5 winners and 2 losers from Alabama's 28-point road win over Kentucky

After an uneven start that saw Alabama fall behind Kentucky 17-13 at halftime, the Crimson Tide absolutely dominated the second half to the tune of 32 unanswered points to cap a 45-17 road win in Lexington.

It was a tale of two halves. The first was a "burn the tape" half for the offense. The second was teach tape on how to dominate an opponent defensively. And it was also an obvious sign to Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb what the identity of this offense needs to be.

Let's talk about the winners and losers from Week 2 for Alabama.

Winner: Kane Wommack

The biggest tip of the cap to Kane Wommack. That was a defensive masterclass. Alabama held Kentucky to just 209 yards (62 in the second half), sacked Kenny Minchey four times, and forced three takeaways. You could tell how much that performance meant to Wommack too because he was visibly animated on the sideline throughout the game.

The performance by the defense was all the more important because it was necessary. Alabama's young offense needed an assist, and they got it and some in Lexington. Luke Metz balanced the Kentucky pick-six with one of his own. And then transfer DL Devan Thompkins came up with a key strip sack in the third quarter to put the offense in position to take the lead for good.

That was championship stuff from the Alabama defense. On paper, this looked to be one of the best defenses in college football. We got confirmation in action on Saturday.

Winner: Daniel Hill

The talk of the preseason for Alabama's RB surrounded sophomore AK Dear and the freshman duo of EJ Crowell and Trae'shawn Brown. Daniel Hill was kind of an afterthought, with most assuming one of the youngsters would ultimately overtake him for the RB1 spot at some point this season.

Against Kentucky, Hill showed his value and proved why he's at the top of the depth chart. He ran for a career-high 104 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. Hill was constantly able to gain positive yards and keep the Crimson Tide ahead of the sticks, especially in the second half.

Alabama showed a commitment to the run game in the second half, and it paid major dividends. Don't sleep on Hill's impact.

Winner: Devan Thompkins

The USC transfer showed exactly why the coaching staff was so excited to land him in the portal over the offseason. He was an unstoppable force on the Alabama defensive line, coming up with two sacks and showing a ridiculous bend off the edge that is not natural for a 300-pounder:

That strip-sack was a game-changer. It came in the third quarter with Alabama trailing 17-16 and set up the go-ahead touchdown. Thompkins was a game-wrecker against the Wildcats.

Winner: Caleb Woodson

Luke Metz got the pick-six, but the best linebacker on the field was Virginia Tech transfer Caleb Woodson. He was all over the place and a heat-seeking missile. He also displayed a pass-rushing ability that many didn't expect. He matched Woodson with two sacks of his own.

He also led Alabama with 12 total tackles. Wommack was happy with the Crimson Tide's young linebackers, but he wanted to add a veteran after losing the top three guys from last season. With Woodson and Metz, it looks through two weeks that Alabama got a lot better at LB this year.

Winner: Jay Nunez

This is Alabama's Special Teams coach for those who might be unfamiliar. He got a ton of criticism for last season's issues, and many Tide fans wanted to see him replaced. DeBoer stuck with him, and Nunez deserves a bunch of credit for how Alabama's special teams have performed in the first two weeks.

It was a perfect operation in Lexington. Conor Talty was a perfect 3-of-3 on field goals, Alex Asparuhov's one punt went 54 yards, there were no busts on any kick coverage, and they stepped up and sniffed out a fake punt by Kentucky in the third quarter that helped the Crimson Tide put the game to bed.

Special Teams are usually ignored unless something bad happens, but take a moment this week to tip your cap to the job Nunez has done this year so far.

Loser: Ryan Grubb's first half play calling

It was a struggle early for Keelon Russell, and while the Tide's sophomore QB took full responsibility for his issues, we're happy to do what he can't and point the finger at his offensive coordinator.

Ryan Grubb did not put Russell in a position to be successful in the first half. In your young quarterback's first road start, you've got to help him out and make things easy. Instead, Grubb called the offense like he had an established veteran out there. That led to a disastrous opening drive and Alabama ultimately trailing by four at the halftime break.

Credit to Grubb, however, because he committed more to the run game in the second half, and Alabama put 32 points on the board. Hopefully that was a wake-up call for him, and we'll see a change in the operation in the coming weeks to help Russell out.

I'm not exactly holding my breath, though.

Loser: Derek Meadows

After Derek Meadows had a strong game in Week 1, we expected more opportunities for him in the SEC opener. Instead, Meadows didn't get a single target in Alabama's win. That likely had more to do with Russell's struggles and the passing offense finding it difficult to get going, but Meadows needs to be a bigger part of the game plan going forward.

The sophomore is a big target and can be a difference-maker for Alabama's offense. I'd like to see more opportunities down the field for him and freshman Cederian Morgan in the coming weeks.

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