Alabama wasn’t fun. Watching the Crimson Tide roll off 32 unanswered points in the second half to blow open a close game could have been a warning sign for a long season.
But as we pull the lens back and look at the first month of the Will Stein era, that second-half collapse against Alabama isn’t the norm for these Kentucky Wildcats.
In fact, it looks like a complete aberration.
Outside of that single nightmare against the Tide, Kentucky has been an absolute buzzsaw in the third and fourth quarters.
In their other three matchups, the Wildcats have outscored their opponents by a staggering margin of 62-20 in the final 30 minutes.
Let’s look at the receipts.
Against Youngstown State in the opener, Kentucky methodically pulled away after halftime, leaning on a defense that bowed up and an offense that executed when it mattered most to win the second half 17-6.
Then came the masterpiece in College Station. Walking into a hostile environment against No. 9 Texas A&M, Kentucky didn’t just survive the second half; they weaponized it.
The Cats exploded for a 21-0 run in the third quarter alone, ultimately putting together a 24-14 second-half closing burst that sent the 12th Man home unhappy.
And if you thought they might suffer a hangover in the second half this week, the numbers tell a different story.
Facing a potentially tricky Group of 6 opponent in South Alabama, the game was closer than anyone really expected it to be after 30 minutes of game action.
But once again, the halftime locker room adjustments were lethal. Kentucky came out and pitched an absolute shutout, hanging a 21-0 second half on the Jaguars to turn a tense afternoon into a comfortable blowout and even covered the 20.5-point spread.
Jason Patterson bullied his way to a pair of rushing touchdowns, Kenny Minchey found Shane Carr for another score, and the defense shut out the Jaguars.
When you combine those three games, you get a 62-20 advantage that proves this team is able to play better when the game starts to matter more.
Great teams don’t just script good opening drives; they wear you down, adjust to your schemes, and step on the gas when your legs start getting heavy. Alabama might have caught the Cats slipping in Week 2, but the rest of the college football world is quickly learning a harsh lesson: If you don’t crush Kentucky’s spirit early, Will Stein’s squad is going to make you regret it in the fourth quarter.
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