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Kentucky Football: Who are the top 5 best running backs in school history?

By Corey Nicholson

Jan 1, 2019; Orlando, FL, USA; The Kentucky Wildcats celebrate after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2019 Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2019; Orlando, FL, USA; The Kentucky Wildcats celebrate after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2019 Citrus Bowl at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /
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Running back Moe Williams of the Kentucky Wildcats ( Credit: Andy Lyons/Allsport /

Moe Williams was a rockstar the day he stepped on campus.

Moe Williams was not only a rockstar but made an immediate impact as a true freshman in 1993 for Kentucky. Williams set the freshman record for rushing tallying just a hair under 1,000 yards in his first season.

He kicked off his career guiding the Wildcats to the Peach Bowl his freshman that included a highlight-reel 70-yard touchdown run against Florida.

His sophomore season saw a bit of a dip in production, but it was not any fault of Williams. The Cats finished that season at an abysmal 1-10, Williams 860 yards rushing were all very hard-fought yards. On a more competitive team, it’s not crazy to think he would’ve rushed for well over 1,000 yards.

1995 is when Williams really became a household name. Despite being on a team that was only able to muster four wins all season Williams was able to break or tie 15 Kentucky season records. Against South Carolina Williams racked up 427 all-purpose yards which at the time set the record for most APY in a single game in SEC history and was second in NCAA football history.

1995 saw Williams finish with 1,600 rushing yards, and amassing over 100 yards in seven of Kentucky’s eleven games. Williams led the SEC in rushing yards per game, (145.5) all-purpose yards per game, (166) and scoring with 102 points.

Williams’ Kentucky career ended after 1995 after declaring for the NFL draft. Williams still today fills Kentucky’s record books. Williams is third all-time with 3,333 career rushing yards, his 1,600 yards in a single season stands today and he still has the most rushing yards in a season. Not to overlook his 299 yards rushing in one game is still No. 1 all-time, and he is tied for second with 26 rushing touchdowns in a career.

He will go down in Wildcat lore with three records that will likely not be broken. Those are UK single-game rushing marvels, with 299 yards against South Carolina, 272 against Cincinnati, and 238 against Mississippi State all in his final year.

Williams played ten seasons in the NFL mostly for the Minnesota Vikings, and briefly with the Baltimore Ravens. Williams was welcomed into UK Athletics Hall of Fame in the class of 2007.

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