The Kentucky Wildcats were facing an uphill battle as a heavy underdog against No. 1 Alabama on Saturday. According to reports, their faint hopes of a major road upset of the Crimson Tide have sustained an even bigger blow.

The Wildcats are reportedly thin at “two major decision groups”, reports UK insider Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio. What’s more, they will be without “one of [their] two best players on both offense and defense.”

Kentucky has played Alabama 40 times, with its all-time record against the Tide sitting at 2-37-1. Alabama has won the last 6 meetings between the 2 teams, including a 34-6 victory at Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Even at full strength, this game was already projected to be a struggle for the Wildcats, with the Crimson Tide a 30-point favorite in Vegas. With apparent absences at key spots of the Kentucky lineup, though, things stand a strong chance of being even more non-competitive between the two teams. We’re sure to get the specifics of those reported absences in due time.