1986 Kentucky Wildcats football team

The 1986 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth season under head coach Jerry Claiborne, the Wildcats compiled a 5–5–1 record (2–4 against SEC opponents), finished in a tie for seventh place in the SEC, and outscored their opponents, 228 to 206.^[1][2] The team played its home games in Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.

1986 Kentucky Wildcats football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	5–5–1 (2–4 SEC)
Head coach	Jerry Claiborne (5th season)
Home stadium	Commonwealth Stadium
Seasons ← 1985 1987 →

1986 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 10 LSU $	5	–	1	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
No. 6 Auburn	4	–	2	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 9 Alabama	4	–	2	–	0			10	–	3	–	0
Georgia	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	4	–	0
Ole Miss	4	–	2	–	0			8	–	3	–	1
Tennessee	3	–	3	–	0			7	–	5	–	0
Mississippi State	2	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Kentucky	2	–	4	–	0			5	–	5	–	1
Florida	2	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Bill Ransdell with 1,610 passing yards, Ivy Joe Hunter with 621 rushing yards, and Cornell Burbage with 331 receiving yards.^[3] This season was the last time Kentucky defeated Florida until 2018 and the last win over Florida at home until 2021.^[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 13	Rutgers*	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	T 16–16	57,424	^[5]
September 20	Kent State*	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	W 37–12	54,865	^[6]
September 27	at Cincinnati*	Riverfront Stadium Cincinnati, OH	W 37–20	36,233	^[7]
October 4	Southern Miss*	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	W 32–0	58,102	^[8]
October 11	at Ole Miss	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS	L 13–33	28,000	^[9]
October 18	No. 12 LSU	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	L 16–25	57,201	^[10]
October 25	Georgia	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	L 9–31	56,820	^[11]
November 1	at Virginia Tech*	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, VA	L 15–17	30,300	^[12]
November 8	Vanderbilt	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)	W 34–22	48,230	^[13]
November 15	Florida	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	W 10–3	52,160	^[14]
November 22	at Tennessee	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	L 9–28	90,747	^[15]
*Non-conference game Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1986 Kentucky Wildcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 12 Bill Allen So WR 4 Cornell Burbage Sr G 57 Dermontti Dawson Jr WR 82 Greg Doll Jr RB 22 Mark Higgs Jr RB 32 Ivy Joe Hunter So WR 21 Jimmie O'Neal Jr QB 9 Bill Ransdell Sr QB 13 Tim Smith Jr G 64 Joe David Turner Jr TE 80 Mark Wheeler Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class S 37 Todd Allgeier Jr DT 79 Oliver Barnett Fr LB 58 Mike Cahill Jr DT 70 Tom Howard Jr CB 24 D. J. Johnson So DB 3 Tony Mayes Sr DT 54 Jerry Reese Jr DT 91 John Shannon Jr LB 40 Larry Smith Sr LB 39 Don Yarano Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 1 Jeff Nelson So	Head coach Jerry Claiborne Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt

References

1. "1986 Kentucky Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
2. "Kentucky Football Media Guide". University of Kentucky. 2015. p. 184. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
3. "1986 Kentucky Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
4. Hale, Jon (September 8, 2018). "Kentucky snaps 31-game losing streak to Florida". USA Today. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
5. "Late Kentucky FG ties Rutgers, 16–16". Daily Record. September 14, 1986. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Kent has a big hand in Kentucky's victory". The Akron Beacon Journal. September 21, 1986. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Interceptions ruin UC, 37–20". The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 28, 1986. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Wildcats blow out Southern Miss". Lexington Herald-Leader. October 5, 1986. Retrieved March 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Rejuvenated Rebs smack down Kentucky". The Commercial Appeal. October 12, 1986. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "LSU survives Kentucky, 25–16". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 19, 1986. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Georgia pounds Kentucky 31–9". Messenger-Inquirer. October 26, 1986. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Tech kicks 'Cats". The Danville Register. November 2, 1986. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "UK's Ivy Joe breaks out, rips Vandy for 238 yards". The Courier-Journal. November 9, 1986. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "'Cats put Gator Bowl plans in deep freeze". The Tennessean. November 16, 1986. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Vols earn Liberty bid, 28–9". Kingsport Times-News. November 23, 1986. Retrieved October 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.