Bama Rolls Onto Victory After a Slow Start On the Kentucky Bluegrass

The winds of change blew favorably for Alabama late in the second quarter of the game allowing the Crimson Tide to take an insurmountable lead against the Kentucky Wildcats.

In the first quarter, after a shockingly quick score by the Tide that should have stunned the opposition, the Wildcats out-ran, out-passed, and outclassed the men in crimson for one and a half quarters of play.

Unfortunately for the Wildcat fans, the Kentucky offense could not put the ball into the end zone and capitalize on excellent first half play, settling for field goals after deep penetration into Alabama territory. 

Miscues by the junior QB Hartline helped to keep the Kentucky offense in check throughout the day. On the first drive from scrimmage, Kentucky took the ball from their own 20 yard line and moved down the field only to be intercepted on the fourth play.

Mark Barron stepped in front of a pass from Hartline on the Kentucky 43 and returned it to the 37 yard line. The Alabama offense could not get on track and Fitzgerald punted to return man, Randall Cobb. The kick was returned right back up-field nearly to the line of scrimmage. The first punt of the day netting on three yards.

With the wind at their backs, the Wildcat offense moved the ball methodically from their own 33 to the Alabama 31 on 10 plays, running the ball when Alabama expected pass and throwing when the Tide expected run. The drive went for 36 yards and drained 4:36 from the clock, setting up the first of two 49-yard field goals in the first quarter.

Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke were extremely efficient, chewing up five to eight yards per carry on the first drive. Hartline also found Locke wide open for an 18 yard completion in the middle of the field.

Following the kickoff, the Alabama offense once again went three and out, punting into the wind, to the dangerous Kentucky punt returner. Randall Cobb took the ball backup-field 16 yards to the Kentucky 31 yard line.

On the ensuing drive, Hartline moved the Kentucky offense into Alabama territory on a drive that kept the Tide defense on their heels. Locke over right tackle for three yards. Hartline, incomplete pass. Locke rush to the right for eight yards. Randall Cobb for 11 yards. Alphonzo Smith for 11 yards at left end. Smith up the middle. Smith over right tackle, etc.

Rich Brooks called a heady time out with five seconds to play in the first quarter allowing his team to set up a field goal with the wind at their backs.

Kicker Lones Selber nailed his second 49 yard field goal with time expiring in the first quarter to pull within one point. The kick put a cap on a 14 play drive that took the ball 38 yards and used 5:38 of clock.

At the end of the first quarter, the Wildcats held the ball for just over 10 minutes. The score was set at 7-6, and the Wildcat fans witnessed their team handing out a 15 minute whipping to No. 3 ranked team in the nation.

The Alabama offense remained inept for the next two consecutive possessions, but the Tide defense started to hold ground. With just under eight minutes to play in the half, Kentucky punted the ball to the Alabama three-yard line.

The first play from scrimmage was nearly disastrous. Trent Richardson took the hand-off from McElroy deep in the end zone and barely crossed the goal line into the field of play before two Kentucky defenders, posing as a blue wall, impeded any further progress. The ball was downed on the one foot line.

Backed up to their own goal line, The offense finally found a rhythm. McElroy moved the Tide 99 yards. The score came on third and goal from the three-yard line, on a crossing pattern run by the tight end, Colin Peek.

The Alabama fans sitting in the visitor stadium breathed a sigh of relief, their team had finally put together an impressive drive and posted an eight-point buffer on the scoreboard.

On the ensuing kickoff, Sam Maxwell took a short kick from Leigh Tiffin and advanced the ball 10 yards to the Kentucky 42 yard line. The confident Kentucky offense, encouraged by their first half success against the Alabama defense, was intent on closing the gap in the score before the half could end.

On first and 10, with 40 seconds remaining in the half, Mike Hartline completed a 3 yard pass to Derrick Locke. Locke turned up-field and was immediately met by middle linebacker Rolando McClain. In trying to secure the ball, Locke lost control and the ball popped straight into the hands of defender Courtney Upshaw, who quickly turned to the Alabama goal line and returned the freaky recovery for a score.

In less than 20 seconds, Kentucky fans saw their hope for an upset evaporate like morning condensation as the Tide lead now stood at 21-6.

It was lights out for the hopeful Kentucky fans for most of the third quarter. The first possession was quickly taken away when Rolando McClain intercepted a pass up the middle and returned it 21 yards to the Kentucky 38.

In two plays following the take-away, Alabama running back Mark Ingram waltzed into the end zone, taking the score to 28-8.

On the day, Alabama rushed for 210 yards and passed for 148 yards. McElroy started the game 2-7, but finished with 15 completions on 26 attempts. He found seven different targets down field for gains of 6 yards to 65 yards and threw for two TD.

The Kentucky offense did have success in the second half, scoring two touchdowns, rushing and passing. But it was too little, too late to mount a comeback on the visiting No. 3 team in the nation.

Hartline finished the day 17-31-3, 168 yards and 1 TD. The interceptions were simply a result of poorly thrown passes against properly positioned defenders.

The Kentucky QB was sacked twice by the Alabama defense and pressured occasionally, but his line held up better than the Razorbacks' did against the Alabama defense just one week earlier. The loss of Donta' Hightower seems to have had an effect on the ability to pressure the opposing offense.

Weather did play a factor. Both teams performed exceptionally well with the wind at their backs. The two 49 yard field goals were with the wind, none scored against the gusting breeze.

The Tide now stands at 5-0 in this early 2009 season.

They are about to advance into the teeth of their SEC schedule. Next week they will travel to Oxford to take on the Ole Miss Rebels; a team still licking their wounds from the defeat at the hands of the Spurrier led Gamecocks. The Rebels did rebound to defeat Vanderbilt while the Tide took on the Wildcats.

After a second consecutive road game, the Tide will make a three game home stand facing South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU. The Tuscaloosa home crowd needs to show up and make a significant contribution to the game atmosphere.

The season is shaping up in a positive way for the Tide, but they must remain focused for the next four weeks if they plan to contend for a consecutive SEC Western Division championship.

If they accomplish that goal, dreams are without limitation.