No. 1 Tide rout short-handed ‘Cats

(1) Alabama 63 Kentucky 3 BAMA: 7-0 UK: 3-5

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama didn’t quite look like itself at first after an extended period on the sidelines, but it scarcely made a difference on the scoreboard.

DeVonta Smith caught nine passes for 144 yards and set the Southeastern Conference career record with two more touchdowns in the top-ranked Crimson Tide’s 63-3 victory over short-handed Kentucky on Saturday.

“I think we played better and better and better as the game went on,” coach Nick Saban said.

And the score got bigger and bigger and bigger.

Mac Jones passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns and Najee Harris ran for a pair of scores for the Tide (7-0 SEC), both in less than three quarters. A slow start turned into a breezy return from a three-week layoff after LSU was forced to call off last week’s scheduled game because of COVID-19 troubles.

The outmanned Wildcats (3-5) were missing a number of key players because of injuries or coronavirus protocol. They were competitive early on the stat sheet, but it didn’t hold up particularly long on the scoreboard after they gave up three second-quarter touchdowns.

“I know you’re going to look at the score and say, ‘Man, there’s not a lot of good things.’ But there was,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “Early in the game, I thought our guys were playing extremely hard, extremely physical.”

Smith broke Amari Cooper’s SEC and Alabama record with his 32nd touchdown catch, a 10-yarder from Jones in the second quarter. He added an 18-yarder from freshman backup Bryce Young.

“It’s certainly a blessing to have my name with all the greats that came to the SEC and this school,” Smith said.

Jones completed 16 of 24 passes but also was intercepted at the goal line in a rare mistake. Harris had a career-long 42-yard touchdown run and gained 83 yards on 13 carries.