Commonwealth Stadium

LEXINGTON  —  Derrick Locke didn’t repeat Ricky Lumpkin’s halftime speech that got Kentucky’s attention in a 38-20 win over Vanderbilt Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium. Locke, making his first appearance after missing the four previous games because of a shoulder injury, said Lumpkin, was fiery and vocal. “He gave us a speech we needed to hear and we responded,” Locke said of Lumpkin’s halftime address that came after the coaching staff left the locker room.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky completed its 2008 football schedule by adding in-state rival Western Kentucky. The Wildcats will host Western on Sept. 27 in Commonwealth Stadium. That's when Temple was originally scheduled to play the Wildcats before it opted out of the deal. Kentucky and Western, which was 7-5 last as it started its transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision, have never played in football. Western was 7-5 last year. The Hilltoppers have a strong local presence with six former area standouts on the roster.

Blue-White Game info When: Saturday, 1 p.m. Where: Commonwealth Stadium Format: Offense vs. defense Admission: Free Parking: Free Radio: WLAP (630 AM) |5/20/05|.

Kentucky's game against Louisville in Commonwealth Stadium Sept. 19 will start at noon and be televised by ESPNU. UK's season-opening game Sept. 5 at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati against Miami will also start at noon and be televised by ESPNU.

Kentucky's game at Florida Sept. 23 will be shown on ESPN. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. This will be Kentucky's second live national telecast of the season, as the opener at Louisville also was carried by ESPN. The Cats play Mississippi this Saturday at 6 p.m. in Commonwealth Stadium.

Hopewell named game captain Sophomore Andrew Hopewell has been named one of Kentucky's game captains for Saturday's 7 p.m. game against Murray State University at Commonwealth Stadium. Hopewell, a starter on Danville's 2000 and 2001 state championship teams, had three tackles in kickoff coverage against Louisville last week.

Kentucky's home game with Alabama Oct. 9 has been selected for live regional telecast by Jefferson-Pilot Sports as its "SEC Game of the Week. " Kickoff will be now be at 12:30 p.m. at Commonwealth Stadium. This will be Kentucky's third live network telecast of the season, as the Louisville and Florida games were on ESPN.

Stadium Gates: Commonwealth Stadium gates open two hours before game time. Security at Commonwealth Stadium: Every entry point into the stadium will have a security guard to check all bags and items entering the stadium. Once items have been approved, patrons will proceed into the stadium at ticket checkpoints. This policy is to ensure the safety of all fans and the security of the stadium and will remain the same throughout the 2005 season. Items which cannot be brought in the stadium include artificial noisemakers, glass containers, alcoholic beverages, aluminum containers, food, portable heaters, firearms, ice chests, bags of ice, large bags, oversize stadium seats, or any object considered dangerous to patrons in Commonwealth Stadium.

Admission and parking are free on a first-come, first-served basis for Kentucky’s Blue-White spring game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium. The Red, Blue and Green parking lots open at 8 a.m. Stadium gates 2, 3, 4, 9, 10 and 11 open at 1:30 p.m., and seating will be available in the north, west and south lower sections of the stadium. Verizon, the event sponsor, will be giving away sunglasses, lanyards or drawstring bags while supplies last at gates 4 and 9.

LEXINGTON - Rich Brooks deserves credit for calling out a fraction of fans for voicing their displeasure on the quarterback rotation Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium. After Randall Cobb had directed Kentucky to three touchdowns, including two on his own in a 38-3 domination over Norfolk State, Brooks reinserted starting quarterback Mike Hartline back into the lineup to start the second half. That's when a few fans decided to let their feelings be known to Brooks on the sideline.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky defensive line coach Jimmy Brumbaugh still remembers playing in Commonwealth Stadium when he was a freshman at Auburn in 1995 and UK had Mo Williams as its star running back. “I remember him being really good and my coach telling me about him. The first play he told me not to reach. I remember him (Williams) running through the hole. I reached out and he about tore my shoulder off. I can remember that even now,” said Brumbaugh. “I don't remember much more other than it was a night game.

LEXINGTON - If new Kentucky offensive coordinator Neal Brown is right, it won't take long for quarterbacks to learn his system. “It's really a simple system,” he said. “The first three days of spring practice we'll install the whole system. It's a system that the quarterbacks will be able to learn in a two to three week period while I'm gone recruiting. They can watch some videos and really have a good idea of what we want to do when I get back.” Three days and have the whole system in?

LEXINGTON - During his 23 years at the University of Kentucky, Joker Phillips has always tried to do what was best for the program as a player, assistant coach and head coach. That's why he says it was “hard” for him to decide to coach the final two games after he was fired Sunday with a 12-23 record in three years. “I don't want to be a distraction, I don't. I've had my Senior Day. I don't want an open casket. I don't want to be somebody's centerpiece. My grandmother-in-law, that's one of the things she said and I get that now,” said Phillips.

LEXINGTON - In his first two seasons at Kentucky, linebacker Avery Williamson was used to seeing capacity crowds - or near capacity - at Commonwealth Stadium when the Wildcats played. This year, that has changed dramatically thanks in part to UK's 1-6 record going into Saturday night's game against Georgia. “You can tell, you can sense it if they (the stands) are really full or not,” said Williamson, who ranks third in the Southeastern Conference in tackles per game (9.7). “That is just part of it. You have to take it.” After last week's 49-7 loss at Arkansas, when Kentucky trailed 42-0 at halftime, the Wildcats could have an even smaller crowd at the Georgia game.

LEXINGTON - The Kentucky football team will honor recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Dermontti Dawson on Oct. 20 with Dermontti Dawson Day at Commonwealth Stadium when the Wildcats face Georgia. Dawson, who played at Kentucky from 1984-87, will sign autographs in the Wildcat Refuge two hours before the 7 p.m. kickoff. Dawson will be honored on the field during the game, while the first 10,000 fans in the stadium will receive a Dermontti Dawson rally towel. Dawson spent his entire professional career playing playing center for the Pittsburgh Steelers and was a six-time All-Pro selection.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky football coach Joker Phillips is counting on a lot of freshmen to carry the load for his team at the midway point of the season. One of those newcomers - punter Landon Foster - has been a consistent performer for the Wildcats and turned in a solid outing in Kentucky's 27-14 loss to Mississippi State Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium. Foster had eight punts for 350 yards, an average of 43.8 yards per kick against the Bulldogs, including a 56-yarder in the first quarter.

Earlier this week, Western Kentucky University football coach Willie Taggart criticized students in Bowling Green who like to wear blue and white University of Kentucky attire. Regardless of the reasoning, Taggart wasn't happy. Maybe he was trying to get students in Bowling Green to show pride in their school. Maybe he was fired up about his team's contest against Kentucky Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium. For whatever reason, Taggart voiced his concern over his next opponent's uniform color and students who chose to wear Kentucky attire on campus during game week in Bowling Green.

LOUISVILE - Daryl Collins is catching on to Kentucky's offensive scheme. Collins, a redshirt freshman from Gadsden, Ala., had seven catches for 64 yards in his debut with the Wildcats Sunday in a 32-14 setback to Louisville at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Collins made a name for himself during preseason workouts and gave Kentucky quarterback Max Smith an added option in the passing game in the opener for both teams. Collins hauled in a 22-yard reception from Smith and was the team's second leading receiver in catches and yards behind senior LaRod King, who had hauled in eight passes for 77 yards in the loss to the Cardinals.

LEXINGTON¿ - Joker Phillips is excited about his football team. Before anyone could get the first question in during Kentucky's annual Media Day Friday at Commonwealth Stadium, Phillips took it upon himself to list the reasons why he can't wait to begin his third season as coach of the Wildcats. For starters, Phillips has a roster stocked with leaders - a list Phillips said has blossomed in the past eight months. “We have sat down and talked about who we thought were some of our leaders, and since January, that list has grown,” he said.