1998 Kentucky Wildcats football team

The 1998 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1998 NCAA Division I-A football season. Quarterback Tim Couch was the first pick overall in the 1999 NFL draft.

1998 Kentucky Wildcats football
Outback Bowl, L 26–14 vs. Penn State
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
Record	7–5 (4–4 SEC)
Head coach	Hal Mumme (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Leach (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Air raid
Defensive coordinator	Mike Major (2nd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Commonwealth Stadium
Seasons ← 1997 1999 →

1998 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
No. 1 Tennessee x$#		8	–	0					13	–	0
No. 5 Florida  %		7	–	1					10	–	2
No. 14 Georgia		6	–	2					9	–	3
Kentucky		4	–	4					7	–	5
Vanderbilt		1	–	7					2	–	9
South Carolina		0	–	8					1	–	10
Western Division
Mississippi State xy		6	–	2					8	–	5
No. 16 Arkansas x		6	–	2					9	–	3
Alabama		4	–	4					7	–	5
Ole Miss		3	–	5					7	–	5
LSU		2	–	6					4	–	7
Auburn		1	–	7					3	–	8
Championship: Tennessee 24, Mississippi State 14
# – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Couch led Kentucky to seven wins, including a win on the road at #21 LSU and a spot in the 1999 Outback Bowl, where Couch completed 30 of 48 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns, though Kentucky lost to Penn State, 26–14. In the Kentucky–Louisville rivalry, the Wildcats beat the Cardinals to claim the Governor's Cup. In the Border Battle, Tennessee beat Kentucky by a score of 59–21 to claim the Beer Barrel.^[1]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 5	3:00 pm	at Louisville*	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY (Governor's Cup)	FSN	W 68–34	42,643	[2]
September 12	1:30 pm	Eastern Kentucky*	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY		W 52–7	57,776	[3]
September 19	1:30 pm	Indiana*	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)		W 31–27	57,788	[4]
September 26	3:30 pm	at No. 8 Florida	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	CBS	L 35–51	85,011	[5]
October 3	6:00 pm	at No. 22 Arkansas	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR	ESPN2	L 20–27	55,782	[6]
October 10	7:00 pm	South Carolina	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY		W 33–28	57,739	[7]
October 17	9:00 pm	at No. 21 LSU	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	ESPN2	W 39–36	80,524	[8]
October 24	12:30 pm	No. 11 Georgia	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	JPS	L 26–28	57,838	[9]
November 7	6:00 pm	Mississippi State	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	ESPN2	W 37–35	57,760	[10]
November 14	1:30 pm	Vanderbilt	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)		W 55–17	57,521	[11]
November 21	12:30 pm	at No. 1 Tennessee	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	CBS	L 21–59	107,252	[12]
January 1	11:00 am	vs. No. 20 Penn State*	Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL (Outback Bowl)	ESPN	L 14–26	66,005	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Rankings

See also: 1998 NCAA Division I-A football 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	Final
AP	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	—
Coaches	RV	RV	RV	25	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	25	RV	RV	—	RV
BCS	Not released								—	—	—	—	—	—	—	Not released

Roster

1998 Kentucky Wildcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 2 Tim Couch Jr WR 3 Craig Yeast Sr QB 16 Matt Mumme Sr WR 25 Quentin McCord So RB 32 Anthony White Jr C 61 Paul McGonagle Sr TE 85 James Whalen Jr RB Artose Pinner Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 20 Eric Kelly So LB 30 Marlon McCree So DT Chris Demaree Fr DE Dennis Johnson Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 10 Seth Hanson So P 18 Jimmy Carter Sr	Head coach Hal Mumme Coordinators/assistant coaches Mike Leach – Offensive coordinator/wide receivers Chris Hatcher – Quarterbacks Tony Franklin – Running backs Mike Fanoga – Tight ends/assistant offensive line Guy Morriss – Offensive line/assistant head coach Mike Major – Defensive coordinator/linebackers Bob Brush – Defensive assistant Tom Adams – Defensive line Darrell Patterson – Safeties Tim Keane – Cornerbacks Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

1999 NFL draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Tim Couch	Quarterback	1	1	Cleveland Browns

^[14]

References

1. "Mcubed.net : NCAA Football : Series Records : Tennessee vs. Kentucky".
2. "Couch means ouch for Cards". Messenger-Inquirer. September 6, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Cats cream Colonels 52–7". Lexington Herald-Leader. September 13, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Whitmire, Tim (September 20, 1998). "Cats escape Indiana, 31-27". Messenger-Inquirer. Associated Press. p. 1B. Retrieved October 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Florida outguns Kentucky, Couch 51–35". Messenger-Inquirer. September 27, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Aw, Nutts! Hogs overtake 'Cats". The Paducah Sun. October 4, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Balanced attack lifts Kentucky over South Carolina". The Charlotte Observer. October 11, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Wildcats nip LSU". Daily World. October 18, 1998. Retrieved July 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Botched kick snaps Couch's final march". The Paducah Sun. October 25, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "MSU falls short against 'Cats". The Greenwood Commonwealth. November 8, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "If it was a farewell, it was a doozy". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 15, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Top-ranked Vols wallop flat Wildcats". Messenger-Inquirer. November 22, 1998. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Paterno has plenty of time, but Couch doesn't". The Los Angeles Times. January 2, 1999. Retrieved October 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "1999 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.