Kentucky isn’t talking like a team bracing for Alabama. It sounds more like a group that likes where its prep is headed.
Running back CJ Baxter said Wednesday’s session had the right kind of edge, following what the team calls Bloody Tuesday, the biggest work day of the week. He said, “Today we had a phenomenal practice,” and added, “Yesterday was what we call Bloody Tuesday. Just seeing the energy, everybody flying around.
“We know what it is: SEC game against Bama. Great opponent.
That’s why you come to schools like this to play, to play high-caliber talent. It’s an NFL game, at the end of the day, so we’re super excited for it.”
The term Bloody Tuesday was coined by Kirby Smart at Georgia, and Baxter wasn’t the only one around it. Javontae Barnes took part in that practice and again on Wednesday, and Will Stein expects the running back to be ready for Saturday.
Inside the locker room, the conversation doesn’t seem to be about Alabama’s name value so much as Kentucky’s own job description. LSU transfer Ahmad Breaux said he isn’t caught up in the usual David-versus-Goliath framing.
“I don’t really think of it like that too much, honestly. There are a lot of big names in the SEC, and I played them all at this point,” said LSU transfer Ahmad Breaux.
“It’s about what can we do right to stop the opponent? No matter what the brand name is, no matter if it’s Georgia, Alabama, or LSU.
It’s another man across from me at the end of the day, and I got to beat him.”
There’s respect there, sure. But there’s also a clear sense that Kentucky is approaching this like any other game that demands its best. Will Stein has pushed that belief, and Baxter said the group is buying into the idea that the right preparation can put them in position on Saturday.
“They have a lot of experience on that team as well. They bond with one another.
They’ve played games with one another,” Baxter said. “But games like this is about execution, physicality, so I’m super excited for it.”
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