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By Cameron Kiszla
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The Alabama Crimson Tide rallied for a big win on the road against the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday, and one college football analyst was heartened by what he saw.
Speaking on the "Nonstop" podcast he hosts with Joey Galloway, Kirk Herbstreit sang the Tide's praises after the 45-17 win in a hostile Kroger Field.
“I was really impressed with Alabama, honestly, because Alabama continues to show how challenging it is after the Nick Saban-era, based on the optics and the perception,” Herbstreit said. “And they went into that environment … and Kentucky kept coming. I mean, they just kept playing them … I mean, Kentucky’s winning this game at halftime."
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As Herbstreit noted, Alabama was down 17-13 at halftime before seizing control of the game in the third quarter.
The situation wasn't helped by young quarterback Keelon Russell's turnovers, including a pick-six thrown inside Alabama's own 5-yard line.
That said, they rallied with the run game and reeled off 32 straight points, including 18 in the third quarter alone.
"Alabama, to their credit, you got an inexperienced quarterback, throws a couple picks, they’re on the road," Herbstreit said. "But Daniel Hill over 100 yards rushing, they took the crowd out of the game. Give Alabama all the credit because they did get tested and they did respond."
Having overcome a challenge like that early on in the season could pay dividends down the road, Herbstreit said.
"It’s all about growing in the non-conference and these early conference games, and that’s what Alabama did," he said. "So I feel a lot better about who Alabama is, only because of the environment that they were in, and because they were trailing in the first half on the road and had to respond.”
Galloway, for his part, was less enthused, simply because "it was Kentucky."
"Good job. You finished, you grew, but I think there's a lot more growth coming before I feel really good about Alabama," Galloway said.
Herbstreit, Galloway and the rest of the college football world will get another chance to learn about Alabama this weekend when the Crimson Tide hosts the Florida State Seminoles and attempts to get revenge for last year's season-opening loss.
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