Kentucky Readies for "Rumble at the River"

The Kentucky vs. Miami University football game, to be played on Sept. 5 in Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium, was branded as the “Rumble at the River” during a news conference at the stadium Tuesday afternoon.

UK Coach Rich Brooks and MU Coach Mike Haywood spoke of their excitement about the season-opening contest and the special game logo was unveiled... seen above.

Here are some selected quotes from Coach Brooks:

Opening statement …
“We are very excited to play this game. We are well aware of the history of Miami and I know about the great teams they have had in the past. I am a little leery and nervous since Coach Haywood is new, which means we will not have a lot of game film on him. They will have a new offense and defense. It will be a difficult opener at a neutral site. Hopefully, we will have at least half of the stadium in blue and white. It is a great venue and I want to thank Mike (Brown, Cincinnati Bengals president) for allowing this to happen at Paul Brown Stadium. I think this is a win-win for Miami and Kentucky … The experience for our fans to get to watch a football game in such a fine venue will be genuinely exciting. I think our fans are as excited to come here as Miami’s fans are to come here and spend the day and evening in Cincinnati. We are looking forward to it and I think our team is excited about the opportunity. We know we are in for a heck of a football game.”

On getting the teams together …
“I think that this game was in the works for a while. There were several options that I can’t speak to. This is a thing that we have pursued and as I mentioned this is a win-win situation for Miami and a win-win situation for us. We are very happy to play in such an outstanding venue.”

The players’ reaction about the opportunity to play in an NFL stadium …
“I know this is an outstanding venue. Many of our players have driven by it or been in it and now they get to play in it. I would assume it will be packed and it should be a great environment, not only for young players but for the veterans as well. We will all enjoy the experience.”

On preparing for the game …
“We don’t know a lot about Miami from a personnel standpoint but we do know that schematically they will be playing a completely new system. One of the things that we try to do is get a gauge of what they would run schematically by looking at game film. Overall, as much as anything, I think this game will be played on a lot of emotion. Miami will be excited to come into this venue to open up its season against a Southeastern Conference team and we will have to match that emotion and be ready to play. We have had some good success the last couple of years in our non-conference schedule and we have a lot to live up to. If you want to be in postseason play then every game counts and every game is critically important. That is one of the things that our teams have really understood in recent years. Every year is a new start and a new challenge. We had better bring our lunch pail because we are going to be in for a dogfight.”

On helping recruiting by playing in Cincinnati …
“It helps us because there is so much talent in the greater Cincinnati area. We have some players on our team from Ohio and we need to do a better job in that area, especially in Cincinnati. It is tough for us recruiting as the northern-most team in the SEC because we are moving into Big 10 country. As much as anything we need to sell the University of Kentucky and the SEC. This is an opportunity for some prospects to see us play in a local venue.”

As a MAC fan, I'm thrilled that the conference will once again get a showcase sort of game. However, as a Kentucky fan, I'm nervous. The MAC has a long history of knocking off BCS conference teams who may not be considered traditional BCS powers (See: BG vs. Pitt, Ball State vs. Indiana, etc.) and Kentucky has a bit of a checkered past in "should win" sort of games.

Regardless of the outcome, the game itself should be good exposure for both teams, great opportunity for the players to suit up in an NFL stadium and square off against a quality opponent. Football is right smack around the corner, and the next several months will be AGONIZING as we wait for the curtain to fall on the 09 season.