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Kentucky ended the regular season tied for second in the SEC East Division with a conference record of 5–3. They were invited to the Citrus Bowl, where they defeated No. 13 Penn State, their first bowl win since 2008. Kentucky ended the season with a record of 10–3 and were ranked 12th in the final AP Poll, the most wins and highest poll finish for the program since 1977. Ahead of the spring game, we can tell you Kentucky has recruited the state of Ohio well under head coach Mark Stoops, and the Cats could be ready to strike gold once again. Visit CatsPause now to see which transfer wide receiver could make a big impact on Kentucky football, all from a veteran team of reporters on the ground in Lexington.
Stephen Johnson’s graduation leaves junior college transfer Terry Wilson and sophomore Gunnar Hoak to compete for the starting spot. He has spent the spring splitting first-team reps with sophomore Terry Wilson. The Wildcats open the season at home against Central Michigan. The Chippewas are winless in six tries against Kentucky, a streak that will move to seven after Sept. 1.
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Quarterback Terry Wilson led the team in passing, finishing with 1,889 yards and 11 touchdowns. Head coach Mark Stoops was named SEC Coach of the Year. The Aggies enter 2018 with high expectations with 14 returning starters and a new head coach in Jimbo Fisher.
This site is not endorsed by, sponsored by, or affiliated with these schools or teams. The Wildcats finished the 2017 season 7–6, 4–4 in SEC play to finish in a tie for third place in the Eastern Division. They were invited to the Music City Bowl where they lost to Northwestern. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data.
Sept. 22 Mississippi State
But Kentucky will arrive in College Station fresh off three straight home games -- Murray State, Mississippi State and South Carolina. If the Wildcats can win two or even all three, their confidence will be sky high coming into this one and put them in a great position to steal a win. The 2018 football recruiting cycle was the first in which the NCAA authorized two signing periods for high school seniors in that sport. In addition to the traditional spring period starting with National Signing Day on February 7, 2018, a new early signing period was introduced, with the first such period falling from December 20–22, 2017.
The Blue Raiders always seem to surprise and play well down the stretch, and they return a lot of experience with 15 starters coming back. But in Kentucky’s final home game of the year, the Wildcats should be able to grab a win, a victory they might need to become bowl eligible. All eight of Moorhead's victories in 2018 had to be vacated after 10 football players were reprimanded by the NCAA for academic misconduct involving a former part-time tutor and an online chemistry class. For a Kentucky Wildcats team that entered its bye week 5-1 and a contender in the SEC East, a 7-6 finish was certainly a disappointment.
Coaching staff
The Wildcats lost their final two regular-season games by an average of 28 points before falling by the slimmest of margins in the Music City Bowl, a loss to Northwestern. This will mark the second consecutive year Kentucky plays its spring game on a Friday night. Last year, Blue topped White in front of 37,172 fans. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops enters his sixth season as the Wildcat's head coach for the 2018 season. During his previous five seasons he led the Wildcats to an overall record of 26 wins and 36 losses.
The Wildcats had four players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams. Georgia is loaded with talent and experience at the quarterback position, while Kentucky enters the season not yet knowing who the Week 1 starter will be. The Wildcats get this game at home, but that does little to help their case in what should be a straightforward Georgia win.
Jeremy Pruitt inherits a Tennessee squad that was winless in SEC play last year en route to a 4-8 campaign. The only reason this game is not listed among Kentucky’s three easiest is because the Wildcats travel to Neyland Stadium. But the Volunteers need to show they can win before they can be seen as a favorite against SEC opposition. The quarterback position will be one to watch come Week 1 and as the season unfolds.
But the Bulldogs should be able to pull out a win in what should be a very close game, far from the 38-point blowout in Starkville last season. The team's highly touted defense was anchored by unanimous All-American linebacker Josh Allen, who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Year and led the conference in sacks and tackles for loss. On offense, the team was led by first-team All-SEC running back Benny Snell, who finished second in the conference in rushing with 1,449 yards and 16 touchdowns. Offensive lineman Bunchy Stallings was also named first-team all-conference.
Rankings from AP PollThe 2018 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats played their home games at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference . They were led by sixth-year head coach Mark Stoops. As Mark Stoops enters his sixth season at Kentucky winless in two bowl games, the pressure will be on the head coach to finish a season as well as he starts it. The season was one of the most successful in Kentucky's history. Two weeks later, the Wildcats upset No. 14 Mississippi State, and entered the AP Poll for the first time since 2007.
Some school's results have been altered by retroactive NCAA penalties. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. First-year head coach Joe Moorhead leads the Bulldogs into Lexington for an early-season test. With Kentucky coming off three winnable games to start the season, the Wildcats could be riding a wave of momentum against MSU.
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