Jumbo Package: Kentucky coach Will Stein looks for signature win on Saturday
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Happy Gump Day, everyone. After Saturday’s win over East Carolina, Alabama is ranked Keelon Russell in both polls.
The Alabama Crimson Tide got the 2026 football season off to a strong start on Saturday by dominating East Carolina in a 48-10 home victory. Alabama controlled the trenches, rushing for 227 yards and five touchdowns, and limiting the Pirates to just two yards on the ground in the win.
The Crimson Tide opened the season ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25 Poll and No. 11 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. Alabama dropped to No. 12 in the Coaches Poll, but rose one spot to No. 12 in The AP Top 25 Poll after taking down East Carolina in the season opener.
Tuscaloosa’s first responders were busy saving football fans from heat stroke on Saturday.
Delk said more than 100 medical calls were reported inside the stadium during the game. Fire and rescue crews also responded to approximately 25 to 30 calls outside the stadium.
“It’s a pretty significant increase,” Delk said when asked how the number of calls compared with other hot game days.
Delk estimated that 14 to 15 people were transported to hospitals from inside the stadium. Additional patients treated outside the stadium were also transported, with patients distributed among hospitals in the area.
Delk said the most common heat-related issues included dehydration, weakness and people passing out. Most of the heat-related cases were classified as heat exhaustion, he said.
At least the TV people are happy! I’ll say again, can’t wait to do it a week earlier in a couple of years so that we can accommodate more playoff games.
Leaders of the College Football Playoff on Tuesday agreed to open a 30-day negotiating window with ESPN, signaling their greatest interest yet in a 24-team CFP field that could begin as soon as 2027.
While those within the room insist this is not a commitment to a 24-team field at this time, the move does indicate that the Big Ten and SEC now agree it’s worth a discussion with the event’s sole rights holder to see what the value of it would be.
“The CFP has decided to move forward in its evaluation of potential Playoff expansion to 24 teams by beginning a media rights discussion with ESPN,” the CFP said in a statement Tuesday. “This does not represent a decision or commitment to expand, but rather an opportunity to engage with ESPN and gather additional information to help determine a path forward. The CFP will provide additional updates when appropriate.”
Kane Wommack was pleased with his defense’s effort overall, but still found some areas to improve.
“Thought two areas where we felt like we probably weren’t where we needed to be, or at least consistent enough a year ago in terms of consistent run defensive fits, D-line being in the right position, linebackers supporting,” Wommack said. “… Great to have a defensive touchdown, but disappointing to only have one takeaway on the day. So something that we need to improve upon quickly, and we will make sure we continue to emphasize that in practice.”
Wommack acknowledged on Monday the broken 68-yard play that ECU took advantage of, along with a couple of other plays. And that all stems from the same theme.
“Effort across the board needs to improve in certain areas when the ball is on the back side, or when you’re on the back side of a play, continuing to play with a fanatical effort,” Wommack said. “There were some guys that did. There were other guys that we need to make sure we get that cleaned up.
Racin Delgatty made his feelings known about the “holding” call to bring back Trae’shawn Brown’s long touchdown.
“I mean, everyone’s seen it,” Delgatty said when asked about the penalty. “Everyone knows that was BS. I mean, even the coaches right after happened were like ‘don’t worry about it, that was not a good call.’”
Losing that score did not doom the Crimson Tide by any stretch of the imagination. Alabama went on to win 48-10 against the American Conference’s Pirates.
Delgatty, who played his first game with UA after transferring in from Cal Poly, said he felt he had room for improvement, but overall did well.
“I did my job, for sure,” Delgatty said. “I mean, there’s some places where I could have done more, but I think I played pretty solid.”
Terrance Green played against Kentucky coach Will Stein’s offense in practice last season, as both were in Eugene.
“They love to run the ball,” Green said. “It’s going to be a big week to stop the run. We’ve just got to play with good pad level, play with our hands, get out of blocks and make plays in the backfield.
Green emphasized that practicing against Stein’s former offense “helped me a lot,” as he proceeded to provide even more insight on the Wildcats’ leader.
“I kind of know what he wants to do,” Green said. “I know he’s probably going to change it up, but I was with coach Stein for 2-3 years there. So just going against that every day, going against great O-linemen, that’ll help a lot. But also going against our guys here. Coach (Freddie) Roach is staying on me about my pad level and getting off blocks, so that’s going to be big this week.
Green reiterated that running the ball is Stein’s bread and butter, which is “going to be big” for Alabama to figure out how to stop. But Green also revealed another facet of Stein’s offense.
“Man, trick plays,” Green said. “[He likes] confusing the defenders, confusing the defense, making us move and [forcing us to] communicate.”
Expect Stein to pull out all the stops. He’s already calling for the crowd to be “historic.”
“We have to make this the loudest game in the history of Kentucky football. That’s my goal for our fans. The loudest it has ever been, and we need them to be at their best. I want people in the stands for pregame. Let’s have 65,000 watching us warm up,” Stein said. “I love to tailgate too, but get in there, be loud, make it disruptive for for them as they get here, and then for sure when the ball is kicked, everybody in their seats, everybody in their seats, cheering as loud as they humanly can. I want people’s voices hoarse when they leave here. They got to take off work on Monday because they can’t talk. That’s how loud I want this place to be.”
This is a chance for him to get a signature win in front of the home crowd. Alabama had best come ready to play.
The Wildcats will be getting a couple of defensive starters back this week.
Well, with Alabama on deck, Coach Stein was asked if Terhyon Nichols and Hasaan Sykes, two starting cornerbacks who didn’t play last Saturday, would be back on the field for Kentucky’s contest with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Stein’s response: “They practiced today, so that’s my expectation.”
The magnitude of the name Alabama can’t be taken lightly. This is a program that Kentucky has only beaten twice in 41 attempts. It is a program that is the bluest of blue bloods in the sport, having claimed 18 national championships in its history.
No better time to be healthy than when the Tide come to town, and that seems to be the situation we find ourselves in with Nichols and Sykes being back on the field in live action.
The MAC initially went along with the Big Ten’s nonsense regarding the end of the Michigan vs Western Michigan game on Saturday. After further review, that stance is overturned.
The established replay protocol requires that the game clock displayed on the program feed be used in determining whether time remained. Instead, the Big Ten Conference replay crew relied upon the clock feed embedded within its replay system. As a result, one second was placed back on the game clock and an additional play was awarded.
This was not a judgment regarding the proper amount of time to place on the clock. It was an error in the application of the established replay protocol governing this specific end-of-game timing situation. Had the protocol been properly followed and the program-feed clock been used, no additional play would have been awarded, and Western Michigan would have won the game, 12–7.
As a result, the Mid-American Conference has submitted formal appeals to the NCAA FBS Oversight Committee and the College Football Playoff. The MAC is requesting that those bodies recognize Western Michigan as the actual winner of the game for purposes of their respective rankings, evaluations and selection deliberations, and take such other corrective action as may be within their authority.
The Big Ten and NCAA said that they have no power to change the result.
Last, SEC schools are planning to meet in order to discuss LSU’s expulsion from the conference.
The SEC’s amended complaint noted an “informal meeting” between the other 15 conference CEOs (not including LSU) this past Friday, before LSU submitted a finalized roster for Week 1. According to SEC bylaws, a school’s membership can be terminated involuntarily at a meeting of conference CEOs if at least two-thirds vote in favor of termination.
“Although no official action was taken at the September 4 meeting, the consensus of the CEOs was and continues to be that LSU’s continued membership in the Conference would be inconsistent with the publicly stated values and principles of the Conference and its remaining member institutions,” the complaint reads, “whether or not LSU ever includes Harris, Wright, or other football players who are ineligible under the Professionalism Rules on its football team roster.”
During that Friday meeting, according to the amended complaint, the 15 conference CEOs “expressed great concern” that Kiffin was working with the counsel for the athletes in the Louisiana lawsuit, with support and involvement from Louisiana Attorney General Elizabeth Murrill and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, and that the LSU administration has “no meaningful control” over Kiffin or the LSU football program. The amended complaint adds Murrill as a defendant in the lawsuit.
Stay tuned.
That’s about it for now. Have a great day.
Roll Tide.
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