UK’s bowl preparations underway in Florida. Here’s everything Mark Stoops had to say Thursday.

The University of Kentucky football team took to the practice field for the first time Thursday afternoon since arriving in Orlando, Fla., for its New Year’s Day game against Penn State in the Citrus Bowl.

Head Coach Mark Stoops said the team was enjoying the warm weather and that numerous players noted the improvement in playing conditions over last year, when the Wildcats shivered in 30-degree temperatures in Nashville in a 24-23 loss to Northwestern in the Music City Bowl.

The temperature reached the mid 70s in Orlando on Thursday. The forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 83 on Tuesday when Kentucky (9-3) takes on the Nittany Lions (9-3) of the BIg Ten at 1 p.m.

Stoops said that he’s encouraging players to enjoy their surroundings this week but expects them to be locked in and focused at meetings and practices, which he said was the case Thursday as the team gathered at West Orange High School in Winter Garden, Fla.

He said the team is motivated to pick up a rare 10th win and to put behind losses the past two years in bowl games. The Cats are scheduled to practice again Friday and Saturday at West Orange.

Watch the video below to hear everything Stoops discussed Thursday. And stay with Kentucky.com throughout the weekend as staff writer Jennifer Smith begins her reporting from Orlando, to be joined later by John Clay, Mark Story and Alex Slitz.