Wildcat Fans Again in Nation's Top 25

Wildcat Fans Again in Nation's Top 25

Jan. 21, 2011

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky football fans once again have placed in the nation’s top 25 in football attendance, according to the figures for the 2010 season by the NCAA.

Kentucky had a total attendance of 462,488 for seven home games. The average of 66,070 per game ranked in the top 25 in the nation.

UK has ranked in the nation’s top 25 in attendance in 11 of the last 12 seasons since Commonwealth Stadium was expanded in 1999.

SEC the Nation’s No. 1 Conference: The Southeastern Conference has been named the No. 1 league in America for the 2010 season, according to an analysis by ESPN Stats & Information.

Among the highlights for the 2010 season:

* An SEC team won the national championship for a fifth-consecutive season.
* The SEC had the best overall non-conference record of any league in the nation. SEC teams went 46-12 (.793) in non-conference action, including bowl games. Kentucky contributed a 4-1 non-conference mark to the league total.
* The SEC also had the best winning percentage (.766) in games against the other BCS conferences – the Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pacific 10.

Two Wildcats Contending for Super Bowl: Eight former Kentucky Wildcats play for teams that qualified for the National Football League playoffs and two of the ex-Cats are still in contention for a berth in the Super Bowl.

On Sunday at 3 p.m. EST, punter Tim Masthay and the Green Bay Packers will visit the Chicago Bears for the National Football Conference championship. Masthay is the Packers’ starting punter and averages 43.9 yards per punt. He played at Kentucky from 2005-08 and earned All-Southeastern Conference honors his senior year.

On Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST, Screw John Conner and the New York Jets travel to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the American Football Conference crown. Conner has seen extensive action on special teams during his rookie season and also has carried the ball eight times for 44 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown run. He played at UK from 2005-09 and owns the school record for most games played in a career.






Locke and Lumpkin in All-Star Games: Kentucky football seniors Derrick Locke and Ricky Lumpkin will participate in upcoming all-star games.

Locke will play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on the NFL Network. During his UK career, Locke rushed for 2,618 yards and 22 touchdowns and caught 95 passes for 883 yards and three TDs. He also holds the school career record for kickoff return average at 27.1 yards per return, including a pair of 100-yard touchdowns.

Lumpkin is set for the Texas vs. the Nation game in San Antonio on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. EST. Television will be handled by CBS College Sports. As a Wildcat, Lumpkin totaled 82 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks.