2016 Kentucky Wildcats football team 2016 University of Kentucky football season
The 2016 Kentucky Wildcats football team (variously "Kentucky", "UK", or "Wildcats") represented the University of Kentucky in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The season was the program's 123rd overall and 83rd as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by fourth-year head coach Mark Stoops and the played home games at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky . They finished the season 7–6, 4–4 in SEC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place in the Eastern Division. They were invited to the TaxSlayer Bowl where they lost to Georgia Tech .
Preseason
Departures
Name
Number
Pos.
Height
Weight
Year
Hometown
Notes
Daron Blaylock
#7
LB
6'1"
226
Senior
Marietta, GA
Graduated
Zack Blaylock
#17
DB
6'0"
193
Junior
Marietta, GA
Graduated
Glenn Faulkner
#18
DB
6'2"
201
Junior
East St. Louis, IL
Graduated
Ryan Flannigan
#33
LB
6'2"
225
Senior
Missouri City, TX
Graduated
Josh Forrest
#45
LB
6'3"
230
Senior
Paducah, KY
Graduated
Jason Hatcher
#6
DE
6'3"
247
Junior
Louisville, KY
Transferred to West Georgia
Khalid Henderson
#22
LB
6'1"
235
Senior
Austell, GA
Graduated
Farrington Huguenin
#91
DE
6'4"
271
Senior
Columbia, SC
Graduated
Cory Johnson
#67
DT
6'3"
300
Senior
Columbia, SC
Graduated
Jabari Johnson
#47
LB
6'1"
250
Senior
Stone Mountain, GA
Graduated
Melvin Lewis
#90
DT
6'4"
311
Senior
Compton, CA
Graduated
Cody Quinn
#16
DB
5'11"
185
Senior
Middletown, OH
Graduated
A.J. Stamps
#1
DB
6'1"
205
Senior
Vicksburg, MS
Graduated
Jordan Swindle
#70
OL
6'7"
304
Senior
Jacksonville, FL
Graduated
Fred Tiller
#3
DB
6'0"
196
Senior
Homerville, GA
Graduated
Patrick Towles
#14
QB
6'3"
235
Junior
Fort Thomas, KY
Transferred to Boston College
Zach West
#67
OL
6'3"
305
Senior
Lexington, KY
Graduated
2016 signing class
Prior to National Signing Day on February 3, 2016, five players enrolled for the spring semester in order to participate in spring practice and included four former high school seniors and one junior college transfer.[ 1]
On National Signing Day, Kentucky signed an additional twenty players out of high school and junior college that completed the 2016 recruiting class. The class was highlighted by three Army All-American 's as well as Kentucky's Mr. Football .[ 2]
College recruiting information (2016)
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
40‡
Commit date
Jaylin Bannerman #62 DE
Pickerington, OH
Pickerington Central High School
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Jordan Bonner #4 LB (JUCO)
Lyndhurst, OH
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
T. J. Carter #57 DE
Mableton, GA
Whitefield Academy
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
245 lb (111 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
JaQuize Cross #83 DT
New Market, AL
Buckhorn High School
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
310 lb (140 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Kash Daniel #11 LB
Paintsville, KY
Paintsville High School
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
227 lb (103 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Luke Fortner #117 OT
Sylvania, OH
Sylvania Northview High School
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
278 lb (126 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Tobias Gilliam #69 DB
Dayton, OH
Wayne High School
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Jordan Griffin #37 DB
Jonesboro, GA
Jonesboro High School
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
170 lb (77 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Gunnar Hoak #40 QB
Dublin, OH
Dublin Coffman High School
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Dakota Holtzclaw #42 TE
Columbus, OH
Worthington Kilbourne High School
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Zy'Aire Hughes #52 ATH
Paducah, KY
McCracken County High School
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Drake Jackson #2 C
Versailles, KY
Woodford County High School
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
290 lb (130 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Stephen Johnson #5 QB (JUCO)
Rancho Cucamonga, CA
College of the Desert
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Tate Leavitt #5 OT (JUCO)
Thornville, OH
Hutchinson Community College
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
295 lb (134 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Kordell Looney #57 DT
Springfield, OH
Springfield High School
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
285 lb (129 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Grant McKinniss #5 P/K
Findlay, OH
Findlay High School
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Naquez Pringle #28 DT (JUCO)
Georgetown, SC
Itawamba Community College
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
330 lb (150 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Justin Rigg #64 TE
Springboro, OH
Springboro High School
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
240 lb (110 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Davonte Robinson #92 DB
Lexington, KY
Henry Clay High School
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
A. J. Rose #80 RB
Cleveland, OH
Garfield Heights High School
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Kayaune Ross #18 WR (JUCO)
West Chester, OH
Phoenix College
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Benny Snell #56 RB
Westerville, OH
Westerville Central High School
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Roland Walder #36 LB
Dayton, OH
Trotwood-Madison High School
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Jamar Watson #112 LB
District Heights, MD
Bishop McNamara High School
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
220 lb (100 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Landon Young #6 OT
Lexington, KY
Lafayette High School
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
270 lb (120 kg)
Star ratings : Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
Personnel
Coaching staff
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops enters his fourth season as the Wildcat's head coach for the 2016 season. During his previous three seasons he led the Wildcats to an overall record of 12 wins and 24 losses.
On December 18, 2015, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson announced he would not return to the program for the 2016 season as the offensive coordinator.[ 3] [ 4] In his place Kentucky hired Cincinnati offensive coordinator Eddie Gran as the assistant head coach of offense at Kentucky. Cincinnati quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw has also joined the UK staff as quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator.[ 5] [ 6]
2016 signing class
Returning starters
Offense
Player
Class
Position
Dorian Baker
Junior
Wide receiver
C. J. Conrad
Sophomore
Tight end
Nick Haynes
RS-Junior
Offensive guard
Garrett Johnson
Junior
Wide receiver
Ramsey Meyers
RS-Junior
Offensive guard
Jon Toth
Senior
Center
Stanley Williams
Junior
Running back
Reference:
Defense
Player
Class
Position
Mike Edwards
RS-Sophomore
Safety
Blake McClain
Senior
Safety
Denzil Ware
RS=Sophomore
Linebacker
Chris Westry
Sophomore
Cornerback
Reference:
Special teams
Roster
Schedule
Kentucky announced its 2016 football schedule on October 29, 2015. The 2016 schedule consists of 7 home and 5 away games in the regular season. The Wildcats will host SEC foes Georgia , Mississippi State , South Carolina , and Vanderbilt , and will travel to Alabama , Florida , Missouri , and Tennessee .[ 8]
The team will host three out of four of its non–conference games which are against Austin Peay from the Ohio Valley Conference , New Mexico State Aggies from the Sun Belt Conference , Louisville from the Atlantic Coast Conference , and Southern Miss Golden Eagles from Conference USA .
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance September 3 7:30 p.m. Southern Miss * ESPNU L 35–4457,230
September 10 3:30 p.m. at Florida CBS L 7–4585,821
September 17 4:00 p.m. New Mexico State * Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY SECN W 62–4249,669
September 24 7:30 p.m. South Carolina Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY SECN W 17–1051,702
October 1 7:00 p.m. at No. 2 Alabama ESPN L 6–34101,821
October 8 4:00 p.m. Vanderbilt †Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry ) SECN W 20–1355,030
October 22 7:30 p.m. Mississippi State SECN W 40–3850,414
October 29 12:00 p.m. at Missouri SECN W 35–2150,234
November 5 7:30 p.m. Georgia Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY SECN L 24–2762,507
November 12 12:00 p.m. at Tennessee SECN L 36–49101,075
November 19 4:30 p.m. Austin Peay * Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY SECN W 49–1348,948
November 26 12:00 p.m. at No. 11 Louisville * ESPN W 41–3854,075
December 31 11:00 a.m. vs. Georgia Tech * ESPN L 18–3343,102
Schedule Source: [ 9]
Game summaries
Southern Mississippi
Southern Mississippi vs. Kentucky
Quarter
Total
Golden Eagles
7
10
21 6 44
Wildcats
21
14
0 0 35
at Commonwealth Stadium , Lexington, Kentucky
Date : September 3, 2016Game time : 7:32 p.m. EST Game weather : Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind ENE 7 mph (11 km/h) • Weather: SunnyGame attendance : 57,230Referee : Ken AnteeTV announcers (ESPNU ) : Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Ahmad Brooks (analyst)Game Recap[ 10]
Florida
New Mexico State
South Carolina
South Carolina vs. Kentucky
Quarter
Total
Gamecocks
0
7
3 0 10
Wildcats
0
3
7 7 17
at Commonwealth Stadium , Lexington, Kentucky
Date : September 24, 2016Game time : 7:30 p.m. EST Game weather : Temperature: • Wind: • Weather:Game attendance : 51,702TV : SEC Network
Alabama
Kentucky vs. Alabama
Quarter
Total
Wildcats
3
0
0 3 6
#1 Crimson Tide
3
14
14 3 34
at Bryant–Denny Stadium , Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Date : October 1, 2016Game time : 7:00 p.m. EST Game weather : Temperature: • Wind: • Weather:Game attendance : 101,821TV : ESPN
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt vs. Kentucky
Quarter
Total
Commodores
3
0
7 3 13
Wildcats
7
10
0 3 20
at Commonwealth Stadium , Lexington, Kentucky
Date : October 8, 2016Game time : 4:00 p.m. EST Game weather : Temperature: • Wind: • Weather:Game attendance : 55,030TV : SEC Network
Mississippi State
Mississippi State vs. Kentucky
Quarter
Total
Bulldogs
0
14
10 14 38
Wildcats
0
6
21 13 40
at Commonwealth Stadium , Lexington, Kentucky
Date : October 22, 2016Game time : 7:30pm EST Game weather : Temperature: • Wind: • Weather:Game attendance : 50,414TV : SEC Network
Missouri
Kentucky vs. Missouri
Quarter
Total
Wildcats
7
14
7 7 35
Tigers
0
7
0 14 21
at Faurot Field , Columbia, Missouri
Date : October 29, 2016Game time : 12:00 NOON EST Game weather : Temperature: • Wind: • Weather:Game attendance : 50,234TV : SEC Network
Georgia
Georgia vs. Kentucky
Quarter
Total
Bulldogs
7
6
3 11 27
Wildcats
7
7
7 3 24
at Commonwealth Stadium , Lexington, Kentucky
Date : November 5, 2016Game time : 7:30 p.m. EST Game weather : Temperature: • Wind: • Weather:Game attendance : 62,507TV : SEC Network
Tennessee
Kentucky vs. Tennessee
Quarter
Total
Wildcats
10
3
3 20 36
Volunteers
14
7
14 14 49
at Neyland Stadium , Knoxville, Tennessee
Date : November 12, 2016Game time : 12:00 NOON EST Game weather : Temperature: • Wind: • Weather:Game attendance : 101,075TV : SEC Network
Austin Peay
Louisville
Game information
First Quarter
(12:57) LOU TD: Lamar Jackson 19-yard rush (Blanton Creque PAT).
(12:39) UK TD: Stephen Johnson 75-yard pass to Garrett Johnson (Austin MacGinnis PAT).
(4:07) UK TD: Stanley Williams 36-yard rush (Austin MacGinnis PAT).
Second Quarter
(14:54) LOU TD: Lamar Jackson 18-yard pass to Reggie Bonnafon (Blanton Creque PAT).
(8:13) LOU FG: Blanton Creque 19-yard field goal.
(3:09) LOU TD: Lamar Jackson 24-yard pass to Cole Hikutini (Blanton Creque PAT).
(2:13) UK TD: Stephen Johnson 63-yard pass to Garrett Johnson (Austin MacGinnis PAT).
Third Quarter
(10:58) UK TD: Benny Snell 18-yard rush (Austin MacGinnis PAT).
(9:19) LOU TD: Jeremy Smith 3-yard rush (Blanton Creque PAT).
(2:43) UK FG: Austin MacGinnis 35-yard field goal.
Fourth Quarter
(14:19) UK TD: Stephen Johnson 35-yard pass to Dorian Baker (Austin MacGinnis PAT).
(7:44) LOU TD: Lamar Jackson 1-yard rush (Blanton Creque PAT).
(0:12) UK FG: Austin MacGinnis 47-yard field goal.
Top Passers
UK – Stephen Johnson: 16/27, 338 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
LOU – Lamar Jackson: 16/25, 281 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Top Rushers
UK – Stephen Johnson: 8 att, 83 yds
LOU – Lamar Jackson: 25 att, 171 yds, 2 TD
Top Receiving
UK – Garrett Johnson: 5 rec, 164 yds, 2 TD
LOU – Cole Hikutini: 7 rec, 100 yds, 1 TD
Georgia Tech
References
^ Hale, Jon (January 16, 2016). "UK adds five early enrollees from 2016 class" . Courier-Journal . Retrieved January 16, 2016 .
^ Moore, Josh (January 8, 2016). "UK adds five early enrollees from 2016 class" . Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved January 8, 2016 .
^ Hale, Jon (December 18, 2015). "Shannon Dawson out as Kentucky OC" . The Courier-Journal . Louisville. Retrieved December 18, 2015 .
^ Smith, Jennifer (December 18, 2015). "Kentucky's Shannon Dawson won't return next season" . Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved December 18, 2015 .
^ Hale, Jon (December 19, 2014). "Gran, Hinshaw join Kentucky football staff" . The Courier-Journal . Louisville. Retrieved April 10, 2015 .
^ Smith, Jennifer (December 29, 2015). "UK football hires Cincinnati's Eddie Gran to be assistant head coach of the offense" . Lexington Herald-Leader . Retrieved December 29, 2015 .
^ "Football – 2015 Coaches" . University of Kentucky Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on January 3, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2014 .
^ "Football's 2016 Schedule Announced" (Press release). University of Kentucky Department of Athletics. October 29, 2015. Archived from the original on December 7, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015 .
^ "2016 Kentucky Wildcats Football Schedule" . FB Schedules. Retrieved November 27, 2015 .
^ Moore, Deb (September 3, 2016). "Wildcats Drop Opener to Southern Miss" . University of Kentucky Department of Athletics. Archived from the original on September 7, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2016 .
^ http://www.espn.com/college-football/boxscore?gameId=400869071 ESPN Box Score: Kentucky at Louisville
^ Long, Mark (December 31, 2016). "Georgia Tech tops Kentucky 33-18 in TaxSlayer" . AP News . Retrieved December 29, 2024 .
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