JEFF DRUMMOND:

Although I realized it was a monumental challenge today against top-ranked Alabama, I really thought we'd see the Cats play a more competitive game today. They usually do when they feel disrespected (a 31-point line that, in hindsight, feels remarkably generous) and play with a chip on their shoulders. Being without arguably their best player on both offense (Chris Rodriguez) and defense (Jamin Davis) among others presumably due to Covid-19 testing did not help matters, but this was a glaring reminder of how wide the gap is between the top of the SEC and where UK currently resides. This was what Rich Brooks used to describe as an "all systems failure." The offense was anemic. The defense was non-existent. The special teams were indescribably bad. Everything seems to be connected to the Cats' root problem: an inability to generate even a remedial passing attack. Kentucky finished with 27 yards in the second half, including ZERO through the air on 0-for-9 passing, against what Alabama observers consider to be a pedestrian defense by Crimson Tide standards.

JUSTIN ROWLAND:

Kentucky came out with a solid game plan and a lot of fight. They seemed to do a good job of blocking out the noise and focusing on making a statement. But a series of miscues in the first half doomed any hopes of keeping this one close. Two 12-men on the field penalties, bad snaps, botched holds, missed kicks, holding when you're near the goal line ... These things can't happen against Alabama. They're unforgiving. Look, Alabama can do this to anybody. At some point, they have done it to everybody. Given what Kentucky was up against today and who was missing from the lineup, I'm not saying this loss should define the season. But it's true the offense continues to be a major disappointment and the defense's regression has become a thing, too. At the very least I'm pleased that the staff got the younger quarterbacks some reps and they weren't playing to keep it close. They tried to make something happen. It just didn't work out.

TRAVIS GRAF:

Look, nobody expected Kentucky to come in and win this game or even come within a couple of scores, but this game was still disappointing on so many levels. Kentucky came out and played a very solid first quarter, but shot themselves in the foot multiple times in the red zone, which converting could have lead to a more respectable outcome. Outside of the self-inflicted wounds, the ‘Cats got away from their creativeness in the second quarter and beyond. Sure, Kentucky was down a lot of pieces today, but this big of a loss is a wake-up call to everyone in the program, regardless. If you want to say you’ve made a lot of progress as a program and are moving up a tier in the national landscape, you can’t lose a game by 50 or more at the same time. The Cats just don’t have the horses or the scheming skill set to compete against a team of this magnitude.