Kentucky Hosts No. 8 Alabama in Pivotal SEC Matchup

The Kentucky Wildcats will take on the No. 8-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide Saturday in Lexington for a crucial SEC matchup.

https://twitter.com/UKFootball/status/1721664481212731811

Last Matchups

The Wildcats ended their three-game skid last weekend with a 24-3 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs, beating them on the road for the first time since 2008.

Kentucky held the Bulldog offense to only 219 total yards of offense. The Wildcat defense recorded five sacks and a pick-six.

With this win, Kentucky secured a bowl game for the eighth straight season. Alabama is coming off of a statement win on the road against No. 14 LSU, 42-28.

Quarterback Jalen Milroe went nuclear, rushing for 155 yards and four touchdowns along with 219 yards through the air. The win moved the Crimson Tide closer to securing a SEC West title.

Additionally, Alabama continues its comeback into playoff contention with its seventh straight win.

https://twitter.com/AlabamaFTBL/status/1721936952235008325

Quarterback Duel

Saturday’s game will put two of the top quarterbacks in the SEC head-to-head.

Milroe’s dangerous two-way ability will be a challenge to contain for the Wildcat defense. He is also coming off arguably his best game of the season.

However, Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary is having a productive season of his own. Leary ranks second in the SEC in total touchdowns with 18, and eighth in yards with 1,905.

.@DevinLeary1 dime to Dane Key. pic.twitter.com/Jz8oaheGtr

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) November 7, 2023

Defense

Kentucky is coming off of its best defensive performance last week at Mississippi State. The Wildcats will need to replicate that performance against an Alabama offense that is getting hot at the right time.

Defensive coordinator Brad White has struggled with some of the top offensive teams in college football, however. In losses to Missouri, Georgia and Tennessee, they have allowed an average of 40.7 points and 473.7 total yards.

Alabama’s defense has been consistently great this year once again. They rank third in the SEC in terms of yards allowed with 336.8 per contest.

Alabama also ranks 15th in college football in terms of points per game with 17.8.

Last Matchup

The Crimson Tide and Wildcats last faced off in Tuscaloosa in 2020.

Alabama absolutely dominated from the start, winning 63-3, which is the largest margin of victory in the series.

Currently, Alabama leads the all-time series 38-2-1, with Kentucky’s last win coming in 1997 with a 40-34 OT win.

Game Week Central – Kentuckyhttps://t.co/yotNNj4MB3#RollTide pic.twitter.com/ZW2mYGx3t1

— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) November 6, 2023

The game will kickoff at noon this Saturday.