LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Louisville football coach Jeff Brohm said he enjoyed the days when the Governor’s Cup was played on the early weekends of the college football season, not the last.
And why wouldn’t he? The Cards were winning a greater percentage of the games in the rivalry during those times.
Starting in 1994, when the Louisville-Kentucky football game was played in August or September, the Cards won 12 of 20 games.
When the game shifted to late November, so did the result. Kentucky has won six of nine, including the last five.
Louisville (7-4) will try to end that streak Saturday while doing what it can to secure a better bowl bid. Kentucky (4-7) will play to extend its series streak to six and avoid its first 8-loss season since 2013.
The Time: Saturday, Noon, Kroger Field (61,000), Lexington.
How to Watch/Listen: TV — SEC Network (Dave Neal, play by play; Aaron Murray, analyst; Ashley Shah Ahmadi, sidelines); LOUISVILLE RADIO — Louisville Sports Properties, 93.9 FM, 105.7 FM, 970 AM (Paul Rogers, play by play; Craig Swabek, analyst; William McDermott, sidelines); KENTUCKY RADIO — UK Sports Network 840 AM WHAS (Tom Leach, play by play; Jeff Piecoro, analyst; Dick Gabriel, sidelines).
The Line: Point spread Louisville by 3 1/2; Over/under total points scored is 49.
The Last Time: Kentucky snagged three turnovers while roaring back to score 31 points in the second half to defeat the Cards, 38-31 at L&N Cardinal Stadium.
The Series: Kentucky leads 20-15 while riding a 5-game winning streak.
The Records: The Cards improved to 7-4 last week while dominating Pittsburgh for their most impressive victory this season. Kentucky lost at Texas to slide to 4-7, although the Wildcats are unbeaten outside of Southeastern Conference play. The teams have no common opponents. Jeff Sagarin's computer formula ranks UK's schedule the sixth most difficult in the nation, with Louisville's No. 32.
Player to Watch Louisville: Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough has answered all the questions about his ability to pass the ball and to remain healthy for the entire season. He ranks third in the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing yards per game at 279 while giving the Cards 23 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Player to Watch Kentucky: Quarterback Cutter Boley, a true freshman from Lexington Christian Academy, earned his first start by completing 20 of 32 passes for 290 yards the last two weekends against Murray State and Texas. Although the Wildcats are likely to add another quarterback from the transfer portal for next season, Boley has his chance to establish himself as QB1 for 2025.
Sideline Storylines:
- The Cards will try to repeat their finest defensive performance of the season. They limited Pitt to 9 points and 265 yards while snatching three turnovers against the Panthers.
- Chris Bell will try to deliver his third consecutive game with 100 yards receiving as well as a touchdown.
- Over the last two seasons, the Cardinals have played 12 one-score games, winning seven. Their record in one-score games this season is 2-4. The combined margin in Louisville’s four defeats this season is 24 points.
- Freshman halfback Isaac Brown needs 104 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark for the Cards. Brown has run for 100 or more yards four times.
- Kentucky will recognize 17 seniors during pregame ceremonies.
- The Wildcats have won 19 straight regular-season non-conference games. Only Georgia (27) has won more.
- The Wildcat defense ranks in the nation’s top 30 in five categories - Punt Return Defense (2.5 yards per return), Red Zone Defense (70.5 percent), Kickoff Return Defense (16.9 yards per return), Scoring Defense (20.4 points per game) and First Down Defense (192 allowed).
- Kentucky’s 211 yards passing were the most that Texas has allowed in 2024.
The Quote: Brohm on the challenge of facing Kentucky:
“Kentucky is a very talented team, [they have] a lot of the same guys on defense they had last year. They can hold people to a small amount of points. They've got very capable athletes on offense as well. We’ve got to continue to improve and eliminate some silly mistakes we’ve made in the past and be as clean as we possibly can in [offense, defense and special teams] in order to win. We're looking forward to going on the road and playing in this rivalry game this weekend.”
The Pick: Louisville 24, Kentucky 17.
Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
