What to expect from Kentucky football spring game — as long as weather cooperates
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- UK spring game is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday but may be called off for severe weather.
- Game will use an amended scoring format awarding points for drives, turnovers and scores.
- Multiple players, including left tackle Lance Heard, will be held out of the scrimmage.
Kentucky football fans will get their first look at Will Stein’s roster in the spring game Saturday.
As long as the weather cooperates.
“I want to make sure all of our fans know that we’re going to keep them posted throughout the next day, day and a half,” UK coach Will Stein said Thursday. “Don’t want anybody wasting their time if it is inclement weather and a severe chance of thunderstorms. We’re going to have to make the appropriate call come game time.”
As of Thursday morning, the forecast calls for scattered thunderstorms in the morning on Saturday that will become more widespread in the afternoon.
The scrimmage is scheduled for 11 a.m. in Kroger Field. It will not be televised.
If the weather cooperates, the event will feature an amended scrimmage format matching the offense against the defense.
The offense can score six points for a touchdown, three points for a field goal and one point for an extra-point. It can also elect to go for two points after a touchdown from the 3-yard line or four points from the 10-yard line. The defense gets six points for a touchdown or turnover, three points for a three-and-out or turnover on downs and one point for forcing a punt.
The clock will only stop for a score, penalty or change of possession. Stein expects to let players tackle to the ground for around 30 plays, as he did in the first two spring scrimmages, before transitioning to a format where the play is blown dead upon contact. He will decide when specifically to stop the tackling portion of the scrimmage during the game.
“Should be a really fun format for the fans,” he said.
Not every player will be available in the game.
Left tackle Lance Heard; running backs CJ Baxter, Jovantae Barnes and Tovani Mizell; wide receivers Nic Anderson, Hardley Gilmore, Xavier Daisy and Davis McRae; offensive linemen Aba Selm, Cam Miller, Kyle Mixon and Alex DiMartino; edge rushers Sam Greene and Ben Duncum; and defensive back Jaden Smith will be held out. Each of those players is expected to be healthy in time for the start of preseason practice.
Heard, likely the highest-paid player on the roster as a transfer from Tennessee, underwent what Stein called a minor procedure this week that is expected to sideline him for four weeks.
“We just wanted to make sure we get it done now and not wait any longer,” Stein said.
Fans who do attend the scrimmage should note the north side of the stadium along Cooper Drive and the end zone suites are closed for construction. UK removed the seats from the north side of the stadium this offseason for maintenance. The same will be done with the south side of the stadium next winter.
Given the stadium construction, persistent threat of spring rain and trend across college football to move away from public spring games, it could have been easy for Stein to abandon the idea altogether.
So, why make the attempt for a public scrimmage?
“I don’t want our guys to go in there and have their first opportunity with a crowd, with the PA announcer, all that stuff be against Youngstown State,” Stein said. “I think it’s what BBN deserves. Man, let’s go out and show the people what we’ve been working on.
“It’s not gonna be perfect, and it’ll be very vanilla, but I just wanna see if our guys can go execute and come out of that game relatively clean.”