By Tyler Bright
Louisville put on a dominant display in Lexington, snapping a five-game losing streak to Kentucky with a 41-14 victory in the Governor’s Cup.
Jeff Brohm earned his first win against the Wildcats as head coach, a signature moment in his second season at the helm.
Both teams were playing for bragging rights. Louisville was unable to make a return to Charlotte for the ACC Championship after a loss to Stanford, and Kentucky already amassed seven losses, meaning that the Wildcats were not going bowling for the first time since 2015.
Early and often
The Cardinals set the tone early.
Kentucky came out of the gates moving the ball well. But after a fumble recovery by Tamarion McDonald where the safety literally ripped the ball out of Jamarion Wilcox’s hand, Louisville marched 60 yards, capped by Isaac Brown’s one-yard touchdown plunge.
Brown, who totaled 178 rushing yards and two touchdowns, was the heartbeat of the offense all afternoon.
Each team then put together a couple of stalled drives, then Kentucky quarterback Cutter Boley threw a bad interception to McDonald for his second takeaway of the game. Louisville would capitalize on the opportunity with a field goal to bring the lead to 10 points.
In the second quarter, after a Kentucky three-and-out, Duke Watson broke the game open with a blistering 58-yard touchdown run, putting Louisville ahead 17-0. The run was the only play of the drive.
Yet another Three-and-out by Kentucky saw the Cards get the ball back and tack on three more points.
Late in the half, Kentucky finally got some movement on the offensive side of the ball, getting inside the redzone. But Boley threw yet another bad interception, this time to Tahveon Nicholson.
Louisville would go into the break up 20-0.
Dead cat jump
Louisville started the second half off poorly with a three-and-out of their own. The Wildcats then went three-and-out themsleves, but a targeting call on Thor Griffith kept their drive alive. The play also knocked Boley out of the game, so Gavin Wimsatt would finish out the day at quarterback.
Wimsatt found Ja’Mori Maclin for 34 yards, and two plays later Wimsatt would throw a touchdown on a busted coverage.
The Cards moved the ball a bit in their next drive, but were ultimately forced to punt it away. With Kentucky having the ball and some momentum, they would start their newest drive on the ground. However, Wilcox would fumble again and Ramon Puryear would get the scoop-and-score to bring the lead back up to 20 points.
The fumble-recovery touchdown was Puryear’s third of the season after having none prior in his career.
From this point on the Cards were simply a team firing on all cylinders. Another Kentucky three-and-out led to another Louisville touchdown. This time is was Watson with a 24-yard scamper to push the lead to 34-7.
Kentucky briefly responded with a fluke 83-yard touchdown pass from Wimsatt to Maclin, but their momentum fizzled. Just two plays later, Brown punctuated the day with a 67-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, bringing Kroger Field’s home crowd to near silence.
Louisville would dominate 41-14.
Order restored
The Cardinals’ defense suffocated the Wildcats, allowing just 173 passing yards and forcing three interceptions, including a one-handed highlight grab by Quincy Riley.
Louisville finished with 486 total yards, 358 of which came on the ground. This was the most rushing yards against an FBS opponent Louisville has had since the rushed for 384 against Duke in 2021. Brown’s performance was enough to get him the Howard Schnellenberger MVP Award.
Tyler Shough added timely completions, including a 51-yard strike to Chris Bell, keeping the Wildcats’ defense on its heels. At the end of the day, Louisville didn’t need Shough because they were able to control the game on the ground.
This win was about more than just the numbers. Louisville reclaimed the Governor’s Cup for the first time since 2017, ending years of frustration and delivering a statement under Brohm’s leadership.
Louisville now trails 16-20 in the all-time series, but leads 16-14 in the modern series.
The Cards advance to 8-4 on the year, ending the regular season on a 4-1 tear.
Louisville will await their bowl selection on Sunday Dec. 8th after conference championship weekend.
Photo by Vinny Porco
