Kentucky’s path to an upset of No. 12 Alabama starts with one thing above all else: getting the defense off the field.
That was the central answer when the first question in this week’s “Ask Mark Anything” asked what has to happen for UK to have a real shot Saturday at Kroger Field. There are plenty of moving parts in a game like this, but the biggest one is whether Kentucky can keep the Crimson Tide from staying on schedule.
That matters because Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell will be making his first road start as a collegian. Kentucky’s best chance to make that feel uncomfortable is to force the Tide into obvious passing downs, and that means avoiding the easy stuff on early downs.
The more UK can prevent third-and-short, the better its odds become. That’s the lane where a defense can dictate terms.
It’s also where Alabama can settle in if Kentucky lets it.
Youngstown State gave a glimpse of the issue in Kentucky’s 45-13 win last week. The Wildcats handled the game, but the Penguins still went 8 of 15 on third-down conversions.
The catch was how many of those chances came with little distance needed. Youngstown State never converted on third down longer than third-and-5, but it did move the chains five times on third-and-1 and third-and-2.
That’s exactly the kind of pattern Kentucky cannot afford to hand Alabama.
The column also turned to Mark Stoops and the way his tenure is viewed now. The frustration from some Kentucky fans, especially online, is not hard to trace.
Stoops’ overall run was the best by a Kentucky football coach since the 1950s, but the finish was rough. From 2018 through 2021, UK went 33-17.
Then came the final four seasons from 2022 through 2025: 7-6, 7-6, 4-8 and 5-7.
Those back-to-back 7-6 seasons were seen by many fans as underachieving, and the last two years were simply poor. That left a lingering wave of disappointment around the end of the Stoops era.
The NCAA also later vacated 10 wins from UK’s 10-3 season in 2021, adding another sour note. Even so, the view offered here is that time will soften some of that anger and leave more room for appreciation of what Stoops accomplished at Kentucky.
A question about the press box brought a lighter answer, though with a familiar sports-media maxim attached. The standard rule is still “no cheering in the press box,” so there’s no scenario in which media members would storm the field after a result.
On a personal level, though, the bar for happiness is much simpler: reliable wireless Internet, a stat monitor that keeps up with the game and a coach who gets to the postgame news conference on time. That, the response said, is enough to feel like metaphorically “storm the field.”
The final question dealt with the Mark Mitchell situation and what it did to Mark Pope’s standing with Kentucky fans. The main source of anger, as described here, was aimed at SEC commissioner Greg Sankey because the league did not waive its “no intra-league transfers outside the normal portal window” rule in light of Mitchell’s unusual circumstances. Still, some UK fans viewed the late push to add a fifth-year player whose eligibility depends on the legal system as a sign that Pope’s staff had not recruited strongly enough before that point.
And because Kentucky fans want the men’s program back at elite level so badly, even the sense that UK’s ceiling for 2026-27 is lower without Mitchell leaves a mark on Pope’s standing with Big Blue Nation.
In Other News...
Kentucky Heads Into Alabama Opener With Big Availability Questions
The second availability reports for Kentucky and Alabama only sharpened the uncertainty around Saturdays SEC opener, with both teams dealing with notable absences as they prepare for their first conference game of the season. Alabamas list includes several players out or doubtful, among them three cornerbacks, while Kentucky also enters the matchup with multiple players listed out or questionable, adding another layer of concern to a game that already carries early-September pressure.
Kalen DeBoer spent part of his pregame discussion on Kentuckys offensive line and on his familiarity with Will Steins offensive approach, a reminder that even with the injury questions hanging over both sides, the matchup still comes down to more than availability. For Kentucky, though, the latest report leaves the Wildcats waiting on clarity at several spots before they head into one of the toughest openers on their schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Is Making A Serious Early Push For One Elite Visitor
Kentucky is already moving aggressively on the 2027 board, and Lewis Uvwo sits near the top of the Wildcats wish list. The highly regarded defensive prospect, originally from Nigeria, is set to spend time in Lexington as part of an early push by Mark Pope and his staff, a clear sign that Kentucky is not waiting around to identify the next wave of frontline talent.
Uvwo has climbed quickly into the national conversation, and his rise has made him a priority target for a program that always has to think several steps ahead in recruiting. Pope recently made the trip to Florida to connect with Uvwo and a teammate at Prolific Prep before the visit, another indicator that Kentucky is treating this one with real urgency as the Wildcats try to build momentum with one of the classs most coveted young players. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Gets An Early SEC Test Fans Will Measure Closely
Kentuckys second game of the 2026 season arrives with an early measuring-stick feel, and not just because it comes in SEC play. Both the Wildcats and Alabama opened with wins, which gives Saturdays matchup a little more weight than a typical Week 2 conference game. For Kentucky, it is the kind of early test that can quickly clarify how far along the roster really is, especially against a program that rarely offers much room for error.
Alabama enters with a fresh face under center in Keelon Russell, and his first start gave the Crimson Tide plenty to build on. Kentucky will have to sort through that on the fly while trying to keep the game from getting away from it early, which is where the market has already started to lean in one direction. The numbers will matter, of course, but for Kentucky the bigger question is whether this is the kind of spot where it can hang around long enough to make the afternoon interesting deep into the fourth quarter. [Read more 🡒]