Kentucky defensive spotlights in week two loss to Alabama

The Kentucky Wildcats offense never got going against Alabama, but the defense set the tone and put the Wildcats in position to win the game. The offense stalled out and gave Alabama three drives that started across midfield in the second half. This was too much for the defense to overcome, but they really played a great football game. Let’s take a look at defensive players that made an impact in this game.

Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace looks like a much better player in this Jay Bateman scheme. He started the Wildcats off with an incredible pick six, deflecting the RPO pass attempt from Keelon Russell and caught the ball in the air to score the first touchdown of the game. That was an outstanding play from the edge defender who consistently impacted the game. Humphrey-Grace also had 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack as well.

Tavion Gadson showed up in a big way on Saturday, and that is the player the defensive staff is expecting to show up every week. Gadson showed why he is getting a lot of buzz from the NFL Draft community, he is a monster of a three technique that can win with his length and power over guards. Gadson led the team with 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss. If Kentucky can consistently get Gadson and Humphrey-Grace playing like that, this defensive line will give opposing teams a lot of issues.

Jordan Castell has made an immediate impact on this team, forming one of the most experienced safety tandems in the conference. Castell had a massive interception on the sideline to help the Wildcats get an easy three points right before halftime. Castell also had the second most tackles on the team with nine. Kentucky desperately needs starting corner Terhyon Nichols to get back in the fold, as this secondary can really become a strong group when they get back to 100% health.

All in all, there were multiple players on the defensive side of the football that made plays and gave Kentucky a chance. The offense struggles outside of putting drives together outside of one. The defense set the tone early and was the main reason Kentucky was in control of this game for 40 minutes. We learned a lot about what to expect from Jay Bateman’s defense in this game and should give you confidence moving forward.

This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky defensive spotlights in week two loss to Alabama