By Derek DeBurger
No. 10 Louisville was stunned by rival Kentucky Wildcats in the Governor’s Cup to end the regular season.
Shaving down the clock one play at a time
The first half was a defensive showcase, with yards and points hard to come by. After stopping Kentucky on the opening drive, Louisville methodically went down the field and scored off a one-yard touchdown run from running back Jawhar Jordan. The score was the 14th play of an eight-minute drive.
After a defensive stop from each team, Kentucky finally got on the board in the second quarter with a nine-yard touchdown by wide receiver Dane Key.
On the next drive, the Cards went just 31 yards in seven plays before settling for a field goal. The kicker on the field goal attempt was Brock Travelstead. He shook off losing his job as the PAT kicker from the last game to nail the 46-yard attempt.
Louisville would take their 10-7 lead into the half.
Ashton Gillotte chases down UK QB Devin Leary // Tate Luckey, The Louisville Cardinal
After getting the second-half kick, the Cards took their time going 75 yards in over nine minutes to score yet another one-yard touchdown from Jordan. This time the score came on fourth-and-goal to cap off the 15-play drive.
The Cards were content to muck up the game and win the game in old-school fashion. If Kentucky couldn’t stop them then why change? Unfortunately, a change was necessary when wide receiver Barion Brown took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for the touchdown. This would set into motion a shift in the game from a “grind it out” to a shootout.
The next Cardinal drive started at their 49-yard line as Isaac Guerendo took the kickoff 50 yards. Guerendo would then pick up the next 24 yards of the drive, then former Kentucky player Joey Gatewood punched in an 11-yard touchdown. The Cards were back up by 10.
Kentucky was determined to keep the good times going as they went 75 yards in just two plays to match with a touchdown of their own. The Cards led 24-21.
The next drive started more of the same as the Cards were moving the ball almost at will, but on a big run, Jordan fumbled the ball off his eg. Linebacker JJ Weaver would recover and give the Wildcats the ball. Louisville’s defense held strong to limit Kentucky to a field goal, but the fumble was the first mistake of the game for either team. The game was now tied 24-24.
The very next drive, quarterback Jack Plummer would lose the ball attempting to scramble for a first down, and once again Weaver would come down with it.
Plummer scrambles with the ball v.s. Kentucky // Tate Luckey, The Louisville Cardinal
Kentucky would go on another two-play scoring drive to take the lead 31-24. Kentucky had all the momentum and the lead in the fourth.
Louisville would once again march the ball down the field with relative ease until the Cards found themselves in a fourth-and-one situation. The ball was at the 38-yard line, so a field goal attempt would’ve been for 55 yards. Head coach Jeff Brohm instead opted to go for it, but Guerendo was stopped short for a turnover-on-downs.
Kentucky now had the lead and the ball. With the way things had been going in the second half, the Cards looked to be in some serious trouble. Hope was saved, though, after Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary was hit while he threw, and cornerback Jarvis Brownlee came down with the interception.
Off the interception, Plummer led the team down the field on chunk plays. A 21-yard touchdown to wide receiver Amari Huggins-Bruce tied the game at 31 a piece.
The flow of the game kept up as Kentucky scored the go-ahead touchdown, going 75 yards in four plays.
Louisville would get the ball back down seven with just under a minute left. Plummer tried his best to move the ball down the field, but costly mistakes forced Brohm into calling timeouts when he should’ve saved them. With just nine seconds left at the 32-yard line, Plummer was forced to throw a heave to the endzone. Plummer gave his receivers a chance, but the pass was intercepted, ending the game.
Louisville falls 38-31.
Jack Harlow watches Louisville v.s. Kentucky // Tate Luckey, The Louisville Cardinal
The loss doesn’t take away from how amazing the season has been, but it stings. In a rivalry that has been so lopsided in the past six years, it’s so disappointing to lose a game that was so winnable.
The Cards are still way ahead of schedule in Brohm’s first season, with a chance at an ACC championship and a New Year’s Six bowl appearance on the table. The Governor’s Cup will stay in Lexington for another year.
Louisville finishes the regular season at 10-2.
