LEXINGTON, Ky. - With a heartbreaking loss at the hands of Western Kentucky behind them, Coach Joker Phillips and the UK football team are now preparing for an even tougher match-up on the road against No. 14 Florida.
Taking on SEC opponents will be a challenge for a young team that already has a 1-and-2 record.
“We’ve got 72 freshmen and sophomores in this program. We just played a program that has 50 juniors and seniors in their program. I get that we gotta be better than that,”
The Wildcat coaching staff plans to speed up practices this week and work on tackling.
As for speculation about his job security, Phillips says he doesn’t have time to worry about outside noise. But players are taking notice of the growing restlessness among fans. Phillips says he’s counting on upperclassmen like junior linebacker Avery Williamson to help keep the young team focused.
“He asked me, ‘How you doing, coach?’ I'm fine, how you doing, Avery? He said, ‘Coach, we'll be fine. We just got to hang in there.’ He said this. We got some really good leaders on this football team.”
Kickoff in Gainesville is set for 12:20 PM Saturday. UK has not defeated Florida since 1986.
