1988 Kentucky Wildcats football team

The 1988 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Wildcats scored 217 points while allowing 208 points.[1][2] This was Jerry Claiborne's seventh season as Kentucky's head coach. The Wildcats finished 5–6, one victory shy of bowl eligibility; the highlight of the season was an upset of #11 ranked Georgia.

1988 Kentucky Wildcats football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
1988 record	5–6 (2–5 SEC)
Head coach	Jerry Claiborne (7th season)
Home stadium	Commonwealth Stadium

1988 Southeastern Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 8 Auburn +	6	–	1	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 19 LSU +	6	–	1	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
No. 15 Georgia	5	–	2	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 17 Alabama	4	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Florida	4	–	3	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Tennessee	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Ole Miss	3	–	4	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Kentucky	2	–	5	–	0			5	–	6	–	0
Vanderbilt	2	–	5	–	0			3	–	8	–	0
Mississippi State	0	–	7	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

Season

Kentucky opened with a win against Central Michigan, then lost at #7 Auburn and Indiana before beating Kent State. Losses to #12 Alabama and at #19 LSU followed. Next were wins against #11 Georgia, Southern Illinois and Vanderbilt, then losses to Florida and at Tennessee.[3]

The victory over Georgia was the season's high point. Running back Alfred Rawls, a Georgia native, had 128 yards and a touchdown rushing and linebacker Randy Holleran had 13 tackles; #11 Georgia was held to 224 yards of total offense.[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance
September 3	Central Michigan*	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	W 18–7	41,736
September 10	at No. 7 Auburn	Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL	L 10–20	60,000
September 17	at Indiana*	Memorial Stadium Bloomington, IN	L 15–36	51,077
September 24	Kent State*	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	W 38–14	47,989
October 1	No. 12 Alabama	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	L 27–31	53,442
October 15	at No. 19 LSU	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 12–15	71,418
October 22	No. 11 Georgia	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	W 16–10	50,416
October 29	Southern Illinois*	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	W 24–10	50,093
November 5	Vanderbilt	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	W 14–13	44,105
November 12	Florida	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	L 19–24	50,191
November 19	at No. 11 Tennessee	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (Battle for the Barrel)	L 24–28	90,353
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[5][6]

Team players in the 1989 NFL Draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
David "D. J." Johnson	Defensive back	7	174	Pittsburgh Steelers
Ivy Joe Hunter	Running back	7	182	Indianapolis Colts
Chris Chenault	Linebacker	8	222	Cincinnati Bengals
Charlie Darrington	Tight end	9	233	Washington Redskins

[7][8]

References

1. "1988 Kentucky Wildcats results". Archived from the original on 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
2. 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, p.209
3. 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, p.168, 209
4. Story, Mark, UK football's greatest wins at Commonwealth, Lexington Herald-Leader, September 4, 2011
5. "College Football Reference". Archived from the original on 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
6. 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, p.168
7. "1989 NFL Draft Listing | Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on 2009-10-05. Retrieved 2009-10-03.
8. 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, p.166