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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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College football's slate features plenty of rivalries this week, including the Kentucky Wildcats playing against the Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville. Loyal Kentucky fans found quite a way to get everyone's attention by sending a strong visual ahead of the huge matchup.
With the clash between the two teams set to arrive on Saturday night, some Wildcats fans reportedly made their way onto Tennessee's campus and then painted the university's famous landmark, known as "The Rock," Kentucky blue. It's a major part of the university's history which allows students to express themselves, make announcements, and celebrate special occasions through creative paint jobs.
On one side of the meaningful blue rock, the fans painted "UK" and "Stein Time" in white, a celebration of Kentucky's head coach, Will Stein. On the other side is "#BBN," the hashtag for social media referring to the nickname for the Kentucky Wildcats fan base: "Big Blue Nation."
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A video surfaced on social media showing both sides of the painted rock, with the No Context SEC X account suggesting, "Tonight might be a bloodbath" after Kentucky fans did that.
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Commenters also reacted to what they saw in the video, with many praising the troll job, and others hoping to see the Tennessee Volunteers football team respond by delivering a brutal blowout or embarrassing loss to the Wildcats.
"KENTUCKY fans painting the ROCK blue in KNOXVILLE before kickoff is the best part of rivalry week honestly," one commenter wrote.
Another said, "I hate the Tennessee Volunteers with the fire of 10,000 suns. But I hope UT obliterates the Wildcats tonight after seeing this."
"Kentucky fans sneaking into Knoxville at 3am to paint a rock is the most organized thing a Kentucky football fanbase has done in years," someone else commented.
Others wrote, "I hope Tennessee gives them a beat down" and "This is what you call bad juju."
The famous rock, described as "a 97.5-ton hunk of Knox dolomite stone," has been part of the University of Tennessee's campus for over 50 years. According to the university's website, it was first unearthed in 1966 by the A.B. Long Company while doing grading work for buildings and streets.
It's believed that painting this landmark in Knoxville dates back to 1980, and "thousands of students, employees, community members, and visitors have left their mark on the Rock." That includes the most recent visitors, who were on Kentucky's side ahead of Saturday night's big clash.
The savage prank involving "The Rock" comes ahead of a game with major College Football Playoff implications for both teams. Kentucky (7-1) enters as No. 6 in the nation, while their SEC rival is No. 13. The first College Football Playoff rankings arrived earlier this week, and Kentucky was ranked No. 6, with ESPN's projected bracket showing they would face No. 11-ranked Notre Dame in the first round.
The 6-2 Volunteers were No. 13 in the first release of the CFP rankings, leaving them outside of ESPN's projected CFP bracket. They'll attempt to hand Kentucky a damaging loss when the two sides clash at 6:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Knoxville.
One has to wonder if that Kentucky blue paint job on "The Rock" will add further fuel to the fire for the Volunteers to deliver the big win many Tennessee fans are hoping for.
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