Dec. 30, 2010

LEXINGTON, Ky. – After a week off for the Christmas holidays, the Kentucky football team returned to practice Thursday afternoon. With sunny skies and mild temperatures, the Wildcats practiced for two hours outside at the Nutter Training Center.

Now just nine days away from the BBVA Compass Bowl, Coach Joker Phillips and the Wildcat coaching staff are spending increased time concentrating on the opponent, the Big East tri-champion Pittsburgh Panthers.

“We started game-planning right away (when the bowl was announced),” Phillips said after practice. “About practice five we started introducing 10 minutes a day on Pitt. Now we’re up to 25, 30 minutes a day. When we hit Birmingham on Tuesday, we’ll starting working like a (normal) game week.”

Phillips has been impressed with what he’s seen on film of Pittsburgh.

“Pitt is physical, hard-nosed, a team that plays great defense and wants to run the ball and play solid special teams,” Phillips said. “It’ll be a street fight, we know that. We just have to be prepared to take off our gloves and go at it also.”

Kentucky will practice Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Lexington before traveling to Birmingham on Monday.

Sideline Seats Available Through UK: Tickets are available to the BBVA Compass Bowl for both season-ticket holders and the general public. Fans are encouraged to buy directly from the Kentucky ticket office, as all tickets from the UK allotment are sideline seats. All tickets are $50 each.

Tickets may be purchased:

• In-person at the UK Ticket Office in the Joe Craft Center, open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 28-30, from noon to 4 p.m.
• By calling the ticket office during the hours listed above at 800-928-2287
• By mail or fax; print a ticket application from UKathletics.com and mail or fax (859-323-1269) to the ticket office.

‘Operation Win’ to Benefit Birmingham: To implement the ‘Operation Win’ initiative in the community, Coach Joker Phillips and the Cats plan to sponsor children from elementary schools around Legion Field, as well as Birmingham-area military personnel. Building off the GAMEDAY READY tour that traveled around Kentucky this past summer, the Wildcats hope to give back to the Birmingham community by providing game tickets sponsored by Wildcat fans and supporters.

Fans can participate by:

• Making a 100% tax-deductible contribution to the Operation Win Birmingham Fund
• Contributions can be made in $50 increments – the cost of one BBVA Compass Bowl ticket
• Ticket blocks will be donated to local Birmingham elementary schools and military personnel
• Help provide an opportunity for youth to experience Kentucky football
• Fans can make contributions to the Operation Win Birmingham Fund in addition to purchasing their BBVA Compass Bowl tickets
• Fans will receive three K Fund points for every $100 contribution
• Fans will receive one K Fund point for a $50 contribution
• The Operation Win drive will continue throughout December, as these tickets will be assigned separately from any priority ticket requests

To contribute to Operation Win Birmingham, fans may fax the application back to the UK Ticket Office at (859) 323-1269. Contributions are also welcome by phone by calling the UK Ticket Office at (800) 928-2287 or the K Fund Office at (859) 257-6300.