In a previous article back in May, one of the goals I said the Tide needed for this year was to "find their aura" again. It seemed like it was lost last year, and the passion was gone. They had lost the aura that made the Nick Saban era feel special. Against Kentucky, we finally saw a little bit of that old feeling again. Funny enough, it came after a half of football that felt more like the Vanderbilt upset of a few seasons ago.
The Tide trailed Kentucky 17-13 at halftime. Keelon Russell had made mistakes, the offense didn't seem like it was clicking, and Alabama had plenty of opportunities to let the game slip away. Instead, something changed. Alabama came out of halftime and completely took over.
Alabama's second half vs. Kentucky was some old fashioned 'Joyless Murderball'
The Crimson Tide scored 32 unanswered points in the second half while holding Kentucky scoreless. Even more impressive, Kentucky managed just 62 yards and three first downs after halftime. Alabama finished with 215 yards of offense in the second half compared to just 62 for the Wildcats.
The defense made the Wildcats miserable. Caleb Woodson was flying around with 12 tackles and two sacks; Devan Thompkins added two sacks of his own, and let's not forget Jireh Edwards, looking like he was shot out of a cannon, taking down CJ Baxter for a loss. The defense looked like they were suffocating the will to win out of Kentucky.
That's the part that felt familiar. The "Joyless Murderball" felt like it had returned. It wasn't just Alabama winning. It was Alabama breaking Kentucky's will after being challenged. The running game got going, the defense completely shut the door, and suddenly the game went from a four-point deficit to a 45-17 Alabama blowout. Daniel Hill recorded the first 100-yard rushing game of his career, which he topped off with a touchdown. Meanwhile, EJ Crowell and Trae'shawn Brown found the end zone as well.
The fans were creating a home-field advantage that hasn't been seen at a Kentucky football game for some time, and then trying to create their exit strategy as they headed for the parking lots in the fourth quarter.
I'm not ready to say Alabama has completely gotten its old aura back. After all, it was a tale of two halves. But that's what made this game so encouraging. The old Alabama wasn't defined by never facing adversity. It was defined by what happened after the adversity showed up. Against Kentucky, Alabama got punched in the mouth during the first half. They went into the locker room and then responded with 32 points. For one half, Alabama looked like the dominant force it had been.
Maybe that's the first step toward getting the aura back for good.
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