The Alabama Crimson Tide overcame a sloppy first half to take down the Kentucky Wildcats, 45-13, Saturday at Kroger Field in Lexington. Alabama rallied behind four touchdowns and 32 points in the game's final 22 minutes.
Daniel Hill had a career-high 104 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries as the Crimson Tide (1-0) won their 11th straight SEC opener with an emphatic second-half response.
Trailing 17-13 at halftime, Alabama scored on five of its six full possessions after halftime, including two touchdowns in the final 2:42 of the third quarter to pull away. Hill and freshmen EJ Crowell and Trae'shawn Brown all had touchdown runs in the second half as the Tide ran for 155 yards total.
Keelon Russell had some early struggles in his first
start away from home, including a pick six thrown from his own 1-yard line on Alabama's first series of the game, but he finished 16-of-23 for 188 yards. Russell's 5-yard touchdown pass to Rico Scott with 9:08 to play broke the game open and gave the Tide a 38-17 lead.
Alabama's defense stepped up in a big way for the second straight week. Kane Wommack's unit forced three turnovers, including an interception returned for a touchdown by linebacker Luke Metz for the Tide's first score, and Devan Thompkins' forced fumble that led to Crowell's touchdown run in the third quarter.
Thompkins and fellow transfer Caleb Woodson combined for four sacks of Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey.
Alabama will face Florida State at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Week 3 before the start of seven straight conference games. In the meantime, here's a look at where the Crimson Tide are ranked in Sunday's new US LBM Coaches Poll.
Alabama football enters Coaches Poll top 10 after dominant second half vs Kentucky
Alabama is ranked No. 10 in the Week 3 US LBM Coaches Poll, up two spots from last week. The Crimson Tide are ranked one spot below the Ole Miss Rebels and one spot ahead of Southern California.
Alabama is the sixth highest-ranked SEC team in the rankings. The Crimson Tide moved past Oklahoma, which fell 11 spots to No. 21 following the Sooners' 17-10 at Michigan on Saturday. Alabama also moved ahead of the Oregon Ducks, who fell 12 spots after a stunning 39-31 loss at Oklahoma State.
New No. 1 team in US LBM Coaches Poll after top-5 shakeup, Ohio State collapse
With Ohio State surrendering a 23-3 lead over Texas heading into the fourth quarter in Austin, there's a new team atop the rankings, and it's none other than the Longhorns. Texas jumped two spots to No. 1 with Georgia holding at No. 2 and Notre Dame moving up one spot to No. 3.
Indiana moved up one spot to No. 4, and Miami rounded out the top five. Ohio State fell five spots to No. 6.
The full top 25 rankings in the US LBM Coaches Poll heading into Week 3 are below.
Schools Dropped Out
No. 25 Florida.
Others Receiving Votes
Florida 183; Louisville 160; Boise State 44; Kansas State 24; South Carolina 23; Mississippi State 20; Vanderbilt 19; Duke 19; Nebraska 18; Pittsburgh 16; Oklahoma State 16; Auburn 15; Western Michigan 10; Virginia Tech 9; UCLA 8; Tulsa 7; North Dakota State 5; New Mexico 4; Clemson 3; Wake Forest 1; Arizona 1;
What Kentucky coach Will Stein said about Alabama football after loss
— Roll Tide Wire (@RollTideWire) September 13, 2026
📸 Matt Stone/The Courier Journal, USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co https://t.co/xIuzgKTtHw pic.twitter.com/QpzAvFTDO5
Alabama football schedule 2026
- Sept. 5: vs. East Carolina Pirates (W, 48-10)
- Sept. 12: at Kentucky Wildcats (W, 45-13)
- Sept. 19: vs. Florida State Seminoles, 2:30 p.m., ABC
- Sept. 26: vs. South Carolina Gamecocks, prime time
- Oct. 3: at Mississippi State Bulldogs, early window
- Oct. 10: vs. Georgia Bulldogs, prime time
- Oct. 17: at Tennessee Volunteers, TBA
- Oct. 24: vs. Texas A&M Aggies, TBA
- Nov. 7: at LSU Tigers, TBA
- Nov. 14: at Vanderbilt Commodores, TBA
- Nov. 21: vs. Chattanooga Mocs, 1 p.m., SEC Network+
- Nov. 28: vs. Auburn Tigers, TBA
Record: 2-0 overall, 1-0 SEC.
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This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Where Alabama football ranks in US LBM Coaches Poll after Kentucky win
