Stoops says ASU has earned Wildcats' respect

LEXINGTON, Kentucky -- The statistics don’t paint a pretty picture. And that’s why Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said his team can’t afford to overlook Alabama State when the Hornets visit Commonwealth Stadium for the first time this weekend.

“I wouldn’t think our players would feel overconfident about anybody we’re playing,” Stoops said in his weekly news conference on Monday afternoon. “We’ve taken the approach (that) we’re worried about ourselves. I can see our players doing that. I think we’re trying to get better as a program. They (Alabama State) should be feeling good about themselves. They’ve won six games in a row.”

The two teams step out of conference play for a rare meeting between the Football Championship Subdivision Hornets and a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent. This will mark only the fourth time in program history Alabama State has faced an FBS program: 2006 against Troy (0-38), 2008 against UAB (10-45) and 2011 against Eastern Michigan (7-14). But this is the best ASU team of the four.

“A lot of people may see us as an underdog, but it’s a chance for us to go up there and show what we’ve got,” ASU quarterback Daniel Duhart said. “We’re not going to back down at all. Hopefully, we can go up there and make it a game and get a win.”

CONTINUE READING