WKU players say Cats can't handle Alabama
LEXINGTON ? Most of Western Kentucky?s players liked what they saw from Kentucky, but don?t think the Wildcats will be able to match up with No. 8 Alabama.
?Alabama is not a joke,? Western quarterback A.J. Black said. ?Alabama is tough. They?ve been blanking everybody.?
Kentucky takes on the Crimson Tide in its conference opener this Saturday in a nationally-televised contest in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide is 2-0 in the SEC after its win over Georgia on Saturday and 5-0 overall in Nick Saban?s second season as coach.
Black said Saban?s presence in Tuscaloosa is the biggest difference between Alabama and Kentucky.
?Nick Saban is getting the job done down there,? he said. ?It starts at the top and it filters down.?
The Hilltoppers, who are making the transition to Division I-A, played Alabama on Sept. 13 in Tuscaloosa and had a hard time moving the ball against Saban?s squad.
Western managed 158 total yards against Alabama and had just 42 yards rushing in a 41-7 loss.
Against the Wildcats, the Hilltoppers had a season-low 157 total yards and were held to 15 yards passing.
Despite the numbers between the two teams that indicate a possible close encounter next week, former Lincoln County standout Braxton Miller said Kentucky ?wasn?t even close? to Alabama.
?To me personally, I didn?t think Kentucky was that good,? Miller said.
Western running back Bobby Rainey, who led all rushers with 99 yards, including 96 in the opening half, had 11 yards against Alabama on four carries.
Rainey didn?t play at Alabama, but impressed the Western coaching staff with 144 all-purpose yards, including a 92-yard kickoff return to set up a touchdown in a 50-9 win over Murray State last week. He got the bulk of the carries Saturday as well.
Rainey was impressed with Kentucky?s defense, but he still gives Alabama the edge.
?Alabama is bigger and faster,? he said. ?We didn?t have good rushing yards against Alabama, but if you look at it against Kentucky, we did. We moved the ball, but they made plays, but we couldn?t punch it in.?
Because of an injury, Black didn?t play against Alabama, but liked Kentucky?s defense, especially its pass rush, which had four sacks against Western.
?They were consistent and the tackles gave a good push every play,? he said. ?They were consistently giving us problems in the passing game. They were better than I thought. They were an SEC team, and on film, I didn?t think they were a usual SEC team.?
Black said Kentucky?s defense set the tone in the first quarter.
?Every step I made, they were in my face,? he said. ?They are as good as advertised. Their defensive line is good. It all starts up front. They were in my face all day. They came to play.?
Tristan Jones in a 30-yard touchdown pass for Western?s only score at Alabama. Jones didn?t have a catch against the Wildcats and said they were impressive, but he said Alabama is quicker on both sides of the ball.
?They?re both good teams,? Jones said. ?Kentucky is young, but Alabama has a hand on them. Alabama has more speed and experience.?
Rainey said Kentucky would need to come out prepared in order to be successful against the Crimson Tide, who will likely move up in the rankings from No. 8 following their win over Georgia.
?They came in thinking it was a rollover game,? Rainey said. ?There?s no comparison between them and Alabama. You can?t beat Alabama.?
LEXINGTON ? Most of Western Kentucky?s players liked what they saw from Kentucky, but don?t think the Wildcats will be able to match up with No. 8 Alabama.
?Alabama is not a joke,? Western quarterback A.J. Black said. ?Alabama is tough. They?ve been blanking everybody.?
Kentucky takes on the Crimson Tide in its conference opener this Saturday in a nationally-televised contest in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide is 2-0 in the SEC after its win over Georgia on Saturday and 5-0 overall in Nick Saban?s second season as coach.
Black said Saban?s presence in Tuscaloosa is the biggest difference between Alabama and Kentucky.
?Nick Saban is getting the job done down there,? he said. ?It starts at the top and it filters down.?
The Hilltoppers, who are making the transition to Division I-A, played Alabama on Sept. 13 in Tuscaloosa and had a hard time moving the ball against Saban?s squad.
Western managed 158 total yards against Alabama and had just 42 yards rushing in a 41-7 loss.
Against the Wildcats, the Hilltoppers had a season-low 157 total yards and were held to 15 yards passing.
Despite the numbers between the two teams that indicate a possible close encounter next week, former Lincoln County standout Braxton Miller said Kentucky ?wasn?t even close? to Alabama.
?To me personally, I didn?t think Kentucky was that good,? Miller said.
Western running back Bobby Rainey, who led all rushers with 99 yards, including 96 in the opening half, had 11 yards against Alabama on four carries.
Rainey didn?t play at Alabama, but impressed the Western coaching staff with 144 all-purpose yards, including a 92-yard kickoff return to set up a touchdown in a 50-9 win over Murray State last week. He got the bulk of the carries Saturday as well.
Rainey was impressed with Kentucky?s defense, but he still gives Alabama the edge.
?Alabama is bigger and faster,? he said. ?We didn?t have good rushing yards against Alabama, but if you look at it against Kentucky, we did. We moved the ball, but they made plays, but we couldn?t punch it in.?
Because of an injury, Black didn?t play against Alabama, but liked Kentucky?s defense, especially its pass rush, which had four sacks against Western.
?They were consistent and the tackles gave a good push every play,? he said. ?They were consistently giving us problems in the passing game. They were better than I thought. They were an SEC team, and on film, I didn?t think they were a usual SEC team.?
Black said Kentucky?s defense set the tone in the first quarter.
?Every step I made, they were in my face,? he said. ?They are as good as advertised. Their defensive line is good. It all starts up front. They were in my face all day. They came to play.?
Tristan Jones in a 30-yard touchdown pass for Western?s only score at Alabama. Jones didn?t have a catch against the Wildcats and said they were impressive, but he said Alabama is quicker on both sides of the ball.
?They?re both good teams,? Jones said. ?Kentucky is young, but Alabama has a hand on them. Alabama has more speed and experience.?
Rainey said Kentucky would need to come out prepared in order to be successful against the Crimson Tide, who will likely move up in the rankings from No. 8 following their win over Georgia.
?They came in thinking it was a rollover game,? Rainey said. ?There?s no comparison between them and Alabama. You can?t beat Alabama.?
