In the battle of big plays, it was UK’s defense that stole the show from Louisville
There were plenty of explosive plays to be seen at Kroger Field on Saturday afternoon.
Very few of them came courtesy of the Louisville offense.
The Cardinals came into this rivalry game against Kentucky with the well-earned reputation as a big-play team. They landed one — a 23-yard run by Javian Hawkins — on the fifth play from scrimmage. They got another — a 33-yard pass from Micale Cunningham to Tutu Atwell — to cap a 9-play, 75-yard opening drive and take an early 6-0 lead.
About three hours later, the final scoreboard read: Kentucky 45, Louisville 13.
The Cards’ high-octane offense had been silenced, thanks to a total team effort by the Wildcats.
“It came down to the kids,” defensive coordinator Brad White said. “The coaching staff — I’m really proud of the coaches — they poured into this game plan and made sure the guys knew whatever tips and tendencies we had. But the kids had to execute and make corrections after that first drive. And after that first drive, I thought they really settled in and played well.”
Louisville’s big-play résumé coming into the game: a total of 29 runs of 20-plus yards and 30 passes of 25-plus yards. The Cards got just three such plays Saturday: the two on the opening drive and a 56-yard touchdown run by Hawkins to end the first half. That score accounted for U of L’s final points of the game.
The Cardinals gained no more than 20 yards on any of their first four possessions in the second half, and all of those resulted in punts.
“We knew that they’re a very explosive team,” senior safety Jordan Griffin said. “And the biggest thing was eliminating those big plays. That was one of our main focuses. And the coaches just made up a great game plan for us. And we went out there and executed and just played with great eyes, played with discipline. And I feel like the outcome showed.”
Meanwhile, Lynn Bowden and the UK offense gutted Louisville’s defense for 517 yards on the ground, turning in big play after big play to put the game away.
The Cats held in check a U of L offense that went for 608 yards last week against North Carolina State. The Cards’ final offensive tally Saturday: 318 yards. The only team this season that held Louisville to fewer yards: the undefeated Clemson Tigers.
White spoke of his players’ improved communication and confidence throughout the season. Across the board — coaches to players — the Wildcats credited a game plan that was precisely constructed and followed to a T.
“I feel like the whole week in practice, we were dialed in. The game plan was precise. And we executed it perfectly,” junior linebacker Jamar “Boogie” Watson said.
U of L’s second possession ended with a Watson sack and a failed fake punt. The Cards’ fourth possession ended with an interception by Griffin. Watson had another third-down sack to end a Louisville drive in the second half, and so did sophomore linebacker Jamin Davis.
When the Cards had the ball, it was Kentucky that won the battle of the big plays.
“It’s fun,” Watson said. “The SEC is more of a pound-and-ground league. So, with an ACC team that likes to do a little more space and a little more spread out — people didn’t know how we would adjust to that. So, it was good to see us adjust to that well and pretty much dominate.”
The Cards picked up 48 of their yards on a meaningless final possession, and even that drive ended with freshman lineman Davoan Hawkins’ strip sack. Watson jumped on the fumble, jogged out of the pile, ran a few yards downfield, and joyously punted the ball in the air as his teammates celebrated the victory.
“It was great — a rivalry game,” he said with a smile. “They talk a lot of junk, we talk a lot of junk. So for us to finally get the win, game’s over, you know, I won’t get a flag or anything — had to do a little showboating.”
This story was originally published November 30, 2019 at 5:26 PM.
