Alabama’s defense pushed its streak of holding opponents without a touchdown to 14 quarters, but the Wildcats snapped it in the third quarter on a 30-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Maxwell Smith to wide receiver Javess Blue.
It was only the sixth touchdown Alabama has allowed through the air, five of which happened at the hands of Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.
The defense limited Kentucky to 62 yards of offense in the first half (21 passing, 41 rushing). Kentucky was 0-for-6 in third-down attempts and had only four first downs.
Overcoming fumbles: Alabama's two leading rushers, T.J. Yeldon and Kenyan Drake, each had a costly fumble in the first quarter. On separate drives, each coughed the ball up with the Crimson Tide in scoring position.
Yeldon and Drake both bounced back with multiple touchdown games and both went over 100 yards rushing.
Secondary replacement: Cornerback Bradley Sylve started in place of freshman Eddie Jackson. Jackson injured his ankle in last week's game and was limited during practice this week.
Sylve had a pass breakup on the Tide’s second defensive play.
Injured quarterback: Kentucky quarterback Jalen Whitlow went down in the first quarter with a left ankle injury. X-rays were negative, but Whitlow did not return.
Whitlow finished with zero rushing yards and did not complete a pass in limited action. He was replaced by Maxwell Smith.
New look: When coach Nick Saban was describing wide receiver Christion Jones last week, he said the junior could be "a running back." What Saban didn't say was that the Tide's offense was adding a new wrinkle.
In the second quarter, Jones went in motion into the backfield and took a handoff from quarterback AJ McCarron and picked up 14 yards on the carry.
Etc.: Safety HaHa Clinton-Dix did not make the trip with the team. This is the second game Clinton-Dix has missed since his suspension. He has continued to practice with the team, and there has been no timetable set for his return. … For the second consecutive game, Alabama reached 150 yards of offense in the first quarter, with 97 rushing and 62 passing. The Tide finished the half with 188 yards rushing, which was the most for the Tide over the first 30 minutes of play since it collected 192 against Western Carolina on Nov. 17, 2012. … For the seventh time in its past 10 games, Alabama has held its opponent scoreless in the first half. In addition to Saturday's game, the Crimson Tide shutout Georgia State (Oct. 5, 2013), Ole Miss (Sept. 28, 2013), Colorado State (Sept. 21, 2013), Notre Dame (Jan. 7, 2013), Auburn (Nov. 24, 2012) and Western Carolina (Nov. 17, 2012) during the first two quarters of play. … Alabama entered halftime with a 24-0 lead over Kentucky. The Crimson Tide is now 68-3 when leading at the half under Saban. … With Cade Foster's 25-yard field goal in the second quarter, Alabama has scored in 162 consecutive games — the longest streak in program history. … With Saturday's loss, the Wildcats have now lost its past five meetings between the two dating to 1997. The Tide owns a 36-2-1 record over the Wildcats. Alabama is now 15-2 in Lexington.
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