LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 8/8/8 Alabama football team scored 21 points in the first quarter and cruised Kentucky, 49-21, Saturday afternoon inside Kroger Field. With the victory, the Crimson Tide (9-1, 7-0) clinches the SEC West title as well as a spot in the league’s championship game which will be played in Atlanta on Dec. 2.

 

Quarterback Jalen Milroe once again dominated the statistics enroute to the victory. One week after accounting for 374 total yards and four touchdowns in the win over LSU, the Tide signal-caller was responsible for six total touchdowns (three rush, three pass) against the Wildcats which ties for the second-most by any Alabama player in a game in program history. Milroe would go on to finish the game with 234 yards and three touchdowns through the air while running the ball eight times for 36 yards and another three scores.

 

A total of 10 different receivers had at least one catch on the day, led by Kobe Prentice’s four catches for 74 yards and a score. Amari Niblack (2-38) and Roydell Williams (2-30) were also on the receiving end of Milroe touchdown passes for Alabama. Jase McClellan paced the Tide’s run game with 43 yards on nine carries.

 

Alabama’s Caleb Downs led the defense with 12 total tackles, including five solo tackles, to go with a half-sack. Jihaad Campbell added seven tackles, including one tackle for loss, to go with a fumble recovery that set-up a one-yard touchdown, a pass break-up and a quarterback hurry. 

                               

Notes

• Saturday’s contest was the first meeting between Alabama and Kentucky in Lexington since 2013
• The Tide improved to 16-2 in games played at UK and 39-2-1 in the all-time series
• Head coach Nick Saban is now 9-0 in games he’s coached against Kentucky (5-0 while at Alabama)
• Jalen Milroe’s six touchdowns responsible for against the Wildcats matched Bryce Young vs. Utah State on Sept. 3, 2022 (five passing and one rushing) and Tua Tagovailoa vs. Auburn on Nov. 24, 2018 (five passing and one rushing) for the second-most by any UA player in program history
• Across his last two games, Milroe has been accountable for 644 total yards and 10 total touchdowns which include seven on the ground and three through the air
• Alabama opened the contest by scoring on each of its first three and four of its first five drives to take a 21-0 lead midway through the first quarter
• The Crimson Tide defense limited the Wildcats to 95 yards rushing, 74 of which came on a single run late in the quarter, while also holding UK to 4.6 yards per play and just 3-11 on third-down conversions
• UA scored a touchdown on its opening drive for the second time this season (Middle Tennessee) and is now 52-1 across its last 53 games when achieving the feat
• Alabama improved to a perfect 28-0 in games played before 11:30 a.m. CT under coach Saban and 2-0 this season. The Tide’s Nov. 18 home finale vs. Chattanooga is also slated for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff.

 

How It Happened

FIRST QUARTER 

• 09:38 – UA | The Crimson Tide struck first when Jalen Milroe found Amari Niblack for a 26-yard receiving touchdown capping off a 10-play, 80-yard drive in 5:13
• 05:32 – UA | Milroe connected with Kobe Prentice for a 40-yard touchdown ending a four-play, 55-yard drive lasting 1:51
• 05:12 – UA | Milroe found the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown finishing off a one-play drive that was set up by Caleb Downs’ fumble return
• 01:30 – UK | Kentucky got on the board when Devin Leary connected with Tayvion Robinson for a six-yard receiving touchdown to end a six-play, 32-yard drive that lasted 2:43

 

SECOND QUARTER

• 10:14 – UA | Milroe was able to extend the play and find Roydell Williams for a 27-yard touchdown connected that completed a five-play, 62-yard drive in 2:34

 

THIRD QUARTER

• 10:53 – UK | The Wildcats opened the second half with a two-yard rushing touchdown from Ray Davis to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive which lasted 4:07
• 06:29 – UA | Milroe scored his second rushing touchdown of the game when he crossed the goal line for a three-yard score to cap a nine-play, 65-yard drive that took 6:38 off the clock

 

FOURTH QUARTER

• 14:48 – UA | Milroe crossed the endzone from one-yard out for his third rushing touchdown of the game that ended an eight-play, 38-yard drive
• 09:46 – UA | Jam Miller crossed the goal line from three-yards to finished off a seven-play drive that spanned 66 yards in 3:21
• 14:48 – UK | Davis scored his second touchdown when he plunged in from one-yard out finishing a four-play, 75-yard drive that took two minutes even

 

Up Next

• Alabama returns to Tuscaloosa for its final regular season home game when it takes on Chattanooga next Saturday
• The contest will kickoff at 11 a.m. CT and be televised on SEC Network+