Kentucky Wildcats Can't Wait to Show Off New Kroger Field Lights

Kroger Field will look a little different when gates open for Kentucky football fans on Aug. 31. The Wildcats host Southern Miss for a 7:45 pm EST kickoff, the new timeslot for SEC Network Saturday night games.

Not only does the nighttime kickoff give Big Blue Nation a few extra hours to enjoy the first tailgate of the season, fans will get to see the best of the stadium’s upgrades. The University of Kentucky invested $7 million into new ribbon boards and LED lights. The players received a preview last week of the light show coming to The Kroge and were fired up.

“We practiced at the stadium and got to see it. It’s going to be nice. The fans got to be ready for that,” said junior linebacker Alex Afari.

“Them new lights, I can’t wait to hear that Grove Street,” safety Jordan Lovett said today. “Man, I can’t wait to hear the new Grove Street. I can’t wait.”

UK Athletics shared a brief tease of what’s to come, without the lights flashing to the beat of the Kentucky football walk-out song.

Kroger Field is going to be lit this year 😼 pic.twitter.com/aDNPvEeoyj

— Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthletics) August 7, 2024

The nighttime practice at Kroger Field wasn’t just a trial run for the new LED lights. It served multiple purposes. First and foremost, it provided a nice change of pace to keep the players engaged during a grueling, monotonous time of the year. Secondly, it simulated what the Wildcats will experience on Saturdays this fall.

“We went out during camp and had a 7:45 tip-off of practice, just because we get in a routine. These guys get in a rhythm, they get in a routine and once game week starts, that rhythm, that routine changes. So we want to make sure they’re as prepared as we can be for that,” Stoops said Monday at the Louisville Kickoff Luncheon.

“We try to hold at least one night practice to get used to the lights, get used to getting yourself ready. And I can tell you this, it is different because as you sit around and wait for a practice, it’s kind of like sitting around and waiting for a game. It gets long. So you have to prepare yourself for that.”

The night-time practice was a win-win. Now we only need to wait nine more days to see a Kentucky football win at Kroger Field.

See more from Kentucky football practice on the KSR YouTube Channel.