The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Kentucky Wildcats on the road by a final score of 45-17 on Saturday afternoon.
Alabama was able to bounce back following an extremely sloppy start by the offense in the first half. Sophomore quarterback Keelon Russell recorded 188 yards, one touchdown and two turnovers in the win, as Russell struggled immensely to begin the first road start of his collegiate career.
Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer took a moment to comment on Russell’s early turnovers, as DeBoer credits the young quarterback for the way he bounced back in the second half of play.
“He says he’s cool and calm. He believes in himself.” DeBoer said. “That’s evident, sometimes he goes out and tries to make a play but we just got to help him understand the situation, how to keep us on the field. I don’t want to take his aggressiveness away from him because he made some plays too, so it’s a fine line. He’s gonna go help us win games, and I thought he played winning football in the second half. He’s a fighter, he believes in himself and he’s won a lot of football games at a high level. I understand it was high school, but he understands what that pressure is all about.”
Russell and the rest of the Tide’s offense looked like an entirely different unit in the second half against the Wildcats. Alabama scored 32 unanswered points after Kentucky took a 17-13 lead at halftime, and the Crimson Tide offense came out firing on all cylinders throughout the remainder of the contest.
Alabama’s massive second half ultimately led to the Tide winning 45-17 on the road in Lexington, as Russell was able to respond in authoritative fashion following a slow start in Week 2.
