LOUISVILLE, KY. (WDRB-TV)--As the University of Kentucky prepares to take on powerhouse Florida this weekend, there is a lot of excitement in Lexington.
But that excitement is far from the football field. The cats are just three games into the football season but fans have already turned their attention to basketball. Which is why all of the tents are lined up outside Memorial Coliseum in Lexington.
Whether it's a pickup game or just tossing the football around, it helps pass the time for big blue nation fans.
"We don't miss any games on TV anything," says Scott Osborne, UK fan.
And passing time is a must for Osborne and all of the people in tent city outside Memorial Coliseum.
Osborne says, "I've been here since Tuesday night about 9:30."
They've got football at hand but make no mistake...being here all week is all about the basketball wildcats. "Football has always been kind of a struggle," says Osborne.
And this year the struggle continues. And with a 1 and 2 start to the season, the football team isn't even getting much love from season ticket holders.
"We've had season tickets in my family for about 40 years now," says Adrian Judy, football season ticket holder.
Judy is a longtime season ticket holder, but like a lot of cat fans going to games doesn't seem to be a priority this season. Judy says, "I think a lot of the fan base is getting a little weary of paying big bucks 'cause the ticket prices keep going up and the talent or whatever it is keeps going down."
The cats performance on the field and the future of head coach Joker Phillips have been the talk of the town.
"They've had Joker in there for a couple of years...maybe possibly look at some other coaching options," says Osborne.
Phillips has been on the hot seat all season and addressed the issue following his team's overtime loss to Western Kentucky. Phillips says, "Why do you feel like you deserve more time to get this thing turned around? That's obviously a topic right now. Well, we got 72 freshmen and sophomores in this program. We just played team that has 50 juniors and seniors in the program and I get that we have to be better than that."
Tickets to big blue madness will be handed out first thing Saturday morning. And just a few hours later the football team takes the field in Gainesville, Florida.
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