary is chased out of the pocket by Chris Braswell and Tim Smith, the pair force an incomplete pass along the sidelines.
• Snap 4 - 2&10: Dallas Turner jumps offsides for Alabama.
• Snap 5 - 2&5: Jihaad Campbell was all over Davis on the underneath pass, stopping him for minimal gain. 
• Snap 6 - 3&3: False Start on Kentucky
• Snap 7 - 3&8: Alabama's not quite in its "Raptor" package but brings four rushers. Leary overshoots his man on a go-route forcing a Kentucky punt. 

Halftime Thoughts 

After rewatching the first half it seems like Alabama came out and took Kentucky seriously by scoring on the games first three drives. With a firm lead it didn't see like the Crimson Tide was doing anything too exotic or unusual to ensure they out schemed the Wildcats in the first half. The 21-point lead Nick Saban's squad took into the locker room seemed to be, "just fine", and ultimately was. However the two drives that ended in punts and the one in an interception seemed that way out of lazy execution due to overconfidence. 

14. Kentucky comes out of halftime and the Tide doesn't. 

It's been back-to-back weeks now that the Alabama defense opens the second-half by surrendering a touchdown. Now it was only the second all day but it's a little upsetting for those hoping to see the Tide play inspired football after a short break.

• Snap 1- 1&10: Devin Leary's pass is incomplete into heavy traffic. 
• Snap 2 - 2&10: Leary's screen-pass to Ray Davis goes for a Wildcats first down. 
• Snap 3 - 1&10: Alabama in nickel with Terrion Arnold in the STAR forces Leary to throw the pass out of bounds as Arnold was blitzing.
• Snap 4 - 2&10: Alabama makes Leary think about it with good coverage and then Tim Keenan gets his hands up to knock the pass down. 
• Snap 5 - 3&10: Alabama in the "Raptor" package gets major pressure on Leary but the Tide is also called for roughing the passer, leading to an automatic first down. 
• Snap 6 - 1&10: Kentucky's offensive line wins against a tired Alabama front and Leary gives Josh Kattus a chance who makes a SportsCenter worthy play.
• Snap 7 - 1&10: From the 20-yard line Leary put the ball perfectly on Demie Sumo Karngbaye for a touchdown but the running back couldn't hold on. The Kentucky offensive line is dominating out of halftime and Leary has a lot of time to make his decisions. 
• Snap 8 - 2&10: Leary puts the Wildcats on his back, evading the pressure of Trezmen Marshall, Chris Braswell and Justin Eboigbe for a near first down pass. Marshall had the best shot at him but all three could have made the play on Leary but instead he escaped and found a receiver. 
• Snap 9 - 3&1: The Wildcats weren't in a 'Tush Push' formation but still their qb-sneak was enough for the first down.
• Snap 10 - 1&Goal: Kentucky uses Barion Brown on the goal line out of the backfield on an end around because his speed can be dangerous. He gains seven yards carrying it to the wide side of the field. 
• Snap 11 - 2&Goal: The Wildcats used a slider to hold the linebacker's eyes for just a moment, but handed off to running back Ray Davis for a two-yard touchdown run to cut Alabama's lead to just 14-points.

15. Jalen Milroe converts 3rd&17 with his arm. 

Alabama's last two drives hadn't been successful and the Wildcats just cut the lead to 14-points on a very "Kentucky-like" drive. It's safe to say that it's not the most pressure-filled moment of the year, but it is mounting a little bit as the Tide takes the field for the first drive of the second-half.

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Jase McClellan runs for a hard three-yards to open the series.
• Snap 2 - 2&7: Jalen Milroe fires a pass to Isaiah Bond at the sticks. Not known for a quick release, it was shown off by Milroe here to pick up a first down.
• Snap 3 - 1&10: McClellan rips off a quick first down run right up the middle out of 12-personnel. 
• Snap 4 - 1&10: Milroe throws a quick pass out to Kobe Prentice who was sliding ahead of the fake handoff. Kentucky is all over it and tackles him in the backfield. 
• Snap 5 - 2&12: Kentucky runs a simulated pressure, bringing four rushers and Milroe strangely decides to throw it deep into coverage for Kendrick Law. The ball ends up out of bounds so no harm, no foul. 
• Snap 6 - 3&12: Alabama incurs an illegal substitution penalty
• Snap 7 - 3&17: Kentucky only rushes three and Milroe finds Prentice who's running a deep crossing pattern for a big third down conversion. 
• Snap 8 - 1&10: Alabama runs their version of the triple-option and Milroe pitches to Isaiah Bond late. The play doesn't gain much but will have to be respected on tape. 
• Snap 9 - 2&7: My favorite formation, 12-personnel, pistol formation. The Crimson Tide hands off to McClellan for 10-yards. The Alabama front kept the back from getting touched until he was already four yards down the field. 
• Snap 10 - 1&Goal: Milroe carries in from three-yards out for the score. His fifth touchdown of the game puts Alabama back ahead by three-scores as the third quarter is over halfway gone.

16. Alabama's defense finds it's legs and forces a three-and-out.

Ok, it's time for Alabama's defense to send another message to Kentucky's offense, there will be no comebacks in this game. 

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Jaheim Oatis beats his man one-on-one and gets penetration into the backfield, stopping Ray Davis for a loss. 
• Snap 2 - 2&10: Damon Payne gets into the backfield and sacks Devin Leary to put the Wildcats into third-and-long. Payne was in the backfield while Leary was still looking front side for a big play by the rotational lineman. 
• Snap 3 - 3&21: Leary completes a pass well underneath as Alabama was playing for the intermediate pass to turn force a punt. 

17. Alabama drives the nail in the coffin as the fourth quarter begins. 

• Snap 1 - 1&10: The Crimson Tide out of the Pistol set hands off to Roydell Williams who slams forward for six-yards.
• Snap 2 - 2&4: Alabama, still in the Pistol moves into 12 personnel and Williams gains eight-yards as the Crimson Tide offensive line is just eating the Wildcats alive. 
• Snap 3 - 1&10: Another rush out of 12 personnel, but this time Kentucky does a good job stringing it along and tackling McClellan for no gain. 
• Snap 4 - 2&10: Kentucky chooses to rush Alabama with three and a fourth late, Milroe hits Amari NiBlack for a first down on an out route for a first down.
• Snap 5 - 1&10: Back into the Pistol set in 12-personnel for the Tide. Kentucky calls a blitz and JAM Miller is stopped before he can build too much momentum.
• Snap 6 - 2&8: Milroe continues to make quick decisions underneath. He finds Miller for a first down pass right at the goal-line.
• Snap 7 - 1&Goal: Miller is stopped after defensive penetration. 
• Snap 8 - 2&Goal: Milroe lines up in 'Tush Push' formation and is helped by Miller and Williams into the end zone to put Alabama up 42-14.

18. Alabama gets another three-and-out and the Tide starts pulling starters. 

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Kentucky runs power on first down and is limited. 
• Snap 2 - 2&6: Devin Leary tries to escape the pocket but Justin Eboigbe and Malachi Moore prevent that and combine on a sack. 
• Snap 3 - 3&7: The Tide gets its pass rushing unit out there and Leary is forced into throwing it before he's ready, resulting in an incompletion and a punt. 

19. Even the backups get in on the fun. 

Alabama has proven better on the day than Kentucky and it's time for Ty Simpson to get some valuable reps with a collection of starters around him. Nice to see Simpson make the most of his live action and lead a touchdown drive. While most of the drive is running the football, it shows maturity and growth to hit a few passes and lead an efficient drive for a score. 

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Alabama is in pistol and calls a run for JAM Miller with Jaeden Roberts and Robbie Ouzts pulling in front of the play. Roberts hooks his man but neither Ouzts nor Malik Benson block the safety who rushes in and tackles Miller.
• Snap 2 - 2&12: Ty Simpson's pass to Ouzts falls incomplete. The Tide is lucky no one was in the area to intercept the ball that Ouzts tipped into the air. 
• Snap 3 - 3&12: Simpson's pass is complete to Jalen Hale for a first down. The backup's pass was on time and on target and Hale ran successfully for more yards after the catch.
• Snap 4 - 1&10: Simpson goes right back to Hale on a play-action pass. Hale breaks open on an out/flag route and the backup hits him on the move for a second chunk-play in a row.
• Snap 5 - 1&10: Alabama goes back into pistol out of 12 and hands off to Miller for just a few yards. I looked like Hale may have blocked the wrong guy, leaving the Kentucky linebacker free to make the play after a short gain.
• Snap 6 - 2&8: Kentucky's bringing a corner-blitz that Alabama is play-action passing right into. Simpson's attempted pass to Amari NiBlack is thwarted at the line of scrimmage, credit the Wildcats for calling and executing a good play.
• Snap 7 - 3&8: Simpson shows off his athleticism here agains the Kentucky blitz. The Wildcats send six rushers and Alabama largely does a good job picking them up but a rusher slips free as he steps up into the pocket. The dual-threat quarterback makes a linebacker miss and takes off for the first down. The backup quarterback's shown nice ability in his first series.
• Snap 8 - 1&Goal: It's not quite pistol out of 12 but it's close and Miller takes the handoff for a three-yard touchdown. Alabama already had CJ Dippre lined up on one the right side of the line, motioned Ouzts into the formation for more blocking help pre-snap and cleared a big hole for Miller. Kentucky slanting away from the run didn't help either as the lineman cleared an easy touchdown.

20. Alabama busts a run fill 

Alabama gives up a touchdown after busting a fit on a run play late. It doesn't hurt the outcome but it does give Nick Saban something to complain about the rest of this week to his defense about.

• Snap 1 - 1&10: So who busts a gap on Ramon Jefferson's 73-yard run? My money's on Kristian Story, but multiple candidates are in play. Story and cornerback Trey Amos collide on Jefferson's cutback and he jets right through where the safety would be playing. Second guess is Jihaad Campbell jumping a gap right off the bat, allowing Jefferson space to cut back behind him. The last guess for fault lies with Keanu Koht. He comes off his block and gets hands to Jefferson in the backfield but can't make the tackle. 
• Snap 2 - 1&Goal: Story makes a sound tackle on Jefferson one-on-one to stop him at the line of scrimmage. 
• Snap 3 - 2&Goal: Kentucky tries to sneak it in and gains some yards but not enough for the touchdown. Alabama is able to get a mass of humanity and keep Kentucky out.
• Snap 4 - 3&Goal: The Wildcats, using a slider to take one Alabama defender out of the middle, hands the ball off to Ray Davis for a short touchdown run to cut Alabama's lead to 49-21. 

21. The backups burn most of the remaining clock 

Alabama unloads the bench on offense and while the Tide doesn't score the backups do use most of the clock and move the football fairly well. 

• Snap 1 - 1&10: Justice Haynes taks the carry out of pistol formation, 12 personnel for a gain of five yards. Olaus Alinen, Wilkin Formby, Darrian Dalcourt, TJ Ferguson and Elijah Pritchett are playing along the offensive line, giving the Tide new life up front.
• Snap 2 - 2&5: Another handoff to Haynes out of the pistol formation. The freshman from Georgia cuts to the outside right for a first down to melt the clock away.
• Snap 3 - 1&10: A third straight handoff to Haynes out of the pistol in 12 personnel and another positive gainer. Five-yards up the middle for Haynes who shows good backside vision.
• Snap 4 - 2&5: Some is good, more is better. fourth handoff from the same look, the time to Richard Young goes for three yards.
• Snap 5 - 3&2: Tommy Rees loves the pistol 12 personnel sets like I do and runs it for the fifth play in a row. Hayne carries for minimal gain but a first down Alabama. 
• Snap 6 - 1&10: Another variation of the same personnel, another handoff to Haynes, another six-yard gainer. You love to see it.
• Snap 7 - 2&3: Young gets a handoff and is taken down at the line of scrimmage on the seventh straight look out of the same personnel grouping. 
• Snap 8 - 3&3: Once again Alabama goes for the handoff out of the same personnel grouping, favoring time over field position and coming up short.

End of Game Thoughts:

I think Alabama knew they were more talented and more physical than Kentucky and that gave the players confidence to execute early and often. The Crimson Tide got out to a big lead on Big Blue Nation and it wasn't exactly a matter of out scheming the Wildcats coaching staff, but making more plays on the football and at the point of attack. 

Alabama kept it's thumb on Kentucky's neck throughout the game and never let it up, utilizing superior skill to win at the point of attack on offense and utilize Milroe's accuracy down the field to create problems for the Wildcat defense. Defensively the Tide didn't do anything it hasn't done all year, Terrion Arnold was the player of the game, appearing at STAR, at corner and some at safety, mitigating the loss of Jaylen Key. Alabama's strong secondary, combined with its ability to get quarterback pressure with just four rushers makes they extremely challenging to move the football against.

After defeating LSU a week earlier I believe the Alabama defense gained some serious confidence as that was likely the best collection of skill position players it will see again at one time. 

The No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 49-21 without being forced to the second pages of its playbook thanks to sound defending, minimal penalties and winning the turnover margin. 

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