Kentucky football will be playing under the lights in Mark Stoops' first season as head coach.

On Tuesday, ESPN announced that it selected UK's game at Mississippi State to be its College Football Thursday Primetime game on Oct. 24. The matchup in Starkville, Miss., will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The timing works out well based on UK's schedule. Teams often face a short week of preparation leading into Thursday night games, but the Wildcats have a bye week leading into the primetime showdown following a game against national champion Alabama on Oct. 12. Mississippi State also has a bye week prior to the Thursday game following the Bulldogs' outing against Bowling Green.

The game is UK's first on a Thursday since 2011 vs. Western Kentucky University and first Southeastern Conference game on Thursday since 2007 at South Carolina. From the release announcing the game, here is UK's history of six previous Thursday night contests on the ESPN family of networks.

• On Sept. 23, 1993, Kentucky scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to notch a come-from-behind 21-17 win at South Carolina.  Randy Wyatt scored on a 64-yard run with 11:47 to play and Michael Woodfork put the Wildcats ahead with a one-yard plunge with 4:55 left.  The Wildcat defense stopped USC's final two possessions on a fumble recovery and an interception in the end zone.  The win was viewed as a turning point of the season as the Wildcats eventually advanced to the 1993 Peach Bowl.
• On Sept. 29, 1994, Auburn took control early in defeating the Wildcats, 44-14, at Auburn.
• On Nov. 4, 1999, Mississippi State kicker Scott Westerfield nailed a 45-yard field goal with five seconds remaining to give the Bulldogs a 23-22 win in Starkville.  It was a heartbreaking loss for the Wildcats, who were one win away from bowl eligibility and also missed a chance to upset the undefeated Bulldogs.  UK bounced back, however, with a win at Vanderbilt that sent the Cats to the Music City Bowl.
• On Oct. 9, 2003, Kentucky trailed 27-7 in the fourth quarter at South Carolina.  Shane Boyd, subbing for the injured Jared Lorenzen, led two touchdown drives to pull within 27-21.  The Cats got the ball back late in the game but South Carolina held on for the win.
• On Oct. 4, 2007, in a matchup of top-20 teams, host South Carolina bested Kentucky, 38-23, handing the Wildcats their first loss of the season. UK recovered in its next game and dispatched No. 1-ranked LSU.
• On Sept. 1, 2011, Kentucky opened the season with a 14-3 win against WKU at Nashville's LP Field.  The Wildcat defense allowed only a field goal, while Josh Clemens ran for a 14-yard touchdown and Morgan Newton threw a 31-yard TD pass to La'Rod King.

Fans continue to snap up tickets to Kentucky football's annual Blue/White Spring Game at a record rate.

Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart tweeted that 30,999 tickets had been distributed to the event as of 9 a.m. ET on Monday. With still another week before tickets become available to the general public, the 1987 spring game record attendance of 20,700 seems all but certain to fall.

To take things a step further, UK could be among the top schools nationally in 2013 spring game attendance if last year is any indication.

Only 14 BCS universities reported attendance of more than 30,000 at 2012 spring games according to SportsBusinessDaily.com, eight of which were from the Southeastern Conference. An attendance of 30,999 in 2012 would have ranked between Notre Dame and Clemson with many schools not far ahead. Texas ranked fourth in spring game attendance at 46,000 and at the rate tickets are going, that number doesn't seem entirely out of the realm of possibility. Last year's top three schools in terms of spring game attendance were Ohio State (81,112), Alabama (78,526) and Penn State (60,000).

If you are a season ticket holder, check your email to find the spring game code then obtain tickets in one of the following ways:

• Online at TicketMaster.com, by clicking here.
• By calling TicketMaster at 800-745-3000
• In person at TicketMaster outlets in Kentucky
• NOTE: Tickets are free but there is a small service charge per ticket

UK students may obtain free tickets at the Joe Craft Center Ticket Office. Students may pick up two tickets per ID between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.

If you are neither a student nor a season ticket holder, spring game tickets will be distributed to the general public beginning on March 11.

Tickets to Kentucky's annual Blue/White Spring Game have been available for just a matter of hours, but the 2013 spring game already appears destined to set an attendance record.

Beginning at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, season ticket holders were able to reserve up to eight tickets through Ticketmaster using an emailed code. During the same time, UK students have been able to pick up tickets at the Joe Craft Center Ticket Office with their student IDs. By 3:40 p.m., 22,189 tickets had been claimed, up more than 4,000 tickets from just three hours prior.

In perhaps the clearest sign yet of the enthusiasm injected into the UK fan base by the arrival of Mark Stoops, that number of 20,700 would set at all-time record for attendance at a UK football spring game. Attendance at the 1987 edition of the event was estimated at 20,235 in 1987. Even more remarkably, tickets don't become available to the general public until March 11 at 9 a.m.

Don't think coaches and players aren't taking notice.

#BBN CAN WE TOP 25K ON DAY 1? THE #BBN IS AMAZING AND THAT IS WHAT THE RECRUITS ARE LEARNING! #UKSTOOPSTROOPS

-- Mark Stoops (@UKCoachStoops) February 28, 2013

#BBNApril 13th is going to be exciting!It will be a great atmosphere for our fans and recruits!LET"S PACK THE HOUSE! #UKStoopsTroops

-- Mark Stoops (@UKCoachStoops) February 28, 2013

A challenge to the best fans in all of college sports.. #BBN PACK COMMONWEALTH! #SpringGame13

-- Maxwell Smith (@Maxwe11uk) February 28, 2013

Great start to spring game tickets sales. Lets fill up Commonwealth! #BBN

-- Neal Brown (@UKCoachBrown) February 28, 2013

Spring Game is gonna be ROCKING!! Great job #BBN - keep it going!#StoopsTroops #sellout

-- Tommy Mainord (@CoachMainordUK) February 28, 2013

In spite of unprecedented demand, there is still plenty of time to join in. If you are a season ticket holder, check your email to find the spring game code then obtain tickets in one of the following ways:

• Online at TicketMaster.com, by clicking here.
• By calling TicketMaster at 800-745-3000
• In person at TicketMaster outlets in Kentucky
• NOTE: Tickets are free but there is a small service charge per ticket

On Tuesday we showed you this video to introduce the new High Performance program introduced at Kentucky by head coach Mark Stoops. Today, take a look at the video below to get a better look at what the Wildcats are going through during winter workouts.

New football coach Mark Stoops brought with him to Kentucky a first-of-its-kind High Performance program to be led by Erik Korem. Hear about it from Korem himself and see what a workout looks like in this video.

On Sunday, 16 members of the Kentucky football team surprised two Special Olympics basketball teams. The Lexington Defenders and Lexington Wildcats thought they were having a normal practice at the Immanuel Baptist Church ROC center, but in walked a group of football players led by fullback Cody Jones.

Jones organized the event after he met Lexington Wildcats head coach Dave Wickstrom in a Special Eduction class. He was joined by 15 of his teammates, including Jalen Whitlow, Tristian Johnson, Daron Blaylock and A.J. Legree.

The football players and athletes scrimmaged, with the Division-I student-athletes getting all they could handle. Afterward, the football players took questions and posed for pictures.

Though the Special Olympians certainly enjoyed having their visitors, the football players felt like they got even more out of the experience. The Special Olympics of Kentucky website has the story:

Jones found the experience humbling.

"I know (the Special Olympics athletes) are excited," he said, "but just to see what those guys go through on a daily basis and to be able come out here and smile and laugh and enjoy themselves, it's a very humbling experience for us and we're tickled that they're glad we're here."

Jones was asked by one of the media members who came out to cover the appearance what it was like to be looked up to as heroes by the Special Olympics athletes, but he wasn't so sure who was looking up to whom.

"It was feeling more like celebrities when we walked in," Jones said. "But these guys are the real heroes. The stuff they go through every day and just come out here and live their life the way they do? They're the real heroes."

The group of UK players that came out was a mix of older faces and newcomers. In fact, even in a group that included quarterback Jalen Whitlow, with many of the Special Olympics athletes being pro wrestling fans, Steve Borden -- a junior college transfer tight end who hasn't played yet for Kentucky, but whose father is former professional wrestling champion Sting - may have been the most popular guy in the building.

There are many more details about the visit in that story, so make sure to check it out. Also, here's a photo gallery.

Link: Members of football team visit Special Olympians

FRANKFORT, Ky. - Governor Steve Beshear - joined by UK President Eli Capilouto and state legislative leaders - signed into law House Bill 7 today.

The legislation, which received broad bipartisan support, authorizes the University of Kentucky to move forward with $275 million in self-financed projects that will help accelerate the transformation of Kentucky's flagship campus.

In all, 11 major construction projects at six state universities, including dormitory renovations, new student centers, and athletic facility improvements will soon be underway thanks to the quick passage of a bill that allows the schools to issue bonds for project financing - all at no cost to Kentucky taxpayers.

In total, the law authorizes $363.3 million in agency bonds by Kentucky's public universities for campus improvements supported by university revenues.

The bonds will have an estimated economic impact of nearly $623 million and will support 5,110 jobs.  Each university will issue the bonds over the coming months.

"Because of our universities' continued good stewardship during tough financial times, approving the use of agency bonds makes good sense for our schools and for our taxpayers," said Gov. Beshear. "The bonds will meet the growing needs of our universities with no impact on the General Fund, as they will be paid for through existing revenue streams such as student fees and athletic revenues.  Our students need adequate classrooms, housing and facilities, and the issuance of these bonds will accelerate those projects."

The University of Kentucky plans to issue bonds for three separate projects, and will utilize athletic revenues to help pay for construction of an academic building, which is a first for a Kentucky university.  Athletics will fund $65 million of a $100 million, 263,000-square-foot Academic Science Building, where Donovan Residence Hall currently sits. The current Chemistry-Physics Building is the second most used facility on campus, but is not equipped with modern or technology-rich classroom and laboratory space. Private fund-raising efforts also will be utilized.


"With their strong show of faith in the creative approach we are taking to funding our future, Governor Beshear and our legislature have signaled support not only for three building projects, but for the University of Kentucky's pivotal role in helping create a brighter tomorrow for our Commonwealth," said UK President Eli Capilouto. "We will honor their support by using this investment to earn our way forward so that we educate even more of tomorrow's leaders and extend groundbreaking discoveries in ways that enhance communities across Kentucky."

Legislators who supported the new law were effusive in praising the bipartisan support and the creative approach being taken by universities:

"House Bill 7 is a wonderful example of how bipartisan governing should work. The bill is a result of consensus and will benefit both higher education and taxpayers," said Senate President Robert Stivers.

"House Bill 7 shows what can happen when we all come together to move Kentucky forward," said House Speaker Greg Stumbo. "These projects will go a long way to modernizing our public universities, and I want to thank Gov. Beshear and the college presidents for their work in helping to make this possible."

"I was proud to sponsor House Bill 7 and work alongside Gov. Beshear, Kentucky's college presidents, and my colleagues in the House and Senate to get this passed as quickly as we did," said Rep. Rick Rand, of Bedford. "This will help our students, and provide some much needed job development and growth."

Read more about the projects at: www.BBNunited.com; Follow @BBNunited on Twitter; Like BBNunited on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BBNUnited.

Via UKNow

As ESPN's lead analyst for college football, Kirk Herbstreit knows all about the challenges Kentucky football faces in trying to climb the ladder in the nation's toughest conference. But he also thinks UK hired the right man for the job in Mark Stoops.

"I've known him for the last 12 or 13 years and I've just always appreciated how competitive he is--and I think it's infectious. I think it affects his staff and it affects his players," Herbstreit told "The Leach Report" radio show Monday. "I do think his leadership will affect his team. And I think people that play for him are going to believe he's giving them the best plan (to succeed)."

Herbstreit said he and Stoops talk on a weekly basis and Herbstreit says being in the Southeastern Conference plus having the talent-rich state of Ohio on the northern border of Kentucky means Stoops has the ability to upgrade recruiting. We certainly saw that happen in UK's latest signing class but Herbstreit says the thing that really validate all of this enthusiasm for Kentucky football is to have success on Saturdays this fall.

"I think it can happen within a year," he said. "Number one, you get a great recruiting class. Then, that's got to carry over into spring and summer. And the best way I've seen coaches be able to change the culture is to have success on Saturdays in the fall. It makes it a little easier to say, 'We told you if you do this, you're going to see if pay off for you.' I've seen it happen within a year and I've seen it take two or three years and sometimes they're never able to turn it around.

"It's one thing to hire a coach like Mark Stoops, who gives you that initial wave of interest, but now you gotta win football games--and Mark would be the first one to tell you that," Herbstreit added.

Recruiting is the fuel of any improvement in college football and Herbstreit says landing those players and then being able to successfully coach them requires a coach to undertake a balancing act.

"We are in an era that is unprecedented when it comes to the way high school basketball and football players are pampered and exposed to so much and treated as if they're above the rules. What I've seen from coaches is understanding that those are the rules of engagement. If you're going to be a top-25 program, you've got to be able to go out and recruit these prima donna type of athletes and maintain a culture of not just winning but having a selfless approach to how you do it," Herbstreit explained. "You can around the country, there's not a set of rules for (star players). You have to make sure everybody follows the same rules. You make it tough, you make it demanding, you love on them but you make sure they don't walk around with a sense of entitlement. If they can't deal with that, goodbye.  I think Mark has that (approach). He's been around great programs and he's been around programs that have struggled and he knows what it takes."

He said that balancing act is evident in the success that John Calipari has had with Kentucky basketball.

"That's why they win and that's probably why they come back in the offseason. They're so used to 'yes men' that when they get a guy that actually pushes their buttons and challenges them, they appreciate it," he noted.

Herbstreit says turning a program around starts with the staff the head coach hires.

"Every great head coach that I know has a great staff, that gets his philosophy and goes out and helps that become a reality. And Mark gets that. He knows what it takes," he said.

Herbstreit also likes the fact that Stoops followed the game plan of his brother, Bob, at Oklahoma - a defensive-minded head coach who found a branch of the Hal Mumme/Air Raid offense coaching tree to direct that side of the ball.

"I think it's tough to defend," Herbstreit said of that system. "When you have a quarterback that understands it and can get the ball out of his hands with some accuracy and good reads, you've got a chance to pick apart defenses."

And Herbstreit says the next evolution of that system is seen in what Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel is doing at Texas A&M.

"You've got to have a guy who can throw it and is just as dangerous running it. If you do that, unless you dress 12 or 13 on defense, I don't think you can stop it. I think that's the next wave of that offense and it'll be interesting to see if Kentucky can find a guy like that," he said.

"I think today, it (that offense) gives you a chance. It spreads out the defense and it makes them tip their hand, as far as where the pressure is coming from. (But) without the trigger man there, it's not going to work."

And Herbstreit believes Stoops will be a perfect fit with Big Blue Nation.

"When he took the job, I said 'Have you ever been to Keeneland? With the city of Lexington, you hit the bonus.  Your wife and your family are going to love Lexington,' " he said. "They're going to fit in there just perfectly on a personal level."