1978 Kentucky Wildcats football team

The 1978 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1978 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth season under head coach Fran Curci, the Wildcats compiled a 4–6–1 record (2–4 against SEC opponents), finished in a tie for seventh place in the SEC, and outscored their opponents, 193 to 189.[1][2] The team played its home games in Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.

1978 Kentucky Wildcats football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record4–6–1 (2–4 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorPerry Moss (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorCharlie Bailey (4th season)
Home stadiumCommonwealth Stadium
Seasons
← 1977
1979 →
1978 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Alabama $ 6 0 0 11 1 0
No. 16 Georgia 5 0 1 9 2 1
Auburn 3 2 1 6 4 1
LSU 3 3 0 8 4 0
Tennessee 3 3 0 5 5 1
Florida 3 3 0 4 7 0
Mississippi State 2 4 0 6 5 0
Ole Miss 2 4 0 5 6 0
Kentucky 2 4 0 4 6 1
Vanderbilt 0 6 0 2 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Larry McCrimmon with 752 passing yards, Fred Williams with 313 rushing yards, and Felix Wilson with 727 receiving yards. Kentucky began the year ranked 17th, but fell out of the polls after week one.[3]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 16at South Carolina*T 14–1456,385[4]
September 23Baylor*W 25–2157,793[5]
September 30at No. 15 Maryland*L 3–2042,873[6]
October 7 No. 5 Penn State*
  • Commonwealth Stadium
  • Lexington, KY
L 0–3058,068[7]
October 14at Ole MissW 24–1738,290[8]
October 21 No. 16 LSU
  • Commonwealth Stadium
  • Lexington, KY
L 0–2157,918[9]
October 28 No. 16 Georgia
  • Commonwealth Stadium
  • Lexington, KY
L 16–1756,918[10]
November 4at Virginia Tech*W 28–036,000[11]
November 11Vanderbilt
  • Commonwealth Stadium
  • Lexington, KY (rivalry)
W 53–257,800[12]
November 18Florida
  • Commonwealth Stadium
  • Lexington, KY (rivalry)
L 16–1856,500[13]
November 25at TennesseeL 14–2984,926[14]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game

References

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  1. ^ "1978 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. ^ "1978 Kentucky Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  4. ^ Herman Helms (September 17, 1978). "Kentucky Rallies, Deadlocks USC". The State. pp. 1C, 2C – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ D.G. FitzMaurice (September 24, 1978). "UK 25, Baylor 21: A Wacky Wildcat Win". Sunday Herald-Leader. pp. C1, C5 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Bill Free (October 1, 1978). "Maryland overpowers Kentucky". The Baltimore Sun. pp. C1, C13 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ John A. McGill (October 8, 1978). "Lions Maul Sluggish Wildcats 30-0". Sunday Herald-Leader. pp. C1, C7 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ David Crews (October 15, 1978). "Kentucky booms Ole Miss 24-17". The Greenwood Commonwealth. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ D.G. FitzMaurice (October 22, 1978). "Alexander Halted but LSU Rolls, 21-0". Sunday Herald-Leader. pp. C1, C7 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ John A. McGill (October 29, 1978). "Delight Turns to Dejection as UK Falls 17-16". Sunday Herald-Leader. pp. C1, C7 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Ed Richards (November 5, 1978). "Kentucky's Big Plays Doom VPI". Daily Press. pp. D1, D8 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ D.G. FitzMaurice (November 12, 1978). "UK 53, Vandy 2, and It Wasn't That Close". Sunday Herald-Leader. pp. C1, C7 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ John A. McGill (November 19, 1978). "History Haunts As Field Goal Sinks Wildcats". The Lexington Herald. pp. C1, C7 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ F.M. Williams (November 26, 1978). "Duncan's Foot Lifts Vol Fortunes". The Tennessean. pp. Sports 1, 3 – via Newspapers.com.