Alabama turned in its second straight dominant defensive performance against an SEC team Saturday, holding Kentucky to 170 yards of total offense on the night.
“We take great pride in playing Alabama football [and] dominating our opponent,” defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan said.
The Crimson Tide did just that Saturday night in Commonwealth Stadium.
The Wildcats mustered just 62 yards of total offense in the first half and Alabama forced three-and-outs on four of Kentucky’s seven first-half possessions. The Wildcats’ lone touchdown came in the third quarter when they were already down 31-0.
“We’re just trying to do things the Bama way,” head coach Nick Saban said. “That’s what we’re trying to get our guys to do. Play physical, play with effort and play with more toughness.”
A key helper for the Crimson Tide’s cause was the fact that Kentucky starting quarterback Jalen Whitlow sustained a left ankle injury in the first quarter and didn’t return to the game. The Wildcats went with Maxwell Smith, a pure pocket passer compared to the mobile Whitlow.
“It definitely slowed the game down because they wanted to do a lot of quarterback powers and quarterback runs,” Pagan said. “Their second string quarterback, I guess he wasn’t really fit for that. It really slowed the game down a little bit.”
Freshman defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson continued his dominant season, recording two sacks and consistently getting in the backfield.
“A’Shawn’s playing better and better every week,” Saban said. “He’s a hard guy to block. He’s a big physical guy. That’s what makes good defensive linemen. He’s more confident now that he knows what to do and what’s expected of him.”
Still, senior linebacker and captain C.J. Mosley wasn’t pleased with the defense’s performance. He pointed out the lack of turnovers and the lone touchdown Kentucky scored, a 30-yard pass from Smith to Javess Blue.
“It was something we worked on all week,” Mosley said of the touchdown. “We beat ourselves on that play.”
Hill splits time at right tackle
Freshman tackle Grant Hill rotated in at right tackle, splitting time with Austin Shepherd with the first unit. Saban continued to praise the freshman, who he said is working his way into one of the team’s top five offensive lineman.
Left tackle Cyrus Kouandjio called him a “man child.”
“He might not be here for too long so we might as well throw him in there,” Kouandjio said.
Sylve starts at corner
Redshirt sophomore Bradley Sylve started opposite Deion Belue at corner. Freshman Eddie Jackson started the last two games at that position, but Saban said he decided to make a change after the week in practice.
“We think Eddie’s a good player, too, and he has to continue to focus on his development,” Saban said. “I think the young players have to know that every week’s a new week; it’s a new game plan, [and] you have to have a new focus, be able to prepare and get ready for the next game.”
Tide bowl eligible
While the Crimson Tide has much bigger goals, Alabama advanced to 6-0 on the year, meaning it is bowl eligible for the 10th straight season. Alabama hasn’t missed the postseason since a 4-9 season in 2003.
