It was far from a clean performance for Keelon Russell and the Alabama offense in the sophomore QB's first road start, but one thing is certain after the Crimson Tide departed Lexington with a 45-17 win over Kentucky:
Kane Wommack has a defense capable of covering for a lot of warts.
Things were never going to be perfect for a young Alabama offense, especially early in the season. You had to hope that the defense could cover for them when things were dicey. In the first SEC game of the year, Alabama's defense showed they were more than capable.
Despite three turnovers by the offense, the defense constantly made plays to keep Alabama in the game. Alabama's offense couldn't have started the game worse. After back-to-back plays losing yards, Russell's pass was batted into the air and intercepted for a pick-six to put Kentucky ahead 7-0 early.
But Alabama's defense got that score back. Luke Metz stepped in front of a Kenny Minchey pass for his own pick-six.
Alabama ultimately forced three turnovers, none bigger than a strip sack by Devan Thompkins in the third quarter to completely flip the momentum toward the Tide for good. That came right after a Conor Talty field goal cut Kentucky's lead to one. Thompkins burst through the Kentucky line and hit Minchey to force the fumble:
Devan Thompkins is a MONSTER pic.twitter.com/aHP3Mhfmgx
— Jacob Tissot (@jacobtissot) September 12, 2026
That set Alabama up with great field position, and EJ Crowell paid it off with a touchdown run to give the Crimson Tide their first lead of the game. They wouldn't look back.
Alabama has a championship-quality defense - the offense is TBD
Kentucky's second half drive chart is a thing of beauty for Wommack and Alabama's defense:
- 5 plays, 13 yards - Punt
- 3 plays, -4 yards - Fumble
- 4 plays, 9 yards - Turnover on Downs
- 3 plays, 3 yards - Punt
- 8 plays, 18 yards - Turnover on Downs
- 3 plays, 18 yards - Fumble
That's how you win a second half 32-0, folks.
If Ryan Grubb wasn't going to put Russell in advantageous situations, Wommack certainly was. Alabama had three touchdown drives in the second half of 43 or fewer yards. That's a recipe for success.
Alabama clearly has a championship-level defense. All three levels were impressive against Kentucky. Transfer Portal pickups Devan Thompkins and Caleb Woodson led the effort, combining for 18 tackles and four sacks. Alabama needed to find a pass rush outside of Yhonzae Pierre, and they certainly did that against Kentucky.
Kentucky finished with just 209 total yards and went 1-of-14 on third down. It was as dominant a defensive effort as you could ask for.
Alabama's offense is still a work in progress. Grubb still has some bad tendencies as a play-caller, but things were better in the second half than the first. Alabama ended up with a respectable 155 rushing yards, led by Daniel Hill's 104 yards on 18 carries. That's impressive in its own right, but especially so without your best offensive lineman.
Things are going to keep getting better on offense. The game will slow down for Russell the more experience he gets. But it's good to know that Alabama has a defense capable of completely flipping the script.
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