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Kentucky football came up short 45-17 at home against No. 12 Alabama, surrendering 32 unanswered points after leading at the half. In the midst of that downward spiral, Kentucky football inadvertently expedited its own demise, attempting to convert a fake punt on 4th-and-3 on its own 32-yard line. The fake went to Henry Boyer, who charged up field, but was only able to get two of the three yards needed before being brought down by Alabama's QB Reese and Ivan Taylor. With that turnover on downs, Alabama, which had just taken its first lead of the day on the previous drive, was able to easily score in two plays after seemingly doing so in one. Daniel Hill took the ball and ran it 34-yards into the end zone before a replay revealed he'd stepped out at the 3-yard line. Ultimately, he'd get those three on the very next play to make it 31-17 after the Tide also converted a two-point play. After the game, though, Kentucky football head coach Will Stein defended the decision, acknowledging its role in solidifying the final, but recognizing that any spark was necessary. "You play to win the game," Stein said. "It was a one-score game. You gotta be risky at times. If it worked, everybody would think it was great. If it didn't, nobody thinks it's great. So, it's a decision that I made." With that, Stein took his defense further. He said he felt "really good" about the play going into the game and, when Alabama showed the look he was hoping for, there was no doubt in his mind it was necessary. But why? For that answer, it's worth looking at the rest of the game up to that point. Simply put, Kentucky's offense was dreadful. In the first half, despite leading, Kentucky only had 147 total yards of offense and was 1-8 on third-down conversion attempts. The Cats were getting an average of just 3.9 yards per play, which wasn't cutting it. Without some strong defensive play, there's no telling what the score would've looked like. As the defense began to feel fatigue and the offensive woes continued early in the third quarter, Stein was desperate to find a way to get the offense moving. "That was disappointing not to get, but I felt like it could spark us on offense to keep us on the field," he said. "We weren't really changing the field in special teams as much as we would have hoped for, so (I) felt like that was an opportunity to take advantage of what they showed." Put another way, it was a do-or-die kind of play, it just turned out that Kentucky died. Veteran defensive leader Ty Bryant, who is a career-Wildcat, wholeheartedly supported Stein's decision to take a risk in that spot, citing the same sentiments his coach did, only taking it a step further. "We needed something to spark up our team," Bryant said. "Spark up the crowd, spark up the fan base, get the momentum back on our side. I'm with him." By the time Kentucky attempted the play, the defense had been holding strong, but the Crimson Tide repeatedly chipped away at the UK advantage field goal after field goal. Then disaster struck. As Kenny Minchey was sacked for a loss in UK territory, he coughed up the football. Alabama not only recovered it, but turned that into an EJ Crowell touchdown to take the Tide's first lead of the day. Had Kentucky simply punted, momentum might have been lost forever. Failing the fake surely sunk the ship entirely, but attempting it at least gave the Cats a chance, no matter how unlikely it may have been. For Bryant, he understood that risk and embraced it. During his Kentucky tenure, primarily under Mark Stoops, he's witnessed countless opportunities for the Cats to be aggressive get thrown away and he's seen plenty of games lost because of that thinking. While he wouldn't say a negative word about his former teams, nor was he asked to, his feelings on the matter mirror his status as a hungry vet that hasn't had the success he may have hoped for in his career up to this point. "I mean, if he's (Stein) going to be aggressive," Bryant said. "Trust me, I'm 110% with him."