UK has basically set its starting lineup for Sunday’s opener against Louisville. Coach Rich Brooks announced following Thursday’s practice that senior Jess Beets will start at right guard ahead of sophomore Brad Durham and redshirt freshman Stuart Hines, and junior E.J. Adams will start at wide receiver opposite Dicky Lyons, Jr. Adams had been battling sophomore Kyrus Lanxter and a host of freshmen for the position.

Also, senior free safety Marcus McClinton is expected to start after returning to practice this week from injury. Brooks said he’s still not sure whether Maurice Grinter or T.C. Drake will start at tight end but said Grinter, Drake and Ross Bogue will all likely play.

UK receiver DeMoreo Ford returned to practice this week after attending the funeral of his older brother, Kendall Thomas, in his hometown of LaGrange, Ga. over the week.

Ford has also been recovering from a torn patella tendon suffered in spring practice. UK Coach Rich Brooks said Ford could play a few snaps in Sunday’s opener at Louisville.

Ford said it was good to get back on the football field.

“It was sort of a relief,” he said. “Down there, everybody’s in the same mood. I was too, but I have to be strong and bounce back from it. I was eager to get back so I could free my mind.”

Ford said about that eight family members will make the trip from LaGrange for the U of L game.

“It will help them get their minds off things,” Ford said. “I play football for my family. They come up here to get away from everything for just a day or so. I can’t wait until they come up and have some fun. They’ve been coming every year, even if I don’t play.”

Phillips said that Ford’s biggest value could be on the perimeter as a blocker in the running game.

“We know he can go in there and dig out safeties and crack linebackers,” said Phillips.

Phillips always jokes with Ford about his lack of speed. (”If you see me run a drop back pass with DeMoreo and it’s a deep ball, you need to be booing,” Phillips said.)

But Ford does have two long touchdown catches on his resume’: a 70-yarder against Clemson in the 2006 Music City Bowl and a 27-yarder last year against Vanderbilt.

Phillips said that Ford’s excellent blocking allows him to get loose on play-action fakes.

“He’s so aggressive, in getting support that it allows him to run past people,” Phillips said.

Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks said Tuesday at his weekly news conference that there’s no specific plan or timetable to use freshman Randall Cobb at quarterback. Cobb is expected to see time at wide receiver and as a punt returner, but Brooks was vague about how much action he’ll see behind starter Mike Hartline.

“We don’t have a plan to do anything at that position,” Brooks said. “If we feel like we need to shake something up, we might shake it up, but I don’t know when, if or how that will happen.”

Former UK Coach Bill Curry will be at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Lexington at 7 p.m. Thursday, August 28 to discuss and sign his new book, “Ten Men You Meet In The Huddle.”

UK Coach Rich Brooks, speaking today to the Louisville chapter of the UK Alumni Association, said that most of the starting positions have been settled with the exception of two on the offensive side of the ball: wide receiver and right guard. Brooks said that sophomore Kyrus Lanxter and junior E.J. Adams are battling to start opposite Dicky Lyons Jr. at receiver, while sophomore Brad Durham and senior Jess Betts are fighting it out to start at right guard.

The Wildcats open at Louisville on Sunday.

UK has sold its entire allotment of student season tickets for the first time in school history, Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said today at a lunch for the Louisville chapter of the UK Alumni Association luncheon. Barnhart said that only around 500 tickets remain to the general public

The offense was on the spot during the University of Kentucky’s second scrimmage yesterday, and while no statistics were released, the first words that came out of Rich Brooks’ mouth automatically meant a better showing for the much-maligned unit. “We did score touchdowns today,” Brooks said, noting that most of the scrimmage pitted the first-team offense against the second-team defense and vice versa. The offense was kept out of the end zone in its first scrimmage last week, which sparked concerns about the unit leading to Sunday’s opener at Louisville. Brooks said that the offensive line, under the microscope after being called out by him last week, showed improvement yesterday. The quarterbacks were not allowed to be hit, but Brooks estimated there would have been only two sacks if the quarterbacks took contact.

With UK’s home opener less than two weeks away, more than 52,800 season tickets have been issued, already surpassing the total for 2007 .

For the general public, less than 700 season tickets remain at a cost of $230 (upper level sideline) or $195 (upper level goal line) each.  At this time, the only way for the public to acquire tickets for the South Carolina and Georgia games is by purchasing a season ticket.

The 52,800 number includes 5,540 season tickets purchased by students.  Student sales continue at a brisk pace and the final number is expected to surpass the student record of 5,568 season tickets bought last year.

“The fans have been great,” Brooks said.  “It’s obvious they’re anticipating the upcoming season as well.  I’m hopeful that we can close out the remaining tickets in the next couple of weeks and have a complete sellout in season tickets, which we’re very close to doing.  Now we need all of them in there screaming like crazy at every home game.”The UK Athletics Ticket Office, located in the Joe Craft Center, has extended window hours until the first home game.  Ticket office window sales will be available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, through Sept. 5.  Tickets also can be purchased online at www.ukathletics.com.  The phone number is 800-928-CATS or (859) 257-1818.Wildcat fans broke every school record for attendance last season: total attendance of 550,588 in eight home games; average attendance of 68,824 per game, and a  single-game record of 71,024 for the Florida game

Game times have been identified for the 2008 Kentucky home football schedule and are listed below.
Important note: game times are confirmed only for the Norfolk State and Middle Tennessee games.  All other game times are tentative.  Beginning with games of Sept. 27, game times and television plans will be finalized 12 days in advance following the selections made by the Southeastern Conference’s TV partners - CBS, ESPN and Raycom Sports.

2008 Kentucky Football Schedule
(game times that are subject to change, beginning Sept. 27, marked with a *)

Aug. 31            at Louisville                  3:30 p.m., ESPN
Sept. 6             Norfolk State               6 p.m.
Sept. 13           Middle Tennessee         7 p.m.
Sept. 20           open
Sept. 27           Western Kentucky        7 p.m.*
Oct. 4              at Alabama                   TBA
Oct. 11            South Carolina              7 p.m.*
Oct. 18           Arkansas                      7 p.m.*
Oct. 25             at Florida                      TBA
Nov. 1             at Mississippi State       TBA
Nov. 8             Georgia                       1 p.m.*
Nov. 15            Vanderbilt                    1 p.m.*
Nov. 22            open
Nov. 29            at Tennessee                 TBA

Television Coverage for First Two Games:  Here is the television coverage for Kentucky’s first two home football games, vs. Norfolk State and Middle Tennessee.

Norfolk State (Sept. 6, 6 p.m. EDT)
-          Televised live within the state of Kentucky on pay-per-view basis (suggested price $24.95 in advance, $29.95 day of game; cable/satellite providers make final decision on pricing)
-          Kentucky residents interested in ordering the game should contact their cable/satellite provider
-     The game is under consideration to be picked up by ESPN GamePlan; an announcement will be
made when GamePlan makes its decision
-          Broadcast available to Big Blue Sports Network affiliates on a delayed basis

Middle Tennessee (Sept. 13, 7 p.m. EDT)
-          Televised live within the state of Kentucky on pay-per-view basis (suggested price $24.95 in advance, $29.95 day of game; cable/satellite providers make final decision on pricing)
-          Kentucky residents interested in ordering the game should contact their cable/satellite provider
-          Televised live outside of Kentucky as part of ESPN GamePlan. (Note: GamePlan’s coverage of UK-Middle Tennessee will be blacked out within Kentucky borders)
-          Broadcast available to Big Blue Sports Network affiliates on a delayed basis

Kentucky Coach Rich Brooks announced that wide receiver Aaron Boyd returned to practice on Friday, participating in some non-contact drills. The freshman from Lexington has been out two weeks because of mononucleosis. He has not been cleared for contact work.