The 1996 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Wildcats scored 138 points while allowing 322 points; they opened the season with 1 win and 6 losses, and then after the firing of head coach Bill Curry was announced, the Wildcats won three straight SEC games before losing their final game to finish 4–7.
Kentucky opened with a 38âÂÂ14 loss to Louisville, then lost 24âÂÂ3 at Cincinnati due to repeated special teams breakdowns. A game in a driving rainstorm against Indiana remained a scoreless tie until the final seconds when a Kentucky field goal led to a 3âÂÂ0 win. A 65âÂÂ0 loss at Florida and 35âÂÂ7 loss at Alabama were followed by Kentucky blowing a second half lead to lose 25âÂÂ14 to South Carolina. After a 41âÂÂ14 loss at LSU, Kentucky stood at 1âÂÂ5 on the season and the firing of head coach Bill Curry was announced. The Wildcats responded by reeling off three victories in a row: 24âÂÂ17 against Georgia, 24âÂÂ21 against Mississippi State and 25âÂÂ0 against Vanderbilt. A 56âÂÂ10 loss to Tennessee ended the season with the Wildcats at 4âÂÂ7.
Kentucky's victories over Georgia and Mississippi State kept those two teams out of bowl games, as each finished 5âÂÂ6 due to their losses to Kentucky. Kentucky's 25âÂÂ0 shutout of Vanderbilt on November 16 was the team's first shutout since a 21âÂÂ0 win against #25 Ole Miss on October 2, 1993. Kentucky played four road games against ranked teams in 1996. Kentucky's three game SEC win streak (Georgia, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt) was its first since 1993 (South Carolina, Ole Miss, LSU). This was the first college season for highly touted freshman quarterback Tim Couch, who later went on to be a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and was the #1 overall pick in the 1999 NFL draft.
Leading rusher Derick Logan, the SEC Freshman Player of the Year, did not return. Head coach Bill Curry was replaced by Hal Mumme. Sometime-starting quarterback Billy Jack Haskins transferred to Rhode Island after Mumme announced that Tim Couch would take the starting spot.