It's easier to break down a close game than a blowout. What can you really say after a 60-point beat down at the hands of the best team in the nation?
It might take a little more digging, but here are five things to take from the loss.
Nothing good comes from playing Alabama
It's natural for fans to get excited about their team's game against the top-ranked team in the country. This year, it seemed like that typical anticipation was replaced by dread. Some of that was Kentucky not living up to expectations this season. A big part of it was the announced absences -- Chris Rodriguez, Jamin Davis, Max Duffy, etc. -- before the game. And we just all know who and what Alabama is.
But really, there's rarely ever anything good that comes from playing Alabama. This is not college basketball, where Kentucky rules the SEC but anything can happen on a given day. When you're an unranked team playing at Alabama, or really most teams playing Alabama anywhere, it's a tough experience.
Unlike any other dynasty in the history of college football, there is no upsetting Alabama for the vast majority of teams. You will not pull a wild, fluke upset. Alabama has lost SEC games, to Johnny Manziel or Ole Miss, but you'd better have a great offense and a fantastic quarterback performance. You'd also better be pretty darn good.
Alabama doesn't stub its toe against Kentucky. They issue a prolonged and excruciating execution that takes any swagger you had beforehand and wipes it out.
Yesterday in particular did nothing for Kentucky's program. A blowout was predictable even if a 60-point loss was unacceptable. Still, even when you expect it, losing to any team like that hurts your program. I totally understood fans who didn't want the game to take place. Mostly because of COVID-19 absences, but just as much because playing Alabama gains you nothing.
We didn't learn anything about the younger quarterbacks
One of the silver linings to a blowout could have been a chance to learn more about quarterbacks Joey Gatewood and Beau Allen.
Those quarterbacks did get into the game in the second half but we don't know anything more about them than we did before they played against Vanderbilt or Georgia.
They were a combined 0/6 and under pressure from more talented players. They were often in the game with other backups.
Nothing happened that would probably convince the coaches to move totally away from Terry Wilson in favor of building for the future with one of the two others. So perhaps the best case scenario is that we see a little more of Gatewood and Allen against both Florida and South Carolina.
Why the little mistakes are all so big
If you were ripping your hair out yesterday because you couldn't believe the way UK was shooting itself in the foot after putting itself in good positions yesterday, you probably weren't alone.
Every team in the country is mistake-prone to a certain degree. The least penalized teams still draw flags a few times per game. The teams that don't turn it over much still give it away about a time per game on average. Untimely, unwarranted, unjustifiable mistakes are committed by every team in the country every single week.
But it just seems to hurt more for Kentucky. There's a reason it seems that way. They do hurt more.
It's been a long time since Kentucky was equipped to make up for penalties. A holding penalty always seems to doom a drive, no matter how promising it was. And when you are having to drive the field to score, and you can't rely on automatic points from the field goal unit, and you aren't hitting explosives, everything does hurt more.
Because Kentucky doesn't easily create big plays on offense, everything is a grind. And when you're in a constant grind the little mistakes just hurt you more.
We can look at what Kentucky failed to do when it had opportunities yesterday. But they just don't make enough big plays. If they made more big plays then all the little mistakes wouldn't have to wreck their chances at success.
Keaton Upshaw looks like an NFL tight end
Kentucky was down two of its top three tight ends yesterday with Brenden Bates and Justin Rigg both out. The 'Cats are not in a position where they are ready to play Nik Ognenovic too many snaps against an SEC schedule, so Keaton Upshaw had to shoulder the brunt of the work at tight end for the 'Cats.
He grabbed three more passes on five targets. Upshaw is getting more targets and every week he seems to become a bigger part of the offense. In fact, the two best things Kentucky is doing on offense right now is ride Chris Rodriguez and throw it to Upshaw.
He was recruited as a hybrid and that has been on display this season when he's gotten behind defenses, created mismatches in the middle of the field, and against Bama when he showed off great speed and athleticism in picking up yards after the catch.
Upshaw is getting better quickly and starting to put it together.
Rose questions Gran's play calling
After the game senior running back AJ Rose said, "We could have called some better plays or better play calls to get us in a better position. ... He called what he thought was needed. We had to go out there and execute it, and we failed at that.”
Occasionally players have said things like that, and when you're losing the tension rises in every respect.
But it was strange to hear those words from Rose, who has been a team leader for Kentucky. Many fans will read those comments and nod their heads in agreement. But they could speak to some internal things that have arisen as the losses have mounted.
