Saturday started off with a bang for the Kentucky football team, but by the end of the day, it was Alabama celebrating as they turned a halftime deficit into a blowout loss for the Wildcats.
Kentucky played well overall. The score was lopsided, but it wasn't indicative of the way things played out. A few second half gambles gave the Crimson Tide short fields, and extra points. Alabama was the better team, but there was certainly plenty to build on for the Cats.
Coach Will Stein is still a young coach, and tried to come up with the right adjustments, but it didn't work out. Still, it was exciting for fans to see a coach willing to be aggressive in trying to get a win against a top 15 opponent.
Overall, things didn't go as Big Blue Nation would have
liked, but as with any game, there was good and bad. Here's a list of whose stock is up after week two, and whose is down.
Stock down: Kenny Minchey
Minchey faced a lot more pressure this week, and it seemed to rattle him. He looked a bit more hesitant in the pocket, and his throws weren't as accurate as last week. It's not unexpected in his first game in that kind of an atmosphere and that kind of opponent. It will be a learning situation for him going forward.
Stock up: Mi'Quise Humphrey-Grace
After a slower week one, Humphrey-Grace came out and made a huge impact on Saturday. He got consistent pressure, and showed great instincts for finding the ball. Early in the game, he batted a pass and intercepted it for Kentucky's first touchdown. He also recorded 1.5 sacks in the game.
Stock down: Wide receivers
It was a struggle for the whole offense on Saturday, but the receivers, in particular, struggled to find a groove. They weren't able to get open, especially down the field, and had a few drops as well. They'll have to be better going forward.
Stock up: Kentucky safeties
Though the defense had issues in the second half, the safety duo of Ty Bryant and Jordan Castell were very good overall. They had 10 and 9 tackles respectively, which led the team, and Castell added an interception.
Stock down: Offensive playcalling
The offense never really got going, and the playcalling was questionable at times. A fake punt went poorly, and they didn't manage to create many shots down the field. The second half was especially tough, as they fell behind and couldn't find answers.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Stock up and stock down for Kentucky after Alabama loss
