Kentucky’s rout provides reasons for excitement — and fear — with Louisville up next
Kentucky didn’t have much time to relish a 56-16 win over New Mexico State.
Fresh off its biggest win, by margin of victory, in two years, the topic of conversation pivoted to its next opponent more quickly than is typical. That’s what happens when the next opponent is your in-state rival, itself coming off its biggest largest win in two years.
UK’s players and coaches were asked much more about Louisville than the Aggies, against whom they piled up 707 total offensive yards, second most in school history for a single game. After ceding a 7-0 lead to the visitors after a botched snap gave way to a failed recovery of a fumble, Kentucky didn’t surrender a single touchdown the rest of the way. After yielding three first-half field goals, the Cats shut the Aggies out the rest of the way.
That’s all well and good. But on to Louisville.
Before his Kentucky experience, Josh Ali imagined that Tennessee, not Louisville, would be his team’s most spirited rival. There’s a level of energy — and hatred — going into this week that’s just different, though, he said.
“It means a lot. It’s everything,” Ali said. “Some players that didn’t really show out all year may come out in this game and show out. This’ll bring out some more toughness in this team. You’ll see what this team is really about.”
Kentucky, first and foremost, more often than not has been about winning football games in 2021. The Wildcats improved to 8-3 overall with their victory over the Aggies, securing their second eight-win regular season under Mark Stoops and just their 12th eight-win season in school history.
They did so despite losing three fumbles and giving away another possession on an interception, which happened after Will Levis and Ali connected for a fresh set of downs at the New Mexico State 31-yard line. A defense that’s had a tough time generating extra possessions all season managed to do so only twice against the now 1-10 Aggies; Quandre Mosely returned an interception 38 yards for the first touchdown of his career and walk-on linebacker William Nalty recovered a fumble early in the fourth quarter, the game well in hand. (It’s worth noting that one of UK’s own fumbles was by a walk-on, running back Tyler Markray, with under 3 minutes to play.)
That left Kentucky with a total of 22 turnovers lost and eight gained on the year, good for a minus-14 margin that coming into Saturday would have been second worst in the country (Arizona was at minus-15 before Saturday). Most of those lost turnovers, 12, were accumulated during a six-game win streak to open the season, so UK isn’t a stranger to winning despite taking aim at its own feet; but its four giveaways Saturday matched their season high, set in a loss at Mississippi State. Coughing it up that much — and failing to take it away — against Louisville could make for a long day at Cardinal Stadium if you’re Kentucky.
The fumble that NMSU recovered for its only touchdown happened as the result of miscommunication on the snap, offensive Liam Coen said. It was a bit high, but Levis also wasn’t ready yet to receive it. He made an attempt to fall on the ball but couldn’t nab it.
“It’s just sickening to start that way,” Coen said. “All you’re trying to do is come out and be positive and roll and do some really good things, and we’re just not there yet. As a team we’re just not there yet in terms of ‘Come out. Take care of business. Do it all clean.’ But I thought the kids responded, which was nice.”
UK from there scored 28 of the game’s next 34 points. Looking for more up 28-13, Levis found Wan’Dale Robinson for a 79-yard completion to the Aggies’ 4-yard line. Chris Rodriguez lost a fumble at the goal line on the Wildcats’ next play. It was his sixth drop of the year and third fumble lost (and second lost in front of the end zone).
“It’s difficult to put into words,” Coen said. “You feel for him, cause you know it hurts him. I know it hurts. I know it’s not for lack of caring and lack of being in the game, cause he was running hard. It’s not like he was not in the game, being aloof and not ready to play. We just stalemated at the point of attack and he gets hit from behind and it comes out again. At this point there’s not really too much to say.”
Rodriguez for the seventh time this season rushed for 100 or more yards, putting him within a game of matching Artose Pinner’s single-season record for 100-yard rushing games. Levis threw for 419 yards, becoming the first UK quarterback to strike for 400-plus since Andre Woodson in 2007. His 12 interceptions jump out, but so too do his 23 passing touchdowns (and five of the rushing variety). Kentucky’s offense is starting to achieve the kind of balance sought by Stoops when he hired Coen in the offseason, it’s just not done so without some hiccups.
UK survived those bumps early on, and again on Saturday. It didn’t in Starkville, or at home against Tennessee, against whom Levis threw a decisive pick-six. Louisville’s playing its best football at the right time of the season — the Cards have won two straight after going toe-to-toe with Clemson the same night UK lost to UT — and will have home-field advantage; it’s going to be closer to the Bulldogs and Volunteers in terms of a threat than Chattanooga and New Mexico State. A defense struggling to turn teams over won’t find much refuge in the Cardinals, who’ve gone three games without giving it away and have done so only 12 times all season.
U of L’s defense isn’t full of ball hawks, but its 15 forced turnovers are about average. Kentucky’s got the offensive makeup to potentially overwhelm a defense that’s struggled to contain more one-dimensional UK teams in its last two meetings, in large part due to the Cats’ advantage in the trenches, one it still holds. It’s also got the potential to put itself into some rough predicaments that, on the road, can be tough to overcome.
Doubly so in a rivalry game.
“We weren’t always perfect out there today,” Stoops said. “But, as I’ve mentioned, our prep has been really good, and I feel like the guys are really getting focused, really dialed in, really committed to becoming a better football team down the stretch and finishing strong. We need to have that same week this week.”
Next game
Kentucky at Louisville
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
TV: ESPN2
