1987 Kentucky Wildcats football team

The 1987 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth season under head coach Jerry Claiborne, the Wildcats compiled a 5–6 record (1–5 against SEC opponents), finished in a tie for seventh place in the SEC, and outscored their opponents, 258 to 187.[1][2] The team played its home games in Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.

1987 Kentucky Wildcats football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record5–6 (1–5 SEC)
Head coach
Home stadiumCommonwealth Stadium
Seasons
← 1986
1988 →
1987 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 Auburn $ 5 0 1 9 1 2
No. 5 LSU 5 1 0 10 1 1
No. 14 Tennessee 4 1 1 10 2 1
No. 13 Georgia 4 2 0 9 3 0
Alabama 4 2 0 7 5 0
Florida 3 3 0 6 6 0
Kentucky 1 5 0 5 6 0
Mississippi State 1 5 0 4 7 0
Vanderbilt 1 5 0 4 7 0
Ole Miss 1 5 0 3 8 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Glenn Fohr with 973 passing yards, Mark Higgs with 1,278 rushing yards, and Dee Smith with 420 receiving yards.[3]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 12Utah State*W 41–055,249[4]
September 19Indiana*
  • Commonwealth Stadium
  • Lexington, KY (rivalry)
W 34–1557,924[5]
September 26at Rutgers*L 18–1921,232[6]
October 3Ohio*
  • Commonwealth Stadium
  • Lexington, KY
W 28–053,329[7]
October 10Ole Miss
  • Commonwealth Stadium
  • Lexington, KY
W 35–657,832[8]
October 17at No. 6 LSUL 9–3477,084[9]
October 24at No. 12 GeorgiaL 14–1781,911[10]
October 31Virginia Tech*
  • Commonwealth Stadium
  • Lexington, KY
W 14–750,432[11]
November 7at VanderbiltL 29–3840,892[12]
November 14at FloridaL 14–2773,021[13]
November 21 No. 15 Tennessee
  • Commonwealth Stadium
  • Lexington, KY (rivalry)
L 22–2457,127[14]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game

Roster

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1987 Kentucky Wildcats football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
G 57 Dermontti Dawson Sr
RB 22 Mark Higgs Sr
RB 32 Ivy Joe Hunter Jr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DT 79 Oliver Barnett So
DT 70 Tom Howard Sr
CB 24 D. J. Johnson Jr
DT 54 Jerry Reese Sr
DT 91 John Shannon Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

References

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  1. ^ "1987 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. ^ "1987 Kentucky Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  4. ^ "Kentucky blasts Utah St". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 13, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Cats' Dooley passes IU crazy; Kentucky cruises to 34–15 win". The Kokomo Tribune. September 20, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Knight offense comes to life, tops Kentucky". The Central New Jersey Home News. September 27, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Kentucky outmans Ohio U., 28–0". The Cincinnati Enquirer. October 4, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Higgs, Reese help vengeful Kentucky bury Ole Miss 35–6". The Courier-Journal. October 11, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "It gets late early for UK as LSU rumbles to 34–9 triumph". The Courier-Journal. October 18, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Kentucky rules for 59 minutes, then Georgia takes 17–14 victory". The Courier-Journal. October 25, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Hokies start late, lose 14–7 to Kentucky". The Roanoke Times & World-News. November 1, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Jones leads Commodores past Wildcats". Messenger-Inquirer. November 8, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Bowl, game simple for Gators". Fort Lauderdale News. November 15, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Wildcats, Higgs stumble short on last hurdle". The Paducah Sun. November 22, 1987. Retrieved November 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.