The Associated Press

LEXINGTON - New Kentucky coach Rich Brooks has experience with intrastate rivalry games from his days as Oregon's coach.

Brooks has been in Lexington only since January, but he figures that to fans in Kentucky, the Kentucky-Louisville game is as important as the Oregon-Oregon State game is to fans in Oregon. Bragging rights alone make Sunday's game between the Wildcats and Cardinals important, Brooks said.

"No matter who you play in-state, you don't want to be on the losing end, because you're going to have to see those people the rest of the year," Brooks said.

Brooks recalled one Oregon State coach saying the Oregon-Oregon State game was "for the right to live in the state of Oregon. That's kind of how I look at the Louisville game. We're playing for the right to live in the state of Kentucky."

That's a thought seconded by defensive end Vincent "Sweet Pea" Burns, who was elected, along with quarterback Jared Lorenzen of Highlands, as a team captain.

"Any time you play your rival, you want to be up for that game," Burns said. "I know that it means a lot to the state of Kentucky, and especially the Wildcat fans."

Any Kentucky-Louisville game will draw attention in the Bluegrass State, but this year's contest offers more intrigue than usual. Both schools have first-year head coaches, and Brooks and Louisville coach Bobby Petrino have brought in new coordinators who haven't been afraid to make changes.

Kentucky defensive coordinator Mike Archer, who won a Southeastern Conference title while the head coach at Louisiana State, spent the past seven seasons as the linebackers coach for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers. Looking to shore up a unit that finished next-to-last in the SEC last season in yards allowed per game, Archer is switching UK's base defensive alignment to a 3-4, a set that lends itself to attacking the offense more, Brooks said.

The Wildcats also are undergoing changes on offense, courtesy of offensive coordinator Ron Hudson, who came from perennial Big 12 Conference power Kansas State. One of Hudson's ideas, which Brooks has embraced, is finding a place on the field for backup quarterback Shane Boyd, even if it's not behind center, where Lorenzen is the starter.

Brooks wouldn't be surprised if Louisville uses heralded freshman quarterback Michael Bush in much the same way Kentucky will use Boyd. Bush is the third QB on the Cardinals' depth chart.

Kentucky's standout receiver and kick returner, Derek Abney, went through a whole practice Monday after missing two weeks with a hamstring injury. Abney also has weathered an eligibility question, the result of a gift bag he received during a photo shoot in May.

The NCAA confirmed Abney's eligibility Monday, Brooks said.

Season opener

Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington.

TV: ESPN2.

Radio: WSAI-AM (1530).