Tuscaloosa, AL -- (Sports Network) - Glen Coffee ran for a career-high 218 yards and Alabama's only offensive touchdown, as the second-ranked Crimson Tide pulled out a hard-fought 17-14 victory over a tenacious Kentucky squad in a classic SEC battle.

John Parker Wilson wasn't much of a factor, hitting 7-of-17 passes for 106 yards and an interception for Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC), which was coming off a dominating road victory over then third-ranked Georgia last weekend. Julio Jones caught three balls for 52 yards, while Mark Ingram rushed for 66 yards on 11 carries.

The Crimson Tide's rushing defense was once again stingy, holding the Wildcats to a mere 35 yards on the ground. Rolando McClain punctuated the defensive effort with a fumble return for a touchdown in the win.

Mike Hartline was rattled through much of the afternoon for Kentucky (4-1, 0-1), connecting on just 20-of-42 passes for 241 yards with two touchdowns, an interception and a fumble, which was returned for a touchdown. Dicky Lyons hauled in six balls for 63 yards and a score for the Wildcats, who led the nation with a miniscule 5.5 points per game against entering the contest.

Kentucky remains winless against the Tide in 21 meetings in Alabama.

"I think we had a legitimate shot at them but they made those plays and we didn't," Kentucky head coach Rich Brooks said. "I was proud with the way our players went in there and battled back. I think we have a very good football team and I think we showed it at times. I also think we have some growing pains we need to work through."

After trailing 14-0 at the half, Kentucky got on the board thanks to back-to- back wide receiver screens in the third.

Derrick Locke took a quick toss from his right flanker position and jetted up the middle of the field for 36 yards. On the next play, Hartline found Lyons on the other side, as the receiver found a seam and scored from 26 yards out to make it a 14-7 game with 5:49 left in the third.

Kentucky got the ball right back after forcing 'Bama to punt, but Hartline was intercepted by Kareem Jackson in Alabama territory.

The Tide went to the ground on all eight plays of the ensuing possession, gaining 37 yards, but Leigh Tiffin was wide right with a 41-yard field goal attempt less than a minute into the final quarter.

When Nick Saban's group got the ball again, Coffee earned a tough first down on 4th-and-1 at the Kentucky 46 with just under six minutes left in the game.

Coffee nearly coughed up the ball two plays later, as he was caught from behind on a long run and fumbled the ball away. However, Kentucky couldn't corral the ball, which scooted out of bounds at the goal line and allowed Alabama to retain possession.

Tiffin knocked in a 24-yard kick to make it a two-score game with 2:12 remaining.

The Wildcats hung in despite the circumstances, as Hartline found an open DeMoreo Ford down the right sideline for a 48-yard touchdown with 40 ticks left.

The comeback did not come to fruition, as the onsides kick went out of bounds, allowing the Tide to hang on for the win.

Alabama got on the board five minutes into the game. A 40-yard pass play to Jones was nullified by a penalty, but on the very next play Coffee sliced through the right side of the line and sprinted 78 yards to pay dirt.

"We want to be able to go out in any game and control the running game," Coffee said. "When we can establish the run it sets the tone for us. The offensive line has been a huge factor for us all season long and they played great again today."

After Tiffin missed a field goal for 'Bama, Hartline lost control of an attempted screen pass. McClain was one of three Alabama players to cause pressure on the quarterback, as he scooped up the loose ball for a four-yard touchdown at the 1:02 mark of the first. Tiffin actually missed the extra point, but an offside call on Kentucky allowed the kicker to successfully nail the re-try.

Coffee fumbled inside the Wildcats' 10-yard line early in the second quarter, as Alabama held a relatively slim 14-0 lead into the locker room despite a lopsided 253-60 edge in first-half yardage.

"We're certainly happy to win, but we also put on a clinic today on how to keep the other team in the game," Alabama head coach Saban said. "We had 253 yards in the first half, so you can't really say we didn't play well. We didn't finish drives. We fumbled the ball inside the 10-yard line, we missed a field goal, so we left 10 points on the board. The defense did a good job in the first half and scored on defense, which was good."

Game Notes:

Alabama gets a much-needed week off before hosting Ole Miss on October 18, while Kentucky heads back to Lexington next weekend to battle South Carolina.. Kentucky has only beaten Alabama twice (1922 and 1997) as the Tide hold a 34-2-1 advantage in the all-time series...Alabama outgained the Wildcats, 388-276 and owned a near 10-minute edge in time of possession...Locke finished with team-highs of 28 rushing yards on six carries and 81 receiving yards on eight receptions.