1996 Kentucky Wildcats football team

The 1996 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Wildcats scored 138 points while allowing 322 points; they opened the season with 1 win and 6 losses, and then after the firing of head coach Bill Curry was announced, the Wildcats won three straight SEC games before losing their final game to finish 4–7.^[1][2]

1996 Kentucky Wildcats football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
Record	4–7 (3–5 SEC)
Head coach	Bill Curry (7th season)
Offensive coordinator	Elliot Uzelac (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Rick Smith (1st as DC, 7th overall season)
Home stadium	Commonwealth Stadium
Seasons ← 1995 1997 →

1996 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
No. 1 Florida x$		8	–	0					12	–	1
No. 9 Tennessee		7	–	1					10	–	2
South Carolina		4	–	4					6	–	5
Kentucky		3	–	5					4	–	7
Georgia		3	–	5					5	–	6
Vanderbilt		0	–	8					2	–	9
Western Division
No. 11 Alabama xy		6	–	2					10	–	3
No. 12 LSU x		6	–	2					10	–	2
No. 24 Auburn		4	–	4					8	–	4
Mississippi State		3	–	5					5	–	6
Ole Miss		2	–	6					5	–	6
Arkansas		2	–	6					4	–	7
Championship: Florida 45, Alabama 30
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Kentucky opened with a 38–14 loss to Louisville, then lost 24–3 at Cincinnati due to repeated special teams breakdowns. A game in a driving rainstorm against Indiana remained a scoreless tie until the final seconds when a Kentucky field goal led to a 3–0 win. A 65–0 loss at Florida and 35–7 loss at Alabama were followed by Kentucky blowing a second half lead to lose 25–14 to South Carolina. After a 41–14 loss at LSU, Kentucky stood at 1–5 on the season and the firing of head coach Bill Curry was announced. The Wildcats responded by reeling off three victories in a row: 24–17 against Georgia, 24–21 against Mississippi State and 25–0 against Vanderbilt. A 56–10 loss to Tennessee ended the season with the Wildcats at 4–7.^[3][4]

Kentucky's victories over Georgia and Mississippi State kept those two teams out of bowl games, as each finished 5–6 due to their losses to Kentucky. Kentucky's 25–0 shutout of Vanderbilt on November 16 was the team's first shutout since a 21–0 win against #25 Ole Miss on October 2, 1993.^[5][6] Kentucky played four road games against ranked teams in 1996.^[7] Kentucky's three game SEC win streak (Georgia, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt) was its first since 1993 (South Carolina, Ole Miss, LSU).^[8][9] This was the first college season for highly touted freshman quarterback Tim Couch, who later went on to be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and was the #1 overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft.^[10]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 31	6:30 p.m.	Louisville*	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (Governor's Cup)		L 14–38	59,384	^[11]
September 7	3:30 p.m.	at Cincinnati*	Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH		L 3–24	30,729	^[12]
September 21	7:00 p.m.	Indiana*	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)		W 3–0	40,500	^[13]
September 28	3:30 p.m.	at No. 1 Florida	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	CBS	L 0–65	85,422	^[14]
October 5	2:00 p.m.	at No. 13 Alabama	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	PPV	L 7–35	70,123	^[15]
October 12	7:00 p.m.	South Carolina	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY		L 14–25	50,500	^[16]
October 19	8:00 p.m.	at No. 17 LSU	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	PPV	L 14–41	79,660	^[17]
October 26	7:00 p.m.	Georgia	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY		W 24–17	34,000	^[18]
November 9	1:30 p.m.	Mississippi State	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY		W 24–21	26,500	^[19]
November 16	12:30 p.m.	Vanderbilt	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)	JPS	W 25–0	33,000	^[20]
November 23	3:30 p.m.	at No. 9 Tennessee	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	CBS	L 10–56	102,534	^[21]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[22][23][24]

Roster

1996 Kentucky Wildcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 2 Tim Couch Fr QB 7 Billy Jack Haskins Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 17 Van Hiles Jr DE 47 Chris Ward Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Bill Curry (Georgia Tech) Coordinators/assistant coaches Elliot Uzelac Offensive Coordinator Rick Smith Defensive Coordinator Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt

Team players in the 1997 NFL Draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Van Hiles	Defensive back	5	141	Chicago Bears
Chris Ward	Defensive end	7	205	Baltimore Ravens

^[25][26]

Postseason

Leading rusher Derick Logan, the SEC Freshman Player of the Year, did not return. Head coach Bill Curry was replaced by Hal Mumme. Sometime-starting quarterback Billy Jack Haskins transferred to Rhode Island after Mumme announced that Tim Couch would take the starting spot.^[27]

References

1. . jhowell.net. Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
2. 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, p.209
3. 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, p.209
4. . jhowell.ent. Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
5. 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, p.209
6. . jhowell.ent. Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
7. 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, p.168, 209
8. 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, p.209
9. . jhowell.net. Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
10. 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide
11. "Red alert, Cardinals expose Cats' weakness in 38–14 victory". The Advocate-Messenger. September 1, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Lifeless Kentucky gets 24–3 burial from Cincinnati". The Courier-Journal. September 8, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Late field goal lifts Kentucky over IU". The Indianapolis Star. September 22, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Florida has reason to crow". The Tennessean. September 29, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "UK no mystery to Riddle as Alabama erupts 35–7". The Courier-Journal. October 6, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Gamecocks rally to beat Cats, 25–14". Messenger-Inquirer. October 13, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "Tigers trounce Wildcats 41–14". The Sun Herald. October 20, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "Kentucky beats Georgia behind lame-duck coach". The Greenville News. October 27, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "Tilghman alumni lead UK to 3rd win". The Paducah Sun. November 10, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
20. "Kentucky ends drought against Vanderbilt 25–0". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 17, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
21. "Tennessee rolls past Wildcats 56–10". The State Journal. November 24, 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
22. . jhowell.net. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
23. 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, p.168, 209
24. 1996 Kentucky football scores 2009-10-06 at the Wayback Machine
25. . Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on May 27, 2009. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
26. 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide, p.166
27. 1997 Kentucky Wildcats Football Media Guide