The 1988 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky

The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...

 in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season

1988 NCAA Division I-A football season

The 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Notre Dame winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title via a 34-21 defeat of previously unbeaten West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona....

. The Wildcats scored 217 points while allowing 208 points. This was Jerry Claiborne

Jerry Claiborne

Jerry Claiborne was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Virginia Tech , the University of Maryland, College Park , and his alma mater, the University of Kentucky , compiling a career college football record of 179–122–8...

's seventh season as Kentucky's head coach. The Wildcats finished 5-6, one victory shy of bowl eligibility; the highlight of the season was an upset of #11 ranked Georgia.

Season

Kentucky opened with a win against Central Michigan, then lost at #7 Auburn and Indiana before beating Kent State. Losses to #12 Alabama and at #19 LSU followed. Next were wins against #11 Georgia, Southern Illinois and Vanderbilt, then losses to Florida and at Tennessee.

The victory over Georgia was the season's high point. Running back Alfred Rawls, a Georgia native, had 128 yards and a touchdown rushing and linebacker Randy Holleran had 13 tackles; #11 Georgia was held to 224 yards of total offense.

Schedule

Game	Date	Opponent	Result	Wildcats points	Opponents	Record
1	Sept. 3		Win	18	7	1-0
2	Sept. 10	at #7 Auburn 1988 Auburn Tigers football team The 1988 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. Coached by Pat Dye, the team finished the season with a 10–2 record and won their second of three straight SEC titles, sharing it with LSU. LSU handed Auburn their only conference...	Loss	10	20	1-1
3	Sept. 17	at Indiana 1988 Indiana Hoosiers football team The 1988 Indiana Hoosiers football team represented Indiana University in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season.-Season:*In the Old Brass Spittoon, the Hoosiers lost to Michigan State by a score of 38-12....	Loss	25	36	1-2
4	Sept. 24		Win	38	14	2-2
5	Oct. 1	#12 Alabama	Loss	27	31	2-3
6	Oct. 15	at #19 Louisiana State 1988 LSU Tigers football team The 1988 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The LSU offense scored 249 points while the defense allowed 204 points.-Season:...	Loss	12	15	2-4
7	Oct. 22	#11 Georgia	Win	16	10	3-4
8	Oct. 29		Win	24	10	4-4
9	Nov. 5		Win	14	13	5-4
10	Nov. 12	Florida	Loss	19	24	5-5
11	Nov. 19	at Tennessee 1988 Tennessee Volunteers football team The 1988 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Volunteers offense scored 212 points while the defense allowed 286 points. At season's end, the Volunteers were not ranked in either of the major...	Loss	24	28	5-6

Team players in the 1990 NFL Draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL Club
David "D. J." Johnson	Defensive back	7	174	Pittsburgh Steelers 1989 Pittsburgh Steelers season The 1989 Pittsburgh Steelers were considered a rebuilding team filled with many young players, especially after the release of longtime center Mike Webster in the offseason. The young team showed its inexperience in the first game of the season, when they lost at home to the archrival Cleveland...
Ivy Joe Hunter Ivy Joe Hunter Ivy Joe Hunter is a former professional American football player who played fullback for three seasons for the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots...	Running back	7	182	Indianapolis Colts 1989 Indianapolis Colts season The 1989 Indianapolis Colts season was the 37th season for the team in the National Football League and 6th in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts finished the National Football League's 1989 season with a record of 8 wins and 8 losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division with...
Chris Chenault	Linebacker	8	222	Cincinnati Bengals 1989 Cincinnati Bengals season The 1989 Cincinnati Bengals season was their 20th in the league.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:-Passing:-External links:* * *...
Charlie Darrington	Tight end	9	233	Washington Redskins 1989 Washington Redskins season The 1989 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 7-9 record from 1988. Despite a 10-6 record, they finished third in the NFC East and failed to qualify for the playoffs. The Week 11 game with Dallas was that team's only win of the season.-Regular season:In a week 14...