page_title: 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
section_title: Kentucky
hierarchical_section_title: 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team / Game summaries / Kentucky
caption_attribution_description: English: Bryant-Denny Stadium during the fourth quarter of a game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Kentucky Wildcats.
context_page_description: The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 114th overall season, 75th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 17th within the SEC Western Division. The team was led by head coach Nick Saban, in his second year, and played their home games at Bryant–Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
  Alabama finished with an undefeated 12–0 regular season, their first since 1994, and won their first SEC Western Division Championship since 1999. They finished the season with a record of 12–2 after losses to Florida in the SEC Championship Game and to Utah in the Sugar Bowl.
  The Crimson Tide opened the season with an upset victory over No. 9 Clemson in the inaugural Chick-fil-A College Kickoff. After the win, Alabama returned home where they defeated non-conference opponents Tulane and WKU before they traveled to Fayetteville and defeated Arkansas for their first conference win of the season. The next week, The Crimson Tide upset No. 3 Georgia at Athens and moved into the No. 2 ranking.
context_section_description: The Crimson Tide entered their game against the Kentucky Wildcats as the No. 2 ranked team in America, their highest ranking in fifteen years, and escaped with a 17–14 victory. After early stalled drives from each team, Alabama began their first successful drive with 12:25 left in the first quarter. Glen Coffee ran ahead for a short, 3-yard gain, and on the next play, John Parker Wilson connected with Julio Jones for a 40-yard pass; however, the play was negated following a penalty. On the next play, Coffee rushed through the middle of the line for a 78-yard touchdown, his second longest and fifth rushing touchdown of the season. With under two minutes to go, Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline fumbled while attempting a pass, which Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain recovered and returned four yards for a touchdown. Leigh Tiffin missed the extra point, though after an offside penalty, he was given another attempt which he converted. After both offenses failed to score in the second quarter, Alabama took a 14–0 lead into the halftime break.
  Halfway into the third quarter, Kentucky's offense finally got on the scoreboard when Hartline connected on a 26-yard touchdown pass to Dicky Lyons, Jr. Once more, both offenses were unable to move the ball for rest of the third quarter. Early in the fourth quarter, Alabama began their second-to-last drive with 11:10 remaining, defending a 14–7 lead. The drive included twelve rushing attempts and a pass to Julio Jones, as Alabama moved the ball 81 yards in just over eight minutes. After a delay of game penalty, Leigh Tiffin connected on the game-winning, 24-yard field goal which gave Alabama a 17–7 lead. With 2:12 remaining, Hartline and the Kentucky offense again took the field. After a mix of successful and incomplete passes, Kentucky faced a 3rd-and-10 on the Crimson Tide 48-yard line. A 48-yard touchdown pass from Hartline to receiver DeMoreo Ford cut the Alabama lead to three. A failed onside kick attempt ended Kentucky's hope for a comeback, as Alabama escaped with a 17–14 victory.
  Despite the lack of offensive points, Alabama running back Glen Coffee rushed for a season-high 218 yards on 25 attempts, including a touchdown and two fumbles. The 218 yards gained by Coffee was the most by an Alabama rusher since Shaun Alexander in 1996. The victory improved Alabama's all-time record against the Wildcats to 34–2–1.
caption: The interior of Bryant-Denny Stadium during the fourth quarter.
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