How Alabama Can Beat Kentucky: 5 Keys to Victory

Dominate the trenches

On both sides of the ball, Alabama is known to be pretty dominant, especially their offensive and defensive lines. To win on Saturday, Bama will need to prove that and get strong efforts from both sides in the trenches. If the O-line can give Milroe time in the pocket to create plays and open holes for the running game, their offense will be hard to stop. On the flip side, if their D-line plays to their potential, they could wreak havoc and make Saturday's matchup a nightmare for Kentucky.

Allow Jalen Milroe to do what he does best

Jalen Milroe has shown all season how dangerous he is when he can get out of the pocket. When Milroe can use his legs to create for him and others, Bama’s offense is nearly impossible to stop. If the Crimson Tide quarterback can carry on from his Heisman performance against LSU last weekend, Alabama will be hard to beat.

Take away short throws, and force Kentucky to throw deep

Devin Leary is an interesting quarterback prospect. The senior lacks size and arm strength but uses his IQ to pick defenses apart. As a result, Kentucky likes to use short passes to gain quick yards and give their receivers a chance to earn more yardage when they do throw. If you can limit what Leary can do in the short passing game, and force him to throw deep, Bama’s defensive talent in the secondary should be able to capitalize on Leary’s mistakes.

Stop Kentucky’s rushing attack

Kentucky is one of the better-rushing offenses in the SEC. Behind their senior transfer Ray Davis, the Wildcats are averaging 140.9 rushing yards per game. If Bama can slow down the rushing attack and force Kentucky to rely on Leary’s arm as their offense, the Crimson Tide should move to 7-0 in conference play.

Win the turnover battle

For every game, it’s important to take care of the football to win. If Alabama can manage to limit their turnovers and force Kentucky to turn the ball over, the Crimson Tide will be in prime position to steal a game on the road.

Dominate the trenches

On both sides of the ball, Alabama is known to be pretty dominant, especially their offensive and defensive lines. To win on Saturday, Bama will need to prove that and get strong efforts from both sides in the trenches. If the O-line can give Milroe time in the pocket to create plays and open holes for the running game, their offense will be hard to stop. On the flip side, if their D-line plays to their potential, they could wreak havoc and make Saturday's matchup a nightmare for Kentucky.