BY COLLAN MCCOY: SPORTS WRITER

After a dominant first half, the Kentucky Wildcats football team lost its first game of the season to the Alabama Crimson Tide, 45-17. The loss marks the first of the Will Stein era, giving the Wildcats’ head coach a 1-1 record in his first two games.

The Wildcats’ defense was the surprising story of the game, as it kept the Crimson Tide offense out of the end zone for the entire first half. Alabama’s only first-half scores came on a pick-six and two field goals. A field goal then put the Wildcats up 17-13 going into halftime, but they were unable to score again as Alabama scored 32 unanswered points in the second half to put the game away.

In a tale of two halves, the Wildcats’ offense outgained the Crimson Tide in the first half, 147 yards to 128. The second half told a different story, as Alabama had 215 yards of total offense while holding the Cats to 62 total yards.

Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey, in his second collegiate start, had 146 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Running back Jason Patterson finished with 53 yards on 11 carries, as the Wildcats struggled to establish the run game.

In his postgame press conference, Kentucky coach Will Stein blamed his team’s offensive struggles on short-field situations caused by turnovers, including two fumbles in the second half.

Stein also noted the tough game coming up for the Wildcats, as they play the Aggies of Texas A&M in College Station on Saturday. This should mark the toughest stretch of games for the Cats, as Alabama is currently No. 12 while Texas A&M is No. 10 in the AP Top 25. That game in on September 19 at 3:30 p.m.