It will be the third meeting in history between the two foes. Kentucky defeated the Colonels 52-7 in 1998 and came away with a 51-10 win two years ago at Commonwealth Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.
Hood, who doubles as the Colonels' defensive coordinator, said his top concern is stopping Kentucky's Randall Cobb.
"They do a nice job getting him the ball in (different) formations and using the Wildcat (formation)," he said. "They use him at the wide receiver spot and get him the ball using reverses and fake the reverse to him and run the football."
As for the Colonels, Hood said his team is "three plays away from being 8-0" on the season and is optimistic about the future.
"We're a very young team," he said. "If we can finish strong, I'll be pleased with the year, because we are a young football team and our best football is ahead of us."
Eastern (5-3) opened the season with a 19-13 loss to Indiana in Bloomington, a loss that could have resulted in a mild upset for the Colonels. Although Hood's troops came close to beating the Hoosiers, the Eastern coach said his team can't rely on the performance for motivation or a sense of confidence.
"I doesn't hurt, but I don't think Indiana is Kentucky either," he said. "Big Ten football isn't SEC football either. But if our guys are standing on that (the performance at Indiana), we're not getting any points. They have to line up to play."
