LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky football head coach Joker Phillips confirmed Tuesday that the Kentucky football team will wear black uniforms on Saturday for the first time in program history as part of its “Blackout” game. UK Athletics is encouraging fans to wear black to the game against Mississippi State at 7 p.m. ET at Commonwealth Stadium.
“Anything that we can do to generate some excitement is good,” Phillips said. “I think there will be more excitement if we are making plays in those black uniforms. We explained to them that these uniforms don’t make plays and that the players wearing them have to prepare themselves and have the right attitude. If we don’t play well then we won’t see them again. They know that.”
Phillips said they have had the black uniforms all season long, but were waiting for the right time to display them to the team and fans. The second-year head coach said he feels this is the right time because the game is at night, it’s against a Southeastern Conference opponent and the weather will be cool enough not to add additional heat to the players.
The Kentucky head coach noted that creativity with uniforms is a trend in athletics and, if it gets the players excited, then he is all in.
“I have been in places where we had had uniforms like this and they are sharp-looking and kids like them,” Phillips said when asked if we was reluctant to give the go-ahead on the black uniforms. “This is the way of the world and we just wanted to find the right time and if we were able to make it happen too.”
Phillips was again pleased with how his team practiced on Tuesday, saying Kentucky’s goal this week is to continue to get better.
“Good practice today,” Phillips said. “It was a beautiful day today and a great day to be out here playing football. We had a lot of improvements, but we have to improve a lot more.”
Kentucky will return to the practice fields on Wednesday.
