Kentucky football kicks off SEC play this weekend at Kroger Field on ABC at 3:30 P.M. ET as they face the Alabama Crimson Tide. Kentucky has a brand new regime and just one game of film for the Crimson Tide to watch to prepare for this matchup. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer has consistently won games since taking over for the legend Nick Saban, but the NIL era has slowed the tide down a touch from what the were under Saban. DeBoer's Alabama teams are more offensive focused, and we will dive into their offense which features a lot of new faces and talented playmakers.
The Crimson Tide's offense will be led by redshirt freshman Keelon Russell, who will be making his first SEC road start on Saturday. Russell showed the reason he won the quarterback
battle over Austin Mack this offseason in their week one win over ECU. He completed 18-of-30 pass attempts for 256 yards despite not throwing a touchdown pass. Russell also displayed his ability to extend plays with his legs as he led the team with 86 rushing yards on 13 carries, and managed to find the end zone with his legs.
Russell will need to have a better performance this week in his first ever road start, and he has weapons in the passing game that can make that happen. Ryan Coleman-Williams put his name on the map as a 17-year-old true freshman when he had a breakout game against Georgia in primetime, but he faced the "sophomore slump" last season. Coleman-Williams led the FBS in drops , leading in 2025, a disappointing sophomore year after an incredible true freshman season. Those drops continued in week one as he let a couple get away from him, but Coleman-Williams still showcased his explosive ability as he had five receptions for 130 yards.
Coleman-Williams has to play to his potential on Saturday for Alabama to get the pass game humming. Another pass catcher to watch out for is Lotzeir Brooks. Brooks is a dynamic weapon with the ball in his hands and is expected to take a big step this season. That did not come to fruition in week one, as Brooks only caught two passes for 23 yards against ECU.
All the talk nationally was focused on Coleman-Williams bouncing back from a disappointing year and the quarterback battle this offseason. However, the real question for the Crimson Tide this offseason was if they could fix the run game and get the offensive line playing with a mean streak. Alabama ran the ball 49 times against ECU for 227 yards and five rushing touchdowns. They got by week one averaging 4.6 yards per attempt, but the real test comes this weekend as they enter SEC play.
Russell led the team in rushing, mainly because they have a healthy rotation at running back. Daniel Hill is the returning veteran that will rotate alongside two dynamic freshmen EJ Crowell and Trae'shauwn Brown. Hill is a solid running back, but they are banking on one of these true freshman emerging. In my opinion, Crowell is the guy that has the ability to be a special player for the Crimson Tide, but will that manifest in week two of the season?
The big question to watch is the line of scrimmage, as Alabama has a new front five and showed some weaknesses in week one. The right side of the line has experience and talent with right guard Michael Carroll and right tackle Jayvin James. The left side has inexperience with redshirt freshman left tackle Jackson Lloyd and left guard William Sanders. Center Racin Delgatty is taking a big step up in competition from Cal Poly, and he will get his first start in SEC play as well.
Overall, Alabama looked sloppy at times on offense against ECU, which is expected given their turnover on the offense and a freshman quarterback at the helm. They have to fix that sloppiness if they want to leave Lexington with a win. Regardless, this team has the pieces in place to have a dynamic offense this season. However, the question is how fast does it click for this group and will we see it click in Kroger Field on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky vs Alabama Preview: Can the Tide offense click?
