UK, Louisville football players ejected in separate incidents in rivalry game

U of L junior cornerback P.J. Mbanasor was ejected from Saturday night’s game for targeting after an illegal hit on Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson.

Wilson was tripped up by another Louisville defender and on the ground when Mbanasor lowered his head and hit Wilson with the crown of his helmet. The Cats scored two plays later on a Wilson touchdown pass to Lynn Bowden to take a 28-10 lead with 4:08 left in the second quarter.

Mbanasor has started two games for the Cards this season and had a total of 17 tackles going into Saturday night.

UK sophomore offensive lineman Luke Fortner was ejected early in the fourth quarter following an extra point that put the Wildcats up 42-10 with 14:04 left to play. Fortner was whistled for a personal foul, and it was announced that he was thrown out of the game due to the “flagrant nature” of the play.

Fortner, who is listed as UK’s second-string left guard, has played in 11 games with zero starts this season.

There were multiple skirmishes between the two teams from the start of Saturday’s rivalry game. The Cats and Cards had to be separated after the opening kickoff and at several other points throughout the first half.

By halftime, UK led 35-10 and Louisville had been whistled for nine penalties totaling 109 yards. Three were personal foul penalties, and two were unsportsmanlike conduct calls against the Cardinals.

This story was originally published November 24, 2018 at 8:27 PM.