Looking at Alabama Football's Two Added Opponents, Part 2: Kentucky

Back on Aug. 7, the Southeastern Conference announced the two additional teams that each of the 14 football programs would add to their schedule for the conference-only, 10-game season.

While some teams were more unfortunate than others (looking at you, Arkansas), Alabama emerged as one of the better-off teams by having both the Missouri Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats added to its schedule

While we covered the Tigers earlier this week in a previous story, today's focus will be the Crimson Tide's second additional opponent for the 2020 season: Mark Stoops' Wildcats.

Stoops enters the 2020 season with a 44-44 record at Kentucky. Since his debut season in 2013, Stoops has led the Wildcats to four bowl games, including a 37-30 Belk Bowl victory over Virginia Tech last season.

Historically, adding Alabama to its schedule was essentially the worst news that Kentucky could have received. All-time, Alabama holds a 37-2-1 record against the Wildcats, whose most recent victory was in 1997. Before that, you have to go all the way back to 1922 to find another Kentucky win in the series.

Last season saw the departure of running back Lynn Bowden Jr., who carried the offense for the majority of last season for Kentucky. Bowden averaged 112.92 yards per game on the season, giving the Wildcats an impressive presence in the backfield.

However, after being drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders in this year's NFL draft, Kentucky now will have to refocus its offense heading into 2020. The Wildcats now have a stable of backs in Asim Rose, Kavosiey Smoke and Chris Rodriguez Jr. — who all combined for a total of 1,975 yards last season — and Smoke's speed combined with Rodriguez's power should make for an interesting running back duo as the season progresses.

All is not lost for the Kentucky offense, though. 2020 sees the return of quarterback Terry Wilson, who went down in the second game of 2019 with a season-ending knee injury. Former Auburn quarterback and former top-50 recruit Joey Gatewood also transferred to the Wildcats last fall, but has yet to be deemed immediately eligible by the NCAA.

Uncertainty of who is starting aside, Kentucky will be set at quarterback regardless of who is under center.

After a lackluster 2019 regarding the passing game thanks in no small part to Wilson's injury, Kentucky does not see any shakeups at the wide receiver or tight end positions. Tight ends Justin Rigg and Keaton Upshaw were two of the most reliable of the Wildcat pass-catchers last season and both return this year. Regarding wide receivers, senior Josh Ali looks to establish himself as the veteran go-to in 2020 after a solid performance in the Belk Bowl against the Hokies.

The Wildcats return three U.S. Army All-American offensive lineman in center Drake Jackson, left tackle Landon Young and right tackle Darian Kinnard. Kentucky did lose All-SEC guard Logan Stenberg, who was a powerhouse up front but with the three primary returning starters the Wildcats look to be in decent shape on the offensive line.

On the defensive side of the ball, the line is one of Kentucky's greatest strengths. Nose guard Quinton Bohanna returns for his senior season along with tackle Phil Hoskins, who returns for his sixth year of eligibility after missing 2019. Kentucky's defensive line has great depth heading into 2020, including five-star signee Justin Rodgers out of Michigan.

Linebacker Jamar Watson returns for his senior season as well. Last year, Watson led the team in tackles for loss with 11.5 along with a team-high seven quarterback hurries. He also accounted for 6.5 sacks, which ranked as second-best on the team. Combined with Watson, inside linebackers Jamin Davis and DeAndre Square have shown promise over the last couple of seasons, so the Wildcats are also set to have a solid linebacker core in 2020.

LSU transfer Kelvin Joseph is looking to make an impact for Kentucky's defensive backs. Davonte Robinson also returns to the team after missing all of 2019 due to an injury. Safety Yusef Corker and cornerback Brandin Echols both had solid seasons last year and look to make 2020 no different.

While adding Alabama to the schedule was certainly not the news that Kentucky fans wanted to hear, the Nov. 21 matchup between the two teams should be a good one. Alabama is, well, Alabama. However, Kentucky returns a large amount of key starters on both offense and defense and should provide a decent bit of pushback against the Crimson Tide.

Kentucky is a team that Alabama should not underestimate. With Stoops' success in recent years compared to the dismal history of the program in the decade prior to his arrival, the matchup is a welcome addition to the Crimson Tide's schedule and will a fun matchup to anticipate as the season gets underway.

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