Raise your hand if you thought Kentucky would be in contention for the SEC East division in November following a terrible 0-2 start that included losses to Southern Miss at home and a 45-7 loss at Florida?
Rebounding nearly as well as possible since that time, the Wildcats have won five of the last six and legitimately have an opportunity to capture the division crown with two more league wins – Kentucky’s record stands at 5-3 overall, 4-2 in SEC play. Now facing a floundering 4-4 Georiga team at home, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops is calling for Big Blue Nation to come out and support the team.
“Our players would love to see that happen,” Stoops said, according to Jennifer Smith of Kentucky Sports. “Our fan base, there’s been a lot of loyal fans to us. We just need more. We need more people in there to fill it up. I’d love to see it filled.”
Stoops plea comes after a sparse crowd watched the Wildcats come from behind to knock off Mississippi State 40-38 with a last-second field goal to win the last home game on Oct. 22. The official attendance was generously listed at 50,414 but far fewer than that figure saw the ball sail through the uprights to beat the Bulldogs.
Now with the Wildcats attempting to end a six-game losing streak to Georgia, only 52,950 tickets have been sold to the game for the home stadium that holds 61,000.
According to Stoops, filling the stadium would bring added motivation for his team this weekend.
“Again, I make no bones about it, when we see it filled, I expect our team to play at a high level to make those fans proud,” Stoops said. “You want to deliver for those fans that have been starving for a long time to have a successful football program,” he said. “And believe me, we work every day around the clock to do that for them.”
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
