Postgame notes from Kentucky vs. Alabama

Any Kentuckian will tell you to win a horse race or have them work on the farm, you better have the thoroughbreds to get you to the finish line and a stable of horses to get the job done.

In the case of the Kentucky Wildcats Saturday in Tuscaloosa, the Alabama Crimson Tide had both the thoroughbreds and the stable to win the game, blasting the Wildcats 63-3.

The Wildcats (3-5) entered the matchup with the top-ranked Crimson Tide missing 10 players from its roster, including All-American punter Max Duffy and leading rusher Chris Rodriguez, leaving UK shorthanded before the opening kickoff.

The Cats hung around for the first quarter, only trailing 7-3 at the end of the frame and driving deep in Bama territory before attempting a field goal. The snap was high and the Cats recovered the ball at midfield.

That’s all the window the Tide (7-0) needed, marching the ball down the field in short order and taking a 14-3 lead. Alabama would go on to score touchdowns on seven of its next nine possessions to take a commanding 56-3 lead.

The Cats will be looking to heal up quickly next week as they will face SEC East leader Florida Saturday.

Below is the game summary, courtesy of UK Athletics.

Team Records and Series Information

• Kentucky is 3-5 and Alabama is 7-0, all within the Southeastern Conference.
• Alabama leads the series, 38-2-1, and has won seven in a row.
• Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats play at Florida on Saturday, Nov. 28, at noon. The game will be televised on ESPN.
• Note that the SEC can change each week’s schedule until Monday at 9 p.m.

Team Notes

• Kentucky was without five starters for the game: LB Jamin Davis, P Max Duffy, OG Luke Fortner, TE Justin Rigg and RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.
• The Wildcats intercepted their 12th pass of the season, second-most in the SEC. The Cats entered the game third in the nation in INTs.

Player Notes

· UK’s game captain was senior nose guard Quinton Bohanna.

· Junior offensive tackle Darian Kinnard wore uniform No. 65 in honor of offensive line coach John Schlarman, who died Nov. 12 after a two-year battle with cancer.

· Senior quarterback Terry Wilson completed 10 of 19 passes for 120 yards and an interception. He rushed five times for five yards.

• Has 930 career rushing yards, needs 70 to become the 40th player in school history to reach 1,000 rushing yards.
• Has 3,081 career passing yards, becoming the 14th player in school history to reach 3,000 passing yards.
• He had a streak of 118 consecutive passes without an interception snapped in the third quarter.

· Senior running back A.J. Rose gained 68 yards on 10 carries for 6.8 yards per rush.

• Rose now has 1,664 career rushing yards, passing Steve Campassi for 18th place in school history. He’s now tied with Bill Leskovar (1949-50) for 17th.

· Sophomore running back Kavosiey Smoke rushed nine times for 26 yards.

• Smoke wore uniform No. 22 today in honor of teammate Chris Oats, who is dealing with a serious medical condition.

· Senior wide receiver Josh Ali caught a team-high four passes for a team-best 52 yards.

• Ali has caught a pass in nine consecutive games.

· Sophomore tight end Keaton Upshaw caught three passes for 44 yards.

• The receptions and yards both are career-highs for him.

· Junior wide receiver Isaiah Epps caught two passes for 24 yards.

· Sophomore defensive back Kelvin Joseph intercepted a pass in the third quarter.

• Joseph now has four interceptions this season. He entered the game leading both the SEC and nation in interceptions.

· Redshirt freshman linebacker J.J. Weaver had three tackles, including a TFL.

• He leads the team with 6.5 tackles for loss.

· Senior linebacker Boogie Watson totaled five tackles, including 2.0 for loss and a sack.

• Watson has 18 career sacks, passing Jeremy Jarmon’s 17.5 for fifth place in school history. He needs one to tie Dennis Johnson (1998-2001) for fourth.

· Playing in his second collegiate game, senior punter Colin Goodfellow punted seven times for 48.3 yards per kick.

• He nailed a career-long 55-yarder and placed two inside the 20.