Bring On Bama!

Nobody needs to explain Alabama football to Kentucky fans. The Crimson Tide will come to Kroger Field loaded with talent, confidence and expectations. Beating Alabama will require Kentucky to play significantly better than it did against Youngstown State, probably for all four quarters.

But here's the fun part: Kentucky's season opener gave Big Blue Nation legitimate reasons to believe the Wildcats have the ingredients necessary to make this a game.

Kentucky didn't stumble into the Will Stein era. The Wildcats exploded into it, beating Youngstown State 45-13 while piling up 506 yards of offense. They threw it. They ran it. They created explosive plays. They protected the quarterback. And for much of the afternoon, they looked exactly like the kind of modern, aggressive offense Kentucky fans hoped Stein would bring to Lexington.

Alabama was impressive too, defeating East Carolina 48-10. This isn't an argument that Alabama looked vulnerable or that Kentucky should suddenly be expected to win.

It is an argument that Kentucky has enough weapons, enough explosiveness and enough home-field opportunity to make an upset possible.

Kentucky's New Offense Passed Its First Test

The biggest reason for optimism is simple: Kentucky suddenly looks capable of scoring points.

Kenny Minchey was outstanding in his first collegiate start, completing 18 of 27 passes for 301 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He completed his first six passes as a Wildcat, connected with nine different receivers and helped Kentucky produce seven pass plays of at least 20 yards.

That matters against Alabama.

Kentucky probably isn't going to line up, run directly at the Crimson Tide defense 45 times and win a wrestling match. To pull an upset, the Wildcats need chunk plays. They need to make Alabama defend every blade of grass. They need tight ends attacking the middle, receivers stretching the field and a quarterback willing to push the ball vertically.

For one game, at least, Kentucky showed all of it.

The Wildcats Didn't Have to Be One-Dimensional

Kentucky's 506 total yards weren't produced by abandoning the running game and throwing the ball all afternoon. The Cats finished with roughly 300 yards through the air and more than 200 on the ground.

Jason Patterson led Kentucky with 78 rushing yards. C.J. Baxter added 48 yards and two touchdowns, and the Wildcats consistently produced useful gains on the ground.

The balance is important because Alabama's defensive front was ferocious against East Carolina. The Crimson Tide held ECU to just two rushing yards.

Kentucky obviously faces a dramatically different challenge this week, but Stein doesn't need the Wildcats to run for 200 yards against Alabama. He needs Alabama to respect the run enough that play-action, misdirection and Kentucky's passing game have room to operate.

Kenny Minchey Looked Ready for the Moment

The most encouraging individual performance from Week 1 might have been Minchey's.

Forget for a moment that Youngstown State isn't Alabama. Look instead at how Minchey played.

He was decisive. He delivered the football downfield. He didn't throw an interception. He spread the ball around. And Kentucky's passing game wasn't dependent on one star receiver winning every matchup.

Four different Wildcats caught touchdown passes.

That kind of distribution is exactly what Kentucky needs Saturday. Alabama can take away a favorite target. It is much harder to take away an entire offense when the quarterback is comfortable throwing to receivers, tight ends and backs.

The Offensive Line Gave Kentucky Another Reason to Believe

Here's a Week 1 number that may be just as important as Minchey's 301 passing yards:

Kentucky did not allow a sack.

According to UK's postgame notes, the offensive line allowed only one quarterback hurry against Youngstown State.

Alabama will obviously present a completely different level of speed, size and pressure. But an offense with no chance of protecting its quarterback has almost no chance of pulling an upset like this.

Kentucky showed in the opener that the foundation may be there.

If the line can give Minchey even a reasonable amount of time Saturday, Kentucky has enough speed and enough receiving options to create problems.

Don't Forget About Kentucky's Tight Ends

Will Stein talked throughout the offseason about involving the tight ends.

He wasn't kidding.

Kentucky's tight ends combined for nine catches, 140 yards and two touchdowns in the opener. Mikkel Skinner caught four passes for 61 yards and a touchdown, while Willie Rodriguez added four catches for 48 yards and another score.

Against a defense as talented as Alabama's, the middle of the field can be invaluable. Tight ends can become a quarterback's best friend when pressure arrives, while also creating matchup problems against linebackers and safeties.

Stein now has something on film Alabama absolutely has to prepare for.

Kentucky Already Got a Practice Run Against a Running Quarterback

This one may be more important than it first appears.

Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell was excellent in his first start, completing 18 of 30 passes for 256 yards. But he was also Alabama's leading rusher, carrying 13 times for 86 yards and a touchdown.

Russell's ability to turn a broken play into a first down may be one of Kentucky's biggest concerns Saturday.

Kentucky just spent its opener dealing with another quarterback who is dangerous with his legs.

Youngstown State quarterback Beau Brungard entered the game as a major rushing threat, but Kentucky limited him to only 29 net rushing yards, with a longest run of seven yards. As a team, Youngstown State managed just 59 rushing yards.

Is Russell a different challenge? Absolutely.

But Kentucky's defensive front and linebackers have already spent a game working on rush-lane discipline and containing a quarterback who can escape the pocket. That's not a bad assignment to have immediately before Alabama comes to town.

What We Learned From Alabama's Opener

Let's make something clear: Alabama looked good.

The Crimson Tide outgained East Carolina 487-162, ran for 227 yards, possessed the ball for nearly 39 minutes and allowed only two rushing yards. That's domination.

But Alabama's opener also gives Kentucky a pretty obvious defensive priority.

Stop the run and make Russell beat you repeatedly through the air.

Alabama scored five rushing touchdowns against ECU. Russell himself was the team's leading rusher. He threw for 256 yards but did not throw a touchdown pass.

Kentucky cannot allow Alabama to stay ahead of the chains, control the clock and turn every third-and-short into a quarterback run or downhill handoff.

If Brad White's defense — with Stein's staff now directing the program — can force Alabama into obvious passing situations and make a first-year starter operate in a loud road environment, things could become much more interesting.

Kentucky Can Create Explosive Plays

Alabama had 487 yards on 81 offensive plays against East Carolina.

Kentucky produced 506 yards on only 61 plays against Youngstown State.

Different opponents. Different circumstances. Nobody should pretend those numbers mean Kentucky has a better offense than Alabama.

But Kentucky averaged approximately 8.3 yards per play in the opener. That's the type of explosiveness that gives an underdog life.

Upsets usually require a few plays that completely change the game: a 40-yard completion, a missed tackle that becomes a touchdown, a sudden turnover followed by a quick strike.

Kentucky's new offense looks much more capable of generating those moments.

Stein Is an Unknown Alabama Has to Prepare For

There is another advantage Kentucky has that doesn't show up in a box score.

Alabama doesn't have years of Kentucky film under Will Stein.

The Tide has one real game.

Stein can show certain formations against Youngstown State and create completely different answers from them Saturday. He can build tendencies only to break them. He can save wrinkles specifically for this game.

Kentucky isn't trying to install a brand-new offense anymore. The Cats now have a game under their belts, but Alabama still has only a small sample of what Stein intends to do with this particular roster.

In an upset bid, uncertainty helps the team trying to spring the surprise.

Then There's Kroger Field

This isn't in Tuscaloosa.

Alabama has to come to Lexington.

Kentucky opened its season at Kroger Field and gets the rare benefit of playing its first two games at home. Saturday is also the SEC opener, the stadium is scheduled for a Stripe Out, and SEC Nation will be on campus that morning.

Translation: this should feel like a major event long before kickoff.

The best thing Big Blue Nation can do is make life miserable for Russell from the moment Alabama's offense takes the field.

False starts. Communication problems. Wasted timeouts. Confusion before the snap. Those are the little things home-field advantage can create.

And when you're trying to knock off Alabama, every little thing matters.

Seven Reasons Kentucky Fans Should Believe

Why Not Kentucky?

Alabama should be respected. The Tide has NFL talent all over the field, just dismantled East Carolina by 38 points and will present Kentucky with a challenge several levels beyond what the Cats saw in their opener.

But college football doesn't require Kentucky to prove it's better than Alabama over the course of an entire season.

Kentucky only has to be better for one afternoon.

Maybe Minchey connects on a couple of deep balls. Maybe the tight ends cause problems. Maybe Kentucky bottles up Russell on a few crucial third downs. Maybe Kroger Field gets loud enough to create a penalty or two. Maybe the Wildcats get a turnover, grab an early lead and suddenly Alabama realizes it is in a four-quarter fight.

That's how these things happen.

And for the first time in a while, Kentucky enters a game like this with an offense that looks capable of throwing some punches of its own.