Kentucky head coach Will Stein has called on the Wildcats' fanbase to create a hostile atmosphere for No. 12 Alabama's visit to Kroger Field on Saturday. Stein, speaking on Kentucky Sports Radio, urged fans to arrive early, stand, and "scream obscenities" at the opposing team.
"I want them in there 45 to 30 minutes before, in their seat, standing up, screaming obscenities at our opponent, making them feel very unwanted in Kroger Field and creating an environment of excellence for Kentucky football," Stein said. "I mean, that’s what it’s about. You want to see a great product on the field. I want to see insane fans in the stands as well."
Stein, in his first year as head coach, also suggested that fans "sneak a flask in" and "get your drinks ready" before returning to their seats quickly after consuming them. He believes that fan energy directly impacts game performance.
"One thing we tell our guys: volume reflects confidence, right?," Stein explained. "If you answer a question very timidly, you’re not very confident. If you answer it with, you know, some voice and some bass, you’re confident. So that’s what I want our fans to know. Like, when they do that, it just speaks confidence to us. It speaks confidence to our opponent. It obviously disrupts the communication from the quarterback, from the playcaller, from the offensive line, creates false starts, creates penalties, delays of game. The more we can get at that, the better off we’re going to be."
The Wildcats are coming off a 45-13 victory over Youngstown State in their Week 1 matchup. Alabama, under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer, secured a 48-10 win against East Carolina in their season opener.
