Louisville football travels to Lexington looking to exorcise some demons against an underperforming Kentucky squad.
I hate these clowns. Let’s preview the Governor’s Cup.
First Down: What to Know
Who: No. 25 Louisville at Kentucky
Where: Kroger Field | Lexington, Kentucky (Capacity: 62,000)
When: 3:00 PM ET | Saturday, November 26th, 2022
How to watch: SEC Network or Watch ESPN
Radio: WLCL 93.9 FM and WGTK 970 AM in Louisville (Paul Rogers, Jody Demling, Preston Brown)
Series: Kentucky leads 15-12
Last Meeting: Kentucky won 52-21 in 2021
Weather Check: 55 and partly cloudy at kickoff
Spread Check: Kentucky -3.0
O/U: 48.5
Louisville road record: 2-3 (Wins: UCF, Virgina; Losses: Syr, BC, Clemson)
Kentucky home record: 4-3 (Wins: Miami OH, YTown St., N. Ill, MS St.; Losses: S. Car, Vandy, UGA)
Thread Check:
So fresh and so clean.
Applicable Stat:
Momo Sanogo Career vs. UK: 2 games; 9 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
Relevant Videos:
Relevant Tweets:
Relevant Articles:
An oldie but a goodie; Stories about Bobby Petrino’s hatred for UK
Mike Rutherford Ranks every UofL-UK game from worst to best
Matt McGavic breaks down the matchup and gives his own predictions
Why has UK held a recent advantage in the rivalry? Rick Bozich gives his best guesses
Quotable:
Scott Satterfield on being 0-2 vs UK:
“You know, I think a little of (everything) probably. You know, last year, coming back and looking at it, particularly on defense, you know, we never did slow them down much at all. Loose coverages. The Q really hurt. Nothing went right. It was just one of those days nothing went right. Even early in the game it’s 14-7 and we’re driving and we get in a little bit of a scuffle on the sidelines and we kind of lost our composure, I felt. And from that point forward it was straight down hill.”
Scott Satterfield on not looking at the past:
“What we’ve done in the past is not going to affect anything this season. They’ve got a new team, and we’ve got a new team. I think for us, the guys that have played in the past are certainly not going to forget that. It’s more about us in my opinion.”
Scott Satterfield:
“I do, I expect (the game to be physical). Their defense is really good. They’re big up front, you’re talking 330 with two of their defensive linemen. They keep everything in front, and they swarm. Their corners are physical. Sometimes when you think about being physical, you think about offensive and defensive lines. I turn the film on, and their corners are jamming and are all up in receiver’s face. It’s going to be a physical game, everywhere, not just offensive line and defensive line, it’s going to be that way all over. You have to get your mind ready for that and we’ve played good physical football, and we have to continue to do that and we know that’s what it’s going to be.”
Brock Domann on Kentucky:
“It’s huge. If I’ve learned anything here, it’s that this last game means a lot to a lot of people. So, we’re not going to take it lightly at all and we’re going to make sure we go out there and put our best foot forward and shift the tide.”
Yasir Abdullah on Kentucky:
“I feel like we just have to do our job. Preparation throughout the week has to be great. That’s where we always go off, so we’ll be ready.”
Monty Montgomery on Kentucky:
“We Ready.”
Confidence Level:
Clark Griswold buying his wife lingerie (god rest her soul)
Second Down: Stats to Know
Kentucky Leaders
Passing
Will Levis 2218 YDS | 17 TD | 10 INT | 65.9%
Rushing
Chris Rodriguez Jr. 151 ATT | 784 YARDS | 6 TD
Kavosiey Smoke 58 ATT | 277 YDS | 1 TD
JuTahn McClain 39 ATT | 188 YDS | 0 TD
Receiving
Barion Brown 41 REC | 560 YDS | 3 TD
Tayvion Robinson 35 REC | 470 YDS | 3 TD
Dane Key 28 REC | 435 YDS | 5 TD
Jordan Dingle 18 REC | 196 YDS | 3 TD
Chauncey Magwood 7 REC | 104 YDS | 1 TD
Tackles
D’Eryk Jackson 59 TACK
DeAndre Square (LB) 55 TACK
Jordan Lovett (DB) 52 TACK
Sacks
J.J. Weaver (OLB) 2 Sacks
Trevin Wallace (LB) 2 Sacks
Keaten Wade (LB 1.5 Sacks
INT
Keidron Smith (DB) 2 INT
Jordan Lovett (DB) 1 INT
Carrington Valentine (DB) 1 INT
Halftime: Podcast Preview
Third Down: Storylines to Watch
Does a healthy Will Levis impact the Kentucky running game?
How could any Louisville football fan forget Levis’s performance last year in Cardinal Stadium?
Levis ran for 113 yards and 4 touchdowns en route to one of the longest nights I can remember as a Cards fan.
His backfield mate Chris Rodriguez went for over 120 yards and a score of his own.
Way too many L’s down, celebrations, hurdles, and bad memories.
This season has been far different from a rushing perspective for the Cats. After going for 376 and 9 touchdowns in 2021, Levis has rushed for -97 yards and 2 touchdowns this year.
The Kentucky offensive line has been porous and resulted in multiple Levis injuries.
Now, however, Kentucky’s leader looks healthier and has been more willing to tote the rock recently.
Louisville will have to key on Levis to prevent another big game.
Can Louisville handle the pressure of a rivalry game?
It has been very apparent in recent years that Kentucky’s plan in the Governor’s Cup is to “punk” Louisville from the start.
The last two times the teams have met, it’s worked.
Kentucky has been more physical, more ready for the intensity of the game, and got into the heads of the Cards.
It’s clear that Kentucky will try to go with the same game plan in 2022, and it’s up to the staff and team leaders to have them ready.
A key here is that Louisville is much bigger, stronger, healthier, and fundamentally sound on both lines than it was last year.
Kentucky, on the other hand, has been surprisingly pourous on both sides, allowing 41 sacks on the season offensively and ranking 63rd nationally in rushing yards allowed.
How healthy is Malik Cunningham?
Backup QB Brock Domann has started 2 games this season in place of Louisville’s leading passer and rusher, Malik Cunningham.
Cunningham has taken a bit of a step down this season in the passing game, but is likely still the better option for the Cards when healthy?
Will Cunningham return, and if so, how ready will he be?
Will Louisville play him?
And how effective can he be while not being a detriment to the team?
Can Louisvile continue to run without it’s top 3 backs?
Cunningham, who is questionable for Saturday’s matchup, is Louisville’s leading rusher on the season. His backfield mates to start the season are also unlikely to see the field on Saturday.
Starter Tiyon Evans has been in and out of the lineup with injuries and only got two rushes on Saturday against NC State. It seems more likely than not that Evans will be out against UK.
Louisville’s 2nd and 3rd string backs- Trevion Cooley and Jalen Mitchell- are no longer with the team. Both are presumably transferring after the season.
That leaves the Cards to their fourth and fifth-string guys in Jawhar Jordan and Maurice Turner.
The good news? Although he was a long way from seeing carries as an every down back to begin the season, Jordan is the only Louisville running back to make it through the schedule unscathed. He has played in all 11 games and leads the running back room in carries (111) and rushing yards(555).
Jordan has also accounted for 74 yards through the air and took a kick return 98 yards to the house last week.
Louisvilles likely second-stringer on Saturday, Turner, was equally as impressive a week ago. He accounted for a workmanlike 59 yards in the backup roll, and will continue to utilize his speed as an all-purpose guy in Lexington.
Running the ball against the Wildcats, statistically speaking, should be a much easier task than last weekend.
NC State ranks 9th nationally, allowing 101.4 yards per game on the ground. Kentucky ranks 63rd, allowing 145.2 yards on the ground.
In its last two games, UK has allowed 247 rushing yards to Georgia and 264 yards on the ground to Vanderbilt.
So, while Louisville may be without its perceived four best ball carriers in Cunningham, Evans, Mitchell, and Cooley, it still brings a duo that pounded its way to 192 yards a week ago against a far superior rushing defense.
To me, this is one of the biggest stories of the game.
Can Louisville limit C Rod?
The X factor for Kentucky on offense is its preseason All-Conference running back Chris Rodriguez.
Perhaps the best all-purpose back in the country, Rodriguez began the season suspended, but has made his presence known since entering the lineup.
C Rod has accounted for 825 all-purpose yards and 6 touchdowns in just 7 games and is the go-to option offensively for the Cats.
Louisville ranks 54th in the country in rushing yards allowed and has experience against some great backs. The Cards have seen Izzy Abanikanda, Brian Battie, Will Shipley, Sean Tucker, and Trey Benson- All of whom rank in the top 50 nationally in rushing yards. Overall, they have faced 10 of the nation’s top 100 rushers.
Still, Rodriguez has a penchant for having big games against the Cards and will play a major role in deciding which direction this game goes in.
Fourth Down: Predictions
Jacob Lane
Louisville 24, Kentucky 17
Vince Lococo
Louisville 26, Kentucky 17
Presley Meyer
Louisville 24, Kentucky 16
Matt McGavic
Louisville 21, Kentucky 17
SI College Football HQ
Louisville 20, Kentucky 23
College Football News
Louisville 23, Kentucky 21
