LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) -Alabama linebacker Rolando McClain has a message for everyone trying to compare the third-ranked Crimson Tide to No. 1 Florida: Get a life.
“We’re not Florida, Florida’s not us,” McClain said. “They do what they do and we do what we do. They’re a great team and we’re just trying to make a name for ourselves.”
Still, the comparisons are inviting, particularly now. A week after the Gators rolled over Kentucky, the Crimson Tide (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) get a crack at the Wildcats (2-1, 0-1).
ould be enough.
“There’s really no comparison in my mind,” he said. “They played them and they beat them. We’re going to try to beat them.”
It’s something the Crimson Tide have done with stunning regularity against the Wildcats. Alabama leads the all-time series 34-2-1 and has lost in Lexington just once since 1922.
Kentucky coach Rich Brooks just laughed when asked if the Crimson Tide were as good as the Gators.
“They’re not any worse,” Brooks said. “Alabama is as good as Florida, just in a different way. … They have no weakness. They could be the No. 1 team in the nation. After it’s all said and done, they might be.”
Facing an opponent with a long history of dominance over his program is nothing new to Brooks. Kentucky got rolled by Florida last weekend for the 23rd straight time.
Now his team has to try and bounce back against a team Brooks figures is every bit the equal of the Gators.
“Aren’t I lucky?” he deadpanned when asked about the brutal back-to-back.
It may take more than luck for the Wildcats to hang with the Crimson Tide.
mpaign on his quarterback’s behalf.
McElroy and the rest of the offense have had little trouble taking care of opponents. Alabama has put up at least 498 yards in three of its four games and is thriving on the kind of diversity it lacked a year ago.
Running back Mark Ingram and true freshman Trent Richardson give Alabama arguably the best one-two backfield punch in the country. Marquis Maze’s development at receiver means opponents can’t double-team star Julio Jones.
“They do a good job of spreading the ball around so you can’t really focus on a particular guy,” Brooks said. “Although if you don’t focus on Jones you are kind of crazy because he can gash you in a hurry.”
Maybe, but the Wildcats were able to hold Jones in check a year ago, hanging tough before falling 17-14. Given the string of stunning upsets in recent weeks that have wreaked havoc on the polls in recent weeks, Alabama remains wary.
“We take it upon ourselves to stay focused,” said Alabama center William Vlachos. “Hopefully (getting upset) won’t happen. We’ve got to do what we do.”
Saban has praised his team for it’s ability not to get caught looking ahead, though he admits the Crimson Tide are right where they want to be heading into the meat of their schedule: undefeated and in the hunt for a national title.
He’s also only too aware of how one misstep can ruin the season.
and you’ve got to have an aggressive mindset and can’t think, ‘I don’t want to mess up, so I’m going to play to keep from getting beat here,”’ Saban said. “Then the next thing you know the other team is more aggressive and you’re not playing your game and not doing the things that you need to do.”
Kentucky doesn’t have such lofty goals. A win on Saturday would likely qualify as their national championship moment. It won’t be easy, but after enduring “15 minutes of shame” by spotting Florida a 31-0 lead in the first quarter, the Wildcats are eager to move on.
“We always talk about how we need to compete,” said Kentucky defensive lineman Ricky Lumpkin. “We are not showing that by losing to the same teams over and over again. We have to change that.”
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