LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The NM State football team travels to Lexington, Ky. to play Kentucky on Saturday at 2 p.m. MT. As the team prepares for the first SEC battle of the season, NMStateSports.com takes a look at the opponent's team and school.
 
The University
Location: Lexington, Ky.
Founded: 1865
Enrollment: 30,000
Colors: Blue and White
Conference: SEC
President: Dr. Eli Capilouto
Athletic Director: Mitch Barnhart
Stadium: Commonwealth Stadium
Capacity: 61,000
Surface: Synthetic Turf
 
The Coach
Head Coach: Mark Stoops
Record at School (Years): 12-26 (3)
Overall Record (Years): 12-26 (3)
 
Team Information
2016 Overall Record: 0-2
2016 Conference Record: 0-2
Last bowl game: BBVA Compass Bowl, Pittsburgh 27, Kentucky 10 (Jan. 8, 2011)
 
Notable alumni

• Anthony Davis – Professional basketball player in the NBA. He was drafted 1st overall in 2012 by the New Orleans Pelicans. Davis won the NCAA Championship in 2012, is a three-time NBA All-Star and won a gold medal for Team USA in 2012.
• Rajon Rondo – Professional basketball player in the NBA. Rondo has played for the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks, Sacramento Kings and currently the Chicago Bulls. He won the NBA Championship in 2008 as a starting guard for the Boston Celtics.
• Mitch McConnell – Current and longest-serving U.S. Senator in Kentucky history (1985-present). After Republicans took control of the Senate following the 2014 Senate elections, McConnell became the Senate Majority Leader.
• Ashley Judd – American actress who has starred in films such as Divergent, Dolphin Tale and Olympus Has Fallen. In 2015, she became the first woman to narrate the opening of the telecast of the Kentucky Derby.
• Pat Riley – An American professional basketball executive and a former coach and player in the NBA. Riley has won the NBA Coach of the Year Award three times (1990, 1993 and 1997). Throughout his career, he has won nine NBA championships with three as an executive, four as a head coach, one as an assistant coach and one as a player.

Lexington Fun Facts

• Lexington is considered the Horse Capital of the World. The city consists of three major race courses-Keeneland, Kentucky Horse Park and The Red Mile. Keeneland is an official site for the Breeders Cup Championship races.
• The largest arena in the United States designed specifically for basketball, Rupp Arena (capacity 23,500), is located in Lexington and is home to the Kentucky Wildcats. Construction of Rupp Arena ended after the discovery that the original site was on top of a Native Indian Burial ground. The arena was moved 1,000 feet to respect the Inuit culture.
• The city is often said to be the heart of the Bluegrass Region. The Festival of the Bluegrass is held there every year. There are multiple counties which showcase the best of Kentucky's charm.
• In Lexington, 4th of July festivities last for several days instead of just one day as they do in much of the country. Events include: Great American Pie Contest, Bluegrass 10,000 and Fun Run, Patriotic Music Concert, fireworks, parade, etc.
• Lexington public library has the world's largest ceiling clock. The 40-foot-wide steel and Plexiglas clock is installed five open stories up in the rotunda of Lexington's Central Library. The nearly 2,000-pound clock tells time with lights that circulate through the clock's hour and minute marks.

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