Stoops Asking Fans to #PackCWS for Georgia Game

By no means has Kentucky arrived, but a dominating road performance at Missouri on Saturday was worth celebrating.

A group of fans took advantage of the opportunity by welcoming the team at the airport upon its return to Lexington. The sight was a welcome one for the victorious Wildcats.

“I was excited for our players and the program and our fans,” Mark Stoops said.

Stoops’ excitement, in large part, stems from a sense of responsibility. His program has received incredible support from a loyal fan base over generations, decades before Stoops’ own arrival at UK. 

“I feel an obligation and I want to put a product out there that they’re proud of,” Stoops said. “I’ve said that from day one. I’ve said it from every opportunity I’ve had. I don’t say — I’m not going to use the word pressure — but you feel an obligation. You want to deliver for those fans that have been starving for a long time to have a successful football program.”

UK’s ultimate goals are still a long way away, but the Wildcats have experienced some short-term successes.

Kentucky has now won three straight Southeastern Conference games for the first time since 1999 and sits in second place in the SEC East with a 4-2 mark. Saturday, UK – 5-3 for the season having won five of six games – will host Georgia (4-4, 2-4 SEC) with an opportunity to become bowl eligible with a victory.

Stoops is hoping for the same kind of support the team received at the airport in Commonwealth Stadium for the 7:30 p.m. kickoff. 

“I think it’s very important for us to see the stadium filled,” Stoops said. “I think our players would love to see that happen. 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.”

As of Monday morning, 52,950 tickets were out for the Georgia game, around 8,000 less than Commonwealth’s capacity. Single-game tickets are available now at UKFootballTix.com and the Joe Craft Center Ticket Office, as are special November mini-packs for UK’s final two home games vs. Georgia and Austin Peay. The mini-packs are $85 apiece with lower-level seats available. Additionally, fans who purchase a mini-pack will have priority access to those seats should they choose to purchase season tickets in 2017.

Any fans who buy tickets can rest assured the Cats will be hard at work to repay the investment with another good performance.

“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. “Believe me, we’re going to go to work today and have a great week of preparation and put ourselves in position to win this game. It’ll be very important for us to play well.”