U.K fans tailgate ahead of new Wildcat football season

The Wildcats will take on Miami of Ohio in their first game of the season at 7 p.m.

LEXINGTON, Ky (WTVQ)- Thousands of fans were back at Kroger Field Saturday getting ready to watch the Kentucky Wildcats first football game of the year.

“We’ve got a lot of returning players, a lot of new players, especially on the defensive side. I expect us to score a lot of points. Maybe a little rough around the edges defensively, but i expect us to get better and have a good year,” said season ticket holder Ryan Gebedon.

Whether they were watching other football games, or grilling out, U.K. fans say they’ve been planning their game day festivities for months.

“We’re cooking a variety of things. We’re doing Philly cheese steak sandwiches, ribs, chicken,” said alum Jay Rodes.  “Everybody is really excited. We’ve been tailgating for the last two and a half months, planning our meals.”

“Just the fan base. Just the people who get out here 7-8 hours, 10 hours before kick off and wanna enjoy, have a good weekend, socialize, and just have a great time,” said fan Robert Bishop.

Thousands have been camping outside of Kroger Field for a few days leading up to the came in anticipation.

“It was kind of insane. We came out last Sunday to put the tent frame up and all of that, and this parking lot was already pretty full. So we had never seen that before. Especially for an early-year game,”  said Gebedon.

U.K is ranked 20th in the country. As a program in the s-e-c, fans have high expectations.

“I expect us to win every game, I always expect us to win every game,” said Bishop.

The Wildcats will take on Miami of Ohio in their first game of the season at 7 p.m.