Three Storylines I'm Watching Most in Alabama's Week 2 Matchup Against Kentucky

Both No. 12 Alabama and Kentucky enjoyed comfortable wins in Week 1, but the competition level jumps quite a bit in Week 2 as the two teams meet for the SEC opener at Kroger Field in Lexington on Saturday afternoon.

Alabama (1-0) rolled to a 48-10 win over East Carolina with all five offensive touchdowns coming on the ground. The Wildcats (1-0) picked up a 45-13 win over FCS opponent Youngstown State in the debut of new head coach Will Stein.

The Kentucky head coach has encouraged the Wildcat fanbase to make it the loudest game in the history of Kentucky football. Both teams are hungry to pick up their first SEC win, but only one will get to start conference play 1-0. Here are three of the biggest storylines I'm following that will help determine who gets that win.

What does Alabama's offensive line look like if Michael Carroll is unavailable?

With it being the Crimson Tide's first SEC matchup of the season, the first availability report was released on Wednesday night, and starting right guard Michael Carroll was listed as "doubtful." His status can change before Saturday's game, but it is a big blow for Alabama's offensive line if Carroll is unavaible.

The sophomore is the only returning starter on Alabama's offensive line, and he helped open some big holes on the right side of Alabama's offense last week against East Carolina. Ole Miss transfer Ethan Field was listed as Carroll's backup on the depth chart released by Alabama prior to the opener, but it probably won't be Fields getting the start if Carroll can't go.

Alabama really liked the work sophomore Mal Waldrep Jr. did at left guard throughout the spring and fall camp while junior William Sanders was working his way back from injury. Sanders started against ECU, but he was replaced by Waldrep for most of the second half because he was dealing with an oblique issue according to offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.

Sanders was not included on the initial availability report, which means Alabama's training staff considers him fully available to start against Kentucky. Waldrep has cross trained at multiple positions along the offensive line, and he could make the switch over to right guard this week if necessary for the Crimson Tide.

Alabama is breaking in a new offensive line overall with transfer center Racin Delgatty, a new starter at left tackle in sophomore Jackson Lloyd and a new starter at right tackle in Mississippi State transfer Jayvin James. Having to make changes to the offensive line heading into the first SEC and road start isn't ideal, but it is something the Crimson TIde is prepared to do.

The matchup between Kentucky's offensive line of Power Four transfers against Alabama's defensive front

Alabama and Kentucky have players on the line of scrimmage very familiar with the other team. Tide defensive lineman Terrance Green spent the last three seasons at Oregon, where Stein was the offensive coordinator during that same time period, so Green is knowledgable abotu Stein's offensive system.

Kentucky's starting guard Olaus Alinen, played three years at Alabama, going up against Kane Wommack's defense in practice the last two years. However, it isn't just those with familiarity that make this an intriguing matchup.

Alabama's defensive line is one of the strengths of the team, but it is still a unit with a lot of new faces. The Crimson Tide only allowed two rushing yards in the opener and held East Carolina to five first downs.

Kentucky's offensive line has a ton of high-level experience. Alinen isn't the only SEC transfer. Left tackle Lance Heard was a five-star recruit out of high school and has played for both LSU and Tennessee. Starting center Coleton Price was a three-year starter at Baylor, and right guard Tegra Tshabola had 29 starts at Ohio State and won a national championship in 2024.

The Wildcats put up over 506 yards of total offense in the win over Youngstown State. The talent and size of the defensive line it will be facing this week rises significantly. If the Kentucky O-line can get consistent push against Alabama's defensive front, it can create a really interesting game on Saturday.

"They love to run the ball," Green said of Kentucky's offense. "It's going to be a big week to stop the run, and we just gotta play with good pad level, play with our hands, get off blocks, make plays in the backfield."

How will Keelon Russell handle first road start?

In his first start against ECU, Alabama's sophomore quarterback showed why he won the job, but he also displayed plenty of signs of a young starting quarterback. Things will only get more difficult for Russell as he heads on the road this week.

Grubb said one of Russell's superpower is being able to stay calm under pressure, but he also has to have the right urgency when getting in the plays, making the right checks at the line and getting the ball snapped. Alabama had three procedural penalties in the opener, plus an illegal forward pass and intentional grounding called on Russell.

"He's really good at being unflappable," Grubb said. "It's just finding the urgency at the right moments and continuing to improve on that. He had two balls that I wish he would not have thrown that were poor decisions."

Russell went 17-of-29 for 249 yards in his debut with another 86 yards on the ground to go along with a touchdown. He was Alabama's leading rusher against ECU, but protecting himself by making the right decisions and sliding when scrambling has been a major focus for the quarterback this week.

Alabama's offense runs through Russell, and his ability to stay in control in his SEC debut will determine the Crimson Tide's success on that side of the ball.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok for the latest Alabama news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google