LEXINGTON (KT)— Game times for Kentucky’s first three contests have been announced.

The Wildcats, who went 10-3 last season and defeated Penn State in the VRBO Citrus Bowl, will kickoff the season with a noon contest against Toledo on Aug. 31 at Kroger Field. The meeting will be the first between the two schools and will be televised on the SEC Network.

Kentucky will host Central Michigan in a 7:30 p.m. contest a week later on Sept. 7 and will be shown on ESPNU or SEC Network alternate. The Wildcats’ conference opener against Florida is set for 7 p.m. on Sept. 14 at Kroger Field and will be shown on ESPN.

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops is looking forward to the upcoming season and is anxious to see if the Wildcats can continue climbing the proverbial ladder, especially in the Southeastern Conference.

“It’s always difficult to maintain any amount of success that you’ve had. If you look at it, there’s a reason, and one of the things I am proud about of our players and our coaches is that we’ve never taken a step back, and nobody else can say that at the Division I level,” he said. “There’s no team that hasn’t gone back in the last six years except us.

“That’s not easy to do. We all know how difficult it’ll be to take it to another level, but that’s our plan. That’s what we’re trying to do, to take it to another level. Nobody goes backwards. You look at this league, you look at the coaching, you look at the recruiting, and you just take a look around, and it can overwhelm you if you let it, and that’s why we don’t. That’s why we worry about ourselves and what we’re doing in there and how we’re working in our building and attacking each and every day like I mentioned the first day I was on campus, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”

The SEC on CBS opener will be Alabama at South Carolina on Sept 14 set for 3:30 p.m.

Season ticket sales for football this season are up from last year and as of Thursday, 30,612 season tickets have been sold, including 3.470 new season ticket purchases as well as Pocket Passes.

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2019 schedule:

Aug. 31: TOLEDO, Noon (SEC Network)

Sept. 7: EASTERN MICHIGAN, 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU or SEC Network)

Sept. 14: FLORIDA, 7 p.m. (ESPN)

Sept. 21: at Mississippi State

Sept. 28: at South Carolina

Oct. 12: ARKANSAS

Oct. 19: at Georgia

Oct. 26: MISSOURI

Nov. 9: TENNESSEE

Nov. 16: at Vanderbilt

Nov. 23: TENNESSEE-MARTIN

Nov. 30: LOUISVILLE