Kentucky-(1) Alabama
Time: 7 PM ET
Spread: ALA -21
Total: 32.5

Betting odds c/o 5dimes

The Kentucky Wildcats have won two straight since beginning the season 0-2 following its losses to Southern Miss and Florida. Though 0-1 in SEC play after the Week 2 loss to Florida, the Wildcats will hope to get its first conference win when it faces Alabama at home on Sat. night.

It is a bit of a longshot, however, with the Wildcats coming in as 21-point underdogs in the game. The total is set low at 32.5, something more of a reflection of how much trouble the Wildcats may have generating offense against a tough Bama defense that has the Tide ranked No. 1 in the nation once again. The game will air at 7 PM (EST) on ESPN.

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Alabama, for its part, has been devastation in action again this year. The Crimson Tide rank No. 18 in the nation in rushing yards with 246.3 per game while also having one of the best offenses in the country with a 46.5 point per game average (no. 9). The defense has been equally as stellar with a 14.8 point per game allowed average, to rank No. 14 in the nation. Bama has not really been too reliant on the pass, but it still ranks No. 66 in aerial yardage with 237 per.

RB Damien Harris and QB Jalen Hurts have been huge. Harris already has 345 yards on the season with a TD and a 73-yard run to his record, while Hurts has been good for 251 yards on 45 carries, ranking No. 4 on the team in yards per carry.

Hurts also has been good with his throws, notching a 62.7 percent completion ratio while having amassed 727 yards with a 7.13 yard per attempt average. His passer rating is 136.8 and his favorite targets, Calvin Ridley and ArDarius Stewart both have over 200 yards on the year and four of Bama’s seven receiving TDs, including a 71-yard TD pass. Stewart is listed as questionable for this game due to a sprained knee.

Alabama kicker Adam Griffith has hit 6 of 8 FGA and 22 of 22 PATs while having already hit a 48-yarder on the season.

Harris is listed as questionable with an ankle injury this week after taking just four snaps last week before suffering the injury. In Weeks 1 and 3, he averaged 15.3 and nine yards per carry, respectively, basically having his way with both USC and Ole Miss. It will be extremely difficult for a mediocre Wildcat defense to contain him if he is fully healthy this week.

Kentucky

Kentucky is a rush-heavy team reliant heavily upon Stanley “Boom” Williams and Benjamin Snell Jr. Williams has rushed for 464 yards on 58 carries, averaging an outstanding eight yards per carry with two TDs. Snell was the hero the last two weeks with 209 yards between the New Mexico State and South Carolina games, and five TDs. He had four of those in the New Mexico State game, and averaged eight yards per on his 17 rush attempts.

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The Wildcats got 135 passing yards from Stephen Johnson last week as he threw 11 of 19, but he did not throw any reception TDs and he had an interception as well as incurring four sacks. Jeff Badet, Johnson and Ryan Timmons all had 30 yards receiving or more, but Kentucky still generated a low tally of passing yards.

The name of the game is efficiency when UK passes the ball, because it is the backfield that moves the chains and gets things going. How much of that can even happen against Alabama is anyone’s guess, but it is unlikely that the Cats score more than a TD or two in this affair, and Charles Walker may be busy punting the football if Williams is stifled by the SEC’s toughest defensive backs on Bama.

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