Kentucky fans got their emotions deflated really quick against No. 12 Alabama on Saturday.

In the first half, Kentucky’s defense set the tone, scoring one touchdown and then putting the offense in scoring position. It led to Kentucky taking a 17-13 lead into the halftime mark before ultimately things turned for the worst.

In the second half, Kentucky’s collapse was fueled by a sack fumble by Kenny Minchey which Alabama took their first lead of the game on. Then, Kentucky turned it over on downs thanks to a fake punt from inside the Alabama 40-yard line that was unsuccessful.

That then led to yet another touchdown for the Crimson Tide and from there Alabama had full control and pulled away with no hesitation.

What went into the decision on the fake punt, one that had fans up in arms? Will Stein explained after the game.

“Listen, you play to win the game. I know that’s an old Herm Edwards quote, I believe, but it’s true,” Stein said. “You’ve got to be risky at times. If it worked, everybody would think it was great, if it didn’t, nobody thinks it’s great. It’s a decision that I made. We didn’t get it. That was disappointing not to get. But I felt it could spark us on offense and keep us on the field. We weren’t really changing the field in special teams as much as we would have hoped for. I felt like that was an opportunity to take advantage of what they showed.”

Unfortunately, the gamble did not pay off and it fed into what was the momentum Alabama needed to pull away from a Kentucky team searching for answers, trying to find a way to take back control of the game. Things snowballed in the second half and Alabama ended up outscoring Kentucky 32-0 on their way to a 45-17 win all while the Wildcats crumbled in front of a rowdy home atmosphere.

Fans have been asking why Stein chose to attempt a fake punt at such a crucial time in the game and in a not-so favorable spot on the field and Stein explained it pretty honestly if you ask me.

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