LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The record shows that Kentucky has won four consecutive football games against the University of Louisville.
It also shows all four victories were by 13 or more points.
Louisville failed to score more than 21 in any of those games. Kentucky scored 26 or more in all four games.
For only the second time since 2017, Louisville will be favored against UK Saturday as Jeff Brohm gets his first crack at something Scott Satterfield failed to do — beat Kentucky and Mark Stoops.
The Time: Saturday, Noon, L&N Cardinal Stadium.
How to Watch/Listen: TV — WHAS 11 Joe Tessitore, play by play; Jesse Palmer, analyst; Katie George, sidelines; RADIO — UK Sports Network 840 AM WHAS Tom Leach, play by play; Jeff Piecoro, analyst; Jeremy Jarmon, sidelines; Louisville Sports Properties 93.9 FM, 970 AM Paul Rogers, play by play; Craig Swabek, analyst; Jody Demling, sidelines.
The Line: Point spread, Louisville favored by 8 points; Over/under total points 49.5 points.
The Last Time: Kentucky defeated U of L, 26-13, at Kroger Field in Lexington.
The Series: The Wildcats have won the last four meetings to lead the series, 19-15. The Cards last win came in 2017 and U of L has not won the Governor’s Cup at home since 2014.
The Records: The Wildcats are 6-5, beating only Mississippi State after starting their season with five consecutive victories. The Cardinals are 10-1, winning four straight since their loss at Pittsburgh.
Player to Watch Kentucky: Deone Walker. A mammoth defensive lineman, Walker leads UK with 5.5 sacks, 10.5 tackles for a loss and inflammatory comments about U of L. I’m not certain who annoyed Walker during the recruiting process but he said he considered U of L fans “snobbish” and their players “entitled.” At least he did not say anything about their breath.
Player to Watch Louisville: Jack Plummer. Although he still throws too many interceptions (10), Plummer has quietly moved into third place in the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing yards per game at 246. He had a superb game last Saturday at Miami, completing 24 of 37 passes for 308 yards and three touchdowns. He spread the receptions among 12 guys. Considering the strength of UK’s defense is its ability to stuff the run, Plummer will need a solid game for the Cards to win Saturday.
Sideline Storylines:
*Kentucky has won 19 consecutive non-conference games.
*UK halfback Ray Davis has been considerably slowed since the Wildcats’ 5-0 start. In UK’s first five games, Davis had 594 yards on 76 carries, an average of 7.8 yards per carry with 8 touchdowns.
In UK’s last six games, Davis ran for 396 yards on 96 carries, an average of 4.1 yards per carry with 4 touchdowns. Davis needs 10 yards to reach 1,000 this season.
*UK receivers Barion Brown and Dane Key surpassed 1,000 career receiving yards last week at South Carolina and their teammate Tayvion Robinson can join them in the 1,000-yard club at UK with 2 yards Saturday.
*U of L will chase 11 victories for the first time since 2012.
*Halfback Isaac Guerendo has been dynamic for Louisville the last three games. In victories over Virginia Tech, Virginia and Miami, Guerendo has rushed for 333 yards on 32 carries, an average of 10.4 with five touchdowns.
*Louisville’s 33.2 scoring average is the program’s best since 2017, when Lamar Jackson led the Cards to 38.1 points per game. U of L’s defensive average of 18.4 per game is the program’s best since 2013, when the Cards allowed 12.2 points per game.
The Quote: Brohm, when asked why Kentucky has dominated the last four games:
“I haven’t studied all of the past four years of games so to speak, but I’ve watched it as a fan. I think Kentucky’s done a really good job of building the program.
“They’ve been able to recruit good talent. They’ve been able to coach well. They’ve always been really solid on defense. I have a great deal of respect for what they’ve been able to do on defense consistently.”
The Pick: Louisville 24, Kentucky 17.
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