1977 University of Kentucky football season
1977 Kentucky Wildcats football |
---|
Conference | Southeastern Conference |
---|
Ranking |
---|
AP | No. 6 |
---|
Record | 10–1 (6–0 SEC) |
---|
Head coach | |
---|
Offensive coordinator | Perry Moss (1st season) |
---|
Defensive coordinator | Charlie Bailey (3rd season) |
---|
Home stadium | Commonwealth Stadium |
---|
Seasons |
1977 Southeastern Conference football standings | Conf | | | Overall |
Team | W | | L | | T | | | W | | L | | T |
No. 2 Alabama $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | | | 11 | – | 1 | – | 0 |
No. 6 Kentucky | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | | | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 |
Auburn | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | | | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 |
LSU | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | | | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 |
Florida | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | | | 6 | – | 4 | – | 1 |
Georgia | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | | | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 |
Mississippi State | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | | | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 |
Ole Miss | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | | | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 |
Tennessee | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | | | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 |
Vanderbilt | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | | | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 |
|
- $ – Conference champion
- Kentucky ineligible for SEC championship due to NCAA probation. Mississippi State later forfeited all 1977 wins due to NCAA violations.
Rankings from AP Poll |
The 1977 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1977 NCAA Division I football season. The Wildcats scored 252 points while allowing 111 points. The Wildcats finished conference play undefeated but due to NCAA probation were not eligible for a share of the SEC championship or for postseason play.[1] The Wildcats finished the season ranked #6 in the final AP Poll.[2]
Kentucky's 33–13 victor over LSU was its third in four years over the Bayou Bengals, and the Wildcats' first at Tiger Stadium since 1949, when Bear Bryant was Kentucky's coach.
In the Border Battle, Kentucky beat Tennessee by a score of 21–17. Entering that game, Kentucky had seven injured starters unable to play, including quarterback Derrick Ramsey, whose arm was injured so badly he could not throw the football. Tennessee jumped out to a 17–14 lead when backup quarterback Mike Deaton completed a 36-yard pass to Felix Wilson; the injured Ramsey then entered the game and led Kentucky to a touchdown. Tennessee's offense then took the ball to Kentucky's 22-yard line but Tennessee quarterback Jimmy Streater fumbled due to a hit by Kentucky All-American defensive end Art Still, and linebacker Kelly Kirchbaum recovered the ball to preserve the win.[3]
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
---|
September 10 | North Carolina* | | | W 10–7 | 57,796 | [4] |
September 17 | at Baylor* | | | L 6–21 | 30,000 | [5] |
September 24 | West Virginia* | | - Commonwealth Stadium
- Lexington, KY
| W 28–13 | 57,796 | [6] |
October 1 | at No. 4 Penn State* | | | W 24–20 | 62,196 | [7] |
October 8 | Mississippi State | No. 16 | - Commonwealth Stadium
- Lexington, KY
| W 23–7 | 57,914 | [8] |
October 15 | at No. 16 LSU | No. 12 | | W 33–13 | 71,495 | [9] |
October 22 | at Georgia | No. 8 | | W 33–0 | 59,100 | [10] |
October 29 | Virginia Tech* | No. 7 | - Commonwealth Stadium
- Lexington, KY
| W 32–0 | 57,914 | [11] |
November 5 | at Vanderbilt | No. 7 | | W 28–6 | 34,694 | [12] |
November 12 | at Florida | No. 7 | | W 14–7 | 58,125 | [13] |
November 19 | Tennessee | No. 7 | - Commonwealth Stadium
- Lexington, KY (rivalry)
| W 21–17 | 57,914 | [14] |
- *Non-conference game
- Homecoming
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
|
[15][16]
Personnel
1977 Kentucky Wildcats football team roster |
Players | Coaches |
Offense Pos. | # | Name | Class | RB | | Randy Brooks | QB | | Mike Deaton | RB | | Joe Dipre | OL | | Tom Dornbrook | OL | | Dan Fowler | OL | | Will Grant | RB | | Robert Hawkins | RB | | Chris Hill | OL | | Dave Hopewell | OL | | Tom Kearns | TE | | Greg Nord | RB | | Henry Parks | TE | | Scott Petersen | OL | | Larry Petkovsek | QB | | Derrick Ramsey | RB | | Chuck Servino | RB | | Rod Stewart | WR | | Bill Tolston | WR | | David Trosper | RB | | Fred Williams | WR | | Felix Wilson | | Defense Pos. | # | Name | Class | DL | | Jerry Blanton | DB | | Ritchie Boyd | DL | | Bud Diehl | DB | | Rich Hayden | DL | | Richard Jaffe | LB | | Kelly Kirchbaum | LB | | Mike Martin | DB | | Dallas Owens | DL | | James Ramey | DB | | Mike Siganos | DL | | David Stephens | DE | | Art Still | DT | 83 | Bob Winkel | Sr | | Special teams Pos. | # | Name | Class | K | | Joe Bryant | | - Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
- Injured
- Redshirt
|
Game summaries
Penn State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | • Kentucky | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 24 | Penn St | 10 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 20 | |
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| 1 | | PSU | Bahr 20 yard field goal | PSU 3-0 | | 1 | | PSU | Cefalo 75 yard punt return (Bahr kick) | PSU 10-0 | | 1 | | KEN | Owens 23 yard interception return (Bryant kick) | PSU 10-7 | | 2 | | KEN | Servino 1 yard run (Bryant kick) | KEN 14-10 | | 2 | | PSU | Guman 29 yard pass from Fusina (Bahr kick) | PSU 17-14 | | 2 | | PSU | Bahr 25 yard field goal | PSU 20-14 | | 3 | | KEN | Bryant 30 yard field goal | PSU 20-17 | | 3 | | KEN | Ramsey 1 yard run (Bryant kick) | KEN 24-20 | |
Georgia
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | • Kentucky | 0 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 33 | Georgia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
|
Scoring summary |
---|
| Q2 | | KY | Bryant 51 yard field goal | KY 3–0 | | Q2 | | KY | Williams 1 yard pass from Ramsey (Bryant kick) | KY 10–0 | | Q3 | | KY | Tropser 17 yard pass from Ramsey (Bryant kick) | KY 17–0 | | Q3 | | KY | Bryant 51 yard field goal | KY 20–0 | | Q4 | | KY | Wilson 12 yard pass from Ramsey (Bryant kick) | KY 27–0 | | Q4 | | KY | Nord 10 yard pass from Deaton (kick failed) | KY 33–0 | |
[17]
Team players in the NFL
[18]
Awards and honors
References
- ^ "Kentucky Wildcats Official Athletic Site - Football". Archived from the original on August 31, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
- ^ "Final 1977 AP Poll at AP Poll Archive.com". Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
- ^ Story, Mark, UK football's greatest wins at Commonwealth, Lexington Herald-Leader, September 4, 2011
- ^ "Kentucky Wildcats claw Carolina 10–7". Rocky Mount Telegram. September 11, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Baylor bounces Kentucky, 21–6". The Odessa American. September 18, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Kentucky plows over W. Virginia". The Tampa Tribune-Times. September 25, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Kentucky shocks Penn State". The Tennessean. October 2, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Wildcats blitz State, 23–7". The Montgomery Advertiser. October 9, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Kentucky romps over LSU, 33–13". The Miami Herald. October 16, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Georgia blanked 33–0 by 'Cats". The Times Recorder. October 23, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mistakes don't matter as UK smothers VPI". The Courier-Journal. October 30, 1977. Retrieved December 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "'Cats nail Vandy for victory No. 8". The Paducah Sun-Democrat. November 6, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "UK Wildcats 'purrr...fect' against UF". The Pensacola News-Journal. November 13, 1977. Retrieved October 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "UK nips tough Tennessee, ends 10–1". The Courier-Journal. November 20, 1977. Retrieved May 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 1997 Kentucky Football Media Guide, p.168
- ^ "Kentucky in the 1977 AP polls, AP Poll Archive". Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2009.
- ^ Ocala Star-Banner. 1977 Oct 23. Retrieved 2018-Nov-03.
- ^ "1978 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2007.
|
---|
Venues | |
---|
Bowls & rivalries | |
---|
Culture & lore | |
---|
People | |
---|
Seasons | |
---|
National championship seasons in bold |