‘Throw the records out the window.’ It’s rivalry week and anything can happen.

There has been a lot of drama around Louisville the past few weeks.

The Cardinals, who sit at 2-9 on the season, have seen their head coach get fired. There’s an interim coach, question marks at quarterback, issues on both sides of the field.

Louisville is among the worst teams statistically in scoring offense — averaging 20.6 points per game — and total offense at 356.9 yards per game and 5.2 yards per play.

It is among the worst teams nationally in scoring defense — allowing 43 points per game and giving up 63 touchdowns — and total defense, allowing 472.8 yards per game and 6.7 yards per play.

The Cardinals are allowing 271.6 yards per game on the ground, a place where rival Kentucky (8-3) has been especially potent at times this season behind Benny Snell.

But Mark Stoops said on Monday that none of that matters.

“In a rivalry game you can throw the records out the window,” he argued. “We’re worried about ourselves and playing the best football we can.”

After a two-game slide against Georgia and Tennessee, UK got back on track with a win over Middle Tennessee. The Cats can’t let Louisville’s struggles make them complacent this week before the Saturday night game at Cardinal Stadium.

“Our team played with a sense of urgency this past week that we’re striving for,” Stoops said. “I really liked the way we got out of the gates and started fast and really played with a great sense of urgency.

“We’re looking to do the same thing here this week. It’s about us and the way we play. We know what they’re capable of and how Louisville can play. They’ve shown signs of that this year.”

The Cardinals have lost eight straight games by an average margin of 25.8 points, but a win over a ranked Kentucky team and potentially keeping the Cats from a high-level bowl game might be just enough motivation.

It’s going to be like a bowl game for Louisville in many ways, interim coach Lorenzo Ward said on Monday.

“We know this is the last game of the season,” he said. “Louisville is normally in a bowl game, but this has to be our bowl game this year because it’s our last game of the season.”

That means UK needs to be on guard against a letdown, especially on the road against its biggest rival.

“We just worry about us and our execution and playing a disciplined football game,” Stoops said. “They beat us last time here, I wasn’t very proud of that after a year ago and we’re looking to just improve and we have a lot to play for. We got our eighth victory this past week and (we’re) trying to play for nine.”

‘Wipe some dust off finally’

The return of Josh Paschal to the playing field this week, just a few months after a cancer diagnosis, was enough to earn him a Southeastern Conference Player of the Week honor on Monday.

Paschal, who started Kentucky’s game at outside linebacker after beating malignant melanoma in his right foot, was named the league’s co-Defensive Player of the Week.

The sophomore will continue to play the rest of the season, per the new NCAA redshirt rule that allows him to play four games this year without losing his redshirt season opportunity.

Paschal practiced this spring and intended to move to a defensive line position, but Coach Mark Stoops played him at outside linebacker because if its familiarity and because the Cats are shorthanded at that spot.

Stoops confirmed on Monday that Jordan Wright has missed the last two games with a knee issue, but he is expected to return.

“He did a good job, he really did,” Stoops said of Paschal, whose lone tackle versus Middle Tennessee came on a third-down play in the second quarter.

The sophomore played about 18 to 20 snaps, Stoops said. He likely will remain at outside linebacker through the rest of this season before going back inside as planned.

“Josh did some good things and he’d be the first one to tell you that as he gets on his feet, he’ll get better and better with every opportunity, every practice,” Stoops said. “I noticed it last week between Tuesday and Wednesday’s practice, his comfort level.”

It did look a little funny to see Paschal playing at outside linebacker with the added weight of a defensive lineman (280 pounds), but it didn’t hurt him much, Stoops said.

For his part, Paschal said he felt good being back out there even after the time away.

“It felt good just to wipe some dust off finally,” he smiled. “It’s been a while.”

News and notes

Playing Miles Butler at kicker versus Middle Tennessee last week was a little bit about his improvement in practice and a little bit about potentially saving a redshirt for freshman Chance Poore, Stoops said.

“If Chance was just knocking it out of the park, then we’d roll with it,” Stoops said.

Poore has played in three games for UK and can play in one more and retain his redshirt, per the new NCAA rule.

“He was struggling a little bit and Miles came in and did a really good job for us. As you know, he had a really critical kick for us in that game with a lot of pressure on him. That says a lot about him on Senior Day, and I had confidence in him. He’s been successful.”

There have been times when both kickers haven’t been their best.

“That’s the nice thing about a team,” Stoops said. “You have other guys to rely on and each of them has stepped up a bit. We’ll see how it goes this week.”

▪ Kentucky defensive tackle Tymere Dubose, who was serving a one-game suspension on his Senior Day for an undisclosed violation of team rules, will be available to play versus Louisville, Stoops said.

Dubose has played in 10 games and started five this year at nose tackle. He has 10 tackles this season, including 1.5 for a loss and half a sack.

Saturday

Kentucky at Louisville

7 p.m. (ESPN2)