"Defensively, they are still one of the premier teams in the country.”

Excerpts From Kentucky press conference on December 2:

Kentucky Head Coach Rich Brooks

On if he has ever coached against Florida State’s Bobby Bowden

“No, I have not. We’ve known each other since 1980. In fact all of the old guys, Joe Paterno, Rich Brooks and Bobby Bowden, we went on the initial Nike trip way back when Nike started getting into football and having associations with college coaches. We’ve known one another for that period of time. To me, he (Bowden) is obviously one of the coaching icons in college football. He is currently the number-one leader in all-time wins in Division I football.”

On playing against Florida State

“Like I said, we’re playing a quality opponent that has the tradition and history that Florida State has. It’s a nationally recognized football team. They’ve had national championships, and great seasons upon great seasons. They’ve played in 26 straight bowl games. That’s a few. We’re working on our 12th bowl game in school history, and second in a row. We would like that streak to obviously continue. We’re excited to play a team with the tradition Bobby Bowden has built for that team, a team that has basically been his creation.”

On the play of Florida State

“Speed, speed, and more speed. I think if you look back 20 years ago, they were fast before anybody else was fast all over the place. They brought a new dimension, to me, speed on the defensive side of the ball. They’ve been, historically, one of the great teams for producing pro football players. They have had explosive offenses in the past. They still have great ability on the offensive side. Defensively, they are still one of the premier teams in the country.”