2019 Kentucky Wildcats football team

2019 Kentucky Wildcats football
2019 Kentucky Wildcats football
Belk Bowl champion
Belk Bowl, W 37–30 vs. Virginia Tech
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Eastern Division
Record	8–5 (3–5 SEC)
Head coach	Mark Stoops (7th season);
Offensive coordinator	Eddie Gran (4th season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Darin Hinshaw (4th season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Brad White (1st season)
Base defense	3–4 or 4–3
Home stadium	Kroger Field
Uniform
	Seasons ← 2018 2020 →

2019 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 4 Georgia x	7	–	1	12	–	2
No. 6 Florida	6	–	2	11	–	2
Tennessee *	5	–	3	8	–	5
Kentucky	3	–	5	8	–	5
Missouri *	3	–	5	6	–	6
South Carolina	3	–	5	4	–	8
Vanderbilt	1	–	7	3	–	9
West Division
No. 1 LSU x$#^	8	–	0	15	–	0
No. 8 Alabama	6	–	2	11	–	2
No. 14 Auburn	5	–	3	9	–	4
Texas A&M	4	–	4	8	–	5
Mississippi State	3	–	5	6	–	7
Ole Miss	2	–	6	4	–	8
Arkansas	0	–	8	2	–	10
Championship: LSU 37, Georgia 10
# – College Football Playoff champion ^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions * – Tennessee vacated all wins due to NCAA violations. Missouri was ineligible for postseason due to NCAA sanctions. Rankings from AP Poll

The 2019 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats played their home games at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky, and competed in the East Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by seventh-year head coach Mark Stoops.

Preseason

SEC preseason poll

The 2019 SEC Media Days were held July 15–18 in Birmingham, Alabama. In the preseason media poll, Kentucky was projected to finish in sixth in the East Division.^[2]

Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
Media poll (East Division)
1	Georgia	1789 (233)
2	Florida	1499 (21)
3	Missouri	1149 (3)
4	South Carolina	883 (1)
5	Tennessee	804 (1)
6	Kentucky	798 (1)
7	Vanderbilt	358

Preseason All-SEC teams

The Wildcats had four players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.

Offense

3rd team

Logan Stenberg – OL

Drake Jackson – C

Defense

3rd team

Kash Daniel – LB

Specialists

3rd team

Lynn Bowden – all-purpose player

Schedule

Kentucky announced its 2019 football schedule on September 18, 2018.^[3]

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	12:00 p.m.	Toledo*	Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN	W 38–24	54,610
September 7	7:30 p.m.	Eastern Michigan*	Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN Alt.	W 38–17	55,240
September 14	7:00 p.m.	No. 9 Florida	Kroger Field Lexington, KY (rivalry, SEC Nation)	ESPN	L 21–29	63,076
September 21	4:00 p.m.	at Mississippi State	Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS	SECN	L 13–28	54,556
September 28	7:30 p.m.	at South Carolina	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	SECN	L 7–24	80,828
October 12	7:30 p.m.	Arkansas	Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN	W 24–20	57,060
October 19	6:00 p.m.	at No. 10 Georgia	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	ESPN	L 0–21	92,746
October 26	7:30 p.m.	Missouri	Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN	W 29–7	48,446
November 9	7:30 p.m.	Tennessee	Kroger Field Lexington, KY (rivalry)	SECN	L 13–17	56,760
November 16	3:30 p.m.	at Vanderbilt	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN (rivalry)	SECN	W 38–14	23,288
November 23	3:30 p.m.	UT Martin*	Kroger Field Lexington, KY	SECN	W 50–7	41,495
November 30	12:00 p.m.	Louisville*	Kroger Field Lexington, KY (Governor's Cup)	SECN	W 45–13	48,336
December 31	12:00 p.m.	vs. Virginia Tech*	Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC (Belk Bowl)	ESPN	W 37–30	44,138
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after November 5 released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^[4]

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final
AP	—	—	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	RV	RV
CFP	Not released										—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released

Game summaries

Toledo

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rockets	7	7	3	7	24
Wildcats	0	14	10	14	38

Eastern Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	3	7	7	17
Wildcats	14	3	7	14	38

Florida

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 9 Gators	7	0	3	19	29
Wildcats	0	14	7	0	21

At Mississippi State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	3	0	7	3	13
Bulldogs	7	14	0	7	28

At South Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	0	7	7
Gamecocks	7	3	7	7	24

Arkansas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Razorbacks	7	6	0	7	20
Wildcats	0	7	10	7	24

At Georgia

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0
No. 10 Bulldogs	0	0	14	7	21

Missouri

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	0	0	7	0	7
Wildcats	0	22	0	7	29

Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
Volunteers	0	3	14	0	17
Wildcats	13	0	0	0	13

At Vanderbilt

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wildcats	3	21	14	0	38
Commodores	14	0	0	0	14

UT Martin

	1	2	3	4	Total
Skyhawks	0	0	0	7	7
Wildcats	16	13	7	14	50

Louisville

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	6	7	0	0	13
Wildcats	7	10	14	14	45

Vs. Virginia Tech (Belk Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hokies	10	7	10	3	30
Wildcats	7	7	10	13	37

^[5]

Personnel

Coaching staff

Name	Position
Mark Stoops	Head coach
Eddie Gran	Offensive coordinator/Associate head coach, RB Coach
Darin Hinshaw	Co-offensive coordinator, Quarterbacks coach
Brad White	Defensive coordinator/linebackers coach
Vince Marrow	Tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator
Steve Clinkscale	Secondary Coach
Michael Smith	Wide receivers coach
John Schlarman	Offensive line coach
Derrick LeBlanc	Defensive line coach
Dean Hood	LB Coach/special teams coordinator

Players drafted into the NFL

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
3	80	Lynn Bowden	WR	Las Vegas Raiders
4	121	Logan Stenberg	OG	Detroit Lions

References

^ "Brad White - Football coach". University of Kentucky Athletics.
^ "Media predicts Alabama to win 2019 SEC Championship". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. July 19, 2019.
^ "Kentucky Set for Home-Heavy 2019 Football Schedule". University of Kentucky Department of Athletics. September 18, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
^ "2019 Kentucky Wildcats Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
^ "Kentucky vs Virginia Tech, 1869-2018". Retrieved December 9, 2019.^{[permanent dead link]}

[Brad_White-1] "Brad White - Football coach". University of Kentucky Athletics.

[2] "Media predicts Alabama to win 2019 SEC Championship". SECSports.com. Southeastern Conference. July 19, 2019.

[2019sched-3] "Kentucky Set for Home-Heavy 2019 Football Schedule". University of Kentucky Department of Athletics. September 18, 2018. Retrieved January 15, 2019.

[4] "2019 Kentucky Wildcats Football Schedule". FB Schedules. Retrieved January 15, 2019.

[stassen_va_tech-5] "Kentucky vs Virginia Tech, 1869-2018". Retrieved December 9, 2019.^{[permanent dead link]}

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v t e Kentucky Wildcats football
Venues	Stoll Field/McLean Stadium (1916–1972) Kroger Field (1973–present) E.J. Nutter Training Facility (practice)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Centre Florida Indiana Louisville: Governor's Cup Tennessee Transylvania: Battle On Broadway Vanderbilt
Culture & lore	The Wildcat Scratch Blue "On, On, U of K" "Kentucky Fight" Marching band Bluegrass Miracle 2003 Arkansas game Big Blue Nation
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders NFL draftees Starting quarterbacks
Seasons	1881 1882–1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold