KENTUCKY VS ALABAMA GAME PREVIEW

The last time Kentucky beat Alabama was in an overtime 40-34 win in 1997. Since then, the Wildcats have lost eight straight. But who’s to say that with the departure of Nick Saban, and the exciting entrance of Will Stein at HC for Kentucky, the losing streak may come to an end this Saturday. 

Kentucky is yet to ever play a Nick Saban-less Alabama, and new head coach, ex-Offensive Coordinator for the Oregon Ducks, Will Stein, is fired up as he should be. Recently, Stein has attempted to hype up the Wildcat faithful, telling everyone that he hopes this game is the loudest game in Kentucky football history. He then went on to say, “Sneak a flask in. Do whatever you've got to do. Get your drinks ready.” But is it possible for the Wildcats to pull the big win off? Let’s break it down beyond the logos.

The Crimson Tide come to Lexington as only a 10.5-point favorite. Alabama has a new starting quarterback in sophomore Keelon Russell, who had an amazing first half, but slowed down in the second vs East Carolina. Russell, a former high-star recruit in the class of 2025, enters just his second career start against the Wildcats on Saturday. Russell did not throw for a touchdown in the 48-10 Crimson Tide victory.

Despite a great showing from the team in week one, the Crimson Tide's rushing numbers should concern Alabama fans greatly. Russell was also the team's leading rusher in Week 1, and an area of concern for Alabama continues to be their backfield, which was arguably their biggest weakness last season and was highlighted in the SEC Championship Game, along with during the CFP. 

Sophomore RB Daniel Hill also enters his first season as a starter in Tuscaloosa, and he looks to fix the team's rushing issues against Kentucky. Cirlcle Hill as a key player for the Crimson Tide on Saturday.

On the outside for Alabama, Wide Receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams had 130 yards vs East Carolina, but also had two drops. The Crimson Tide hope to get a lot fewer drops from Coleman-Williams, who had a slow second season last year after a great freshman campaign in 2024.

Defensively, Alabama expects to be elite. They held East Carolina to just 0.1 yards per carry and 2 total yards rushing. However, they did allow some big plays through the air, including a 68-yard bomb to receiver Tyler Johnson. East Carolina Wide Receiver Jeremiah Melvin also had 4 receptions for 60 yards against this Crimson Tide secondary.

Against a transfer-heavy Kentucky offense led by Stein, who has made his name as one of the country's most aggressive offensive coordinators while at Oregon, expect the Wildcats to attack the Crimson Tide secondary quite often. The Crimson Tide secondary is highlighted by Bray Hubbard, Zabien Brown, Yhonzae Pierre, and Keon Sabb and will be put to the test on Saturday in a massive way. Whille Hubbard, Brown, and Sabb all are returners. Pierre will likely be attacked quite heavily. Circle Pierre as another key player for the tide in his first year as a starter.

For the Wildcats, hopes are high after the departure of long-term Head Coach Mark Stoops. In comes Will Stein, who led Oregon to many high-powered offensive seasons as the Offensive Coordinator. It also seems as if Kentucky is picking it up when it comes to NIL, and seems more committed to putting money into the football program in addition to their elite basketball program.

Coach Stein was able to bring in a top-10 transfer portal class this past offseason, highlighted by new quarterback Kenny Minchey. Minchey, who transferred from Notre Dame, was a strong candidate to start for the Irish in 2025. Many fans, and even coaches, seemed to want to go with Kenny Minchey as opposed to CJ Carr, as they believed he was more ready at the time. Coach Freeman ended up selecting Carr to be QB1, and Minchey would sit behind him for the entire season. In two years with the Irish, Minchey only threw three passes, but added 96 yards on the ground off of 9 carries for 2 touchdowns. In his Wildcat debut, Minchey threw for 301 yards and 4 touchdowns vs. Youngstown State in a 45-13 win. 

Stein has surrounded Minchey with a whopping 7 offseason transfers that have won starting roles in Lexington, so knowing how the group will play together is an unknown.

Notable offensive transfers include OL Tegra Tshabola, OL Lance Heard, RB CJ Baxter, WR Nic Anderson, and RB CJ Baxter. The four transferred from Ohio State, Tennessee, LSU, and Texas, respectively. Stein brought in some big dogs in Lexington, not just low-level transfers. Tshabola and Heard tallied a combined career 54 starts in Columbus while Baxter and Anderson each dealt with injuries last season. Stein’s offseason portal additions brought in legitimate high-end talent to Lexington for the first time in years.

The recipe for success for the Wildcats lies with the ground game, not Mincheys second career start. Running Back Jason Patterson added 78 yards on the ground a week ago, and highly sought-after transfer from Texas, CJ Baxter, totaled 48 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. Expect the duo of Patterson and Baxter to combine for at least 30 carries against a Crimson Tide defense that got gashed by Florida State on the ground to start the season a year ago. If the duo can reach that 30-carry mark, it indicates that the Wildcats will have controlled the clock. They need to do so with a first-year QB starter in order to have any chance to pull off an upset at all. 

The only reason to be worried for Stein from week one was his group's passing defense. The Wildcat defense allowed 246 passing yards in Week 1, which is rather concerning vs. an FCS opponent.

Overall, Minchey’s dual-threat ability and high talent level will give the star-studded Alabama defense some problems as long as Patterson and Baxter can control the clock. Alabama’s main focus must be to contain Mickey, allowing for guys like Luke Metz and Keon Sabb to get downhill and stop the run. Offensively, they need to find identity in the run game with Hill and sophomore Kevin Riley.

 For Kentucky, keeping the defense off the field will be crucial. They need a true cornerback who can step up and contain Coleman-Williams and Alabama's passing attack. Western Carolina CB transfer Hasaan Sykes has broken out as Kentucky’s CB1 and will need to cash in a lockdown performance on Saturday against an elite passing attack. Sykes needs to break out and create some turnovers to give his team a chance.

While a double-digit underdog, Kentucky has a true chance to make some noise this Saturday. The talent gap is less than you would think after a great offseason, and there is truly hope for an historic upset in Lexington on Saturday. If it happens, what a start to the Will Stein Era it would be.