By Jason Krell
Less than two months ago, there was doubt surrounding the Louisville football team wondering if head coach Scott Satterfield was still the right guy to lead this team.
A 34-33 loss to Boston College didn’t give fans a whole lot of hope that the season could be turned around.
With their backs against the wall, the Cards rallied to win 5 of their next 6 games with their only loss coming to #12 Clemson on the road who currently has the nation’s longest home winning streak.
Two of their five wins since the Boston College loss were against ranked opponents; #10 Wake Forest and #24 N.C. State.
The Cards’ defense has been nothing short of resilient since their wake-up call. Senior Yasir Abdullah has been the heart and soul of this defense and will likely be a contender for ACC defensive player of the year.
A Showdown in Lexington
The Cardinals now prep for their most anticipated matchup of the season as they travel down I-64 to Lexington to face the Kentucky Wildcats.
Since the bye week, the Cats are just 1-3 with their one win being against Missouri. With recent losses to Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Georgia, it is still unsure how they’ll respond given the recent struggles of starting quarterback Will Levis.
The Cardinals open as a 3-point underdog to the unranked Wildcats (which, if this game were played at Cardinal Stadium, I’m sure the numbers would be flipped).
Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham aims to return to action this week and snap their 3-game losing streak to Kentucky and solidify themselves as the superior team in the state.
A year ago, the Cardinals suffered a brutal loss on their own field to the Wildcats 52-21. Now, with one of the premier defenses in the ACC, the Cards look to keep their momentum going into this game.
Lots on the Line
The biggest key to the game will be Louisville keeping their composure and not getting themselves too worked up, as we saw last year.
“I think anytime you get overly emotional in a situation like this, it takes away from the play. We have to worry about us, we have to worry about our guys and play for the ones beside you,” Head Coach Scott Satterfield said in his weekly press conference.
This will be one of the most anticipated rivalry matchups of the year as both teams have lots to prove.
For Kentucky, the belief that Will Levis is still worth a top 10 NFL draft pick and the Wildcats are deserving of a spot in the discussion as one of the premier SEC teams.
For the Cards- to show the nation that Scott Satterfield has what it takes to be in the upper echelon of coaches in college football and that they’re deserving of a top-tier bowl game.
The annual Governor’s Cup matchup will take place on Saturday, November 26th at 3:30 pm on the SEC Network.
Photo Courtesy // Taris Smith, Louisville Athletics //
