How Kentucky football and Louisville match up — with a game prediction
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Preview: Louisville at Kentucky football
Click below to read more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s preview coverage ahead of Saturday’s Kentucky-Louisville Governor’s Cup football rivalry game at Kroger Field.
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How the Kentucky Wildcats (4-7, 1-7 SEC) and the Louisville Cardinals (7-4, 5-3 ACC) match up at each position for Saturday’s battle for the Governor’s Cup — with a game prediction:
Quarterbacks
▪ Kentucky coach Mark Stoops announced Monday that true freshman Cutter Boley, the former Lexington Christian Academy star, will make the first start of his college career against U of L. After going 0-for-6 passing and throwing a pick six in his college debut in mop up time in UK’s 48-20 loss at Florida on Oct. 19, the 6-foot-5, 214-pound Boley has played well in his two subsequent chances. While playing the entire second halves against Murray State and at No. 3 Texas, Boley completed a combined 20 of 32 passes for 290 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Of Boley, Stoops said, “When he gets in there, he has a strong belief in himself, and he sees the field well, also.”
▪ In his sixth year of college football, Louisville’s Tyler Shough is going out with aplomb. The 6-5, 225-pound super-senior has thrown for a career high 3,067 yards. A product of Chandler, Arizona, who has also played at Oregon and Texas Tech, Shough is completing 63.3% of his passes and has thrown for 23 touchdowns versus only six interceptions.
Advantage: Louisville.
Running backs
▪ Kentucky redshirt freshman Jamarion Wilcox has rushed for a combined 275 yards in UK’s past three games. A 5-10, 197-pound product of Douglasville, Georgia, Wilcox has gained 524 yards and averaged 6.6 yards a carry on the season. Senior Demie Sumo-Karngbaye (535 rushing yards, five TDs, 4.5 yards a carry; 19 receptions for 151 yards) has had a solid year.
▪ A pair of standout freshmen have fueled the Louisville ground attack. Isaac Brown, a 5-9, 190-pound product of Homestead, Florida, is U of L’s leading rusher. Brown has run for 896 yards and nine touchdowns and is averaging 7.4 yards a carry. Duke Watson, a 6-foot, 180-pound native of Forsyth, Georgia, has run for 410 yards and five TDs and is averaging eight yards per rush.
Advantage: Louisville.
Wide receivers
▪ Kentucky junior Dane Key caught three passes for 29 yards in UK’s 31-14 loss at Texas last week. For the season, the 6-3, 210-pound product of Frederick Douglass High School has 47 receptions for 715 yards and two touchdowns. Key caught two passes for 25 yards and a TD in UK’s 38-31 upset of No. 9 U of L last season. Slot receiver Ja’Mori Maclin made two catches for 42 yards last week against Texas. A 5-11, 190-pound junior, Maclin has made a combined four receptions for 103 yards and two TDs over UK’s previous three games.
▪ Louisville’s Ja’Corey Brooks transferred from Alabama and has produced a star-caliber season A 6-3, 195-pound senior, Brooks has 61 receptions for 1,013 yards and nine touchdowns. Junior Chris Bell (34 catches, 593 yards, four TDs) caught two passes for 16 yards against UK in 2023. A 6-2, 220-pound native of Yazoo City, Mississippi, Bell has been over 100 yards in receiving in each of the Cardinals’ past two games. Senior Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (18 catches, 239 yards) caught two passes for 24 yards and a touchdown in last year’s loss to Kentucky.
Advantage: Louisville.
Tight ends
▪ Kentucky true freshman Willie Rodriguez was UK’s leading receiver in the defeat at Texas with three catches for 53 yards. Of the 6-4, 245-pound Covington Catholic product, Mark Stoops said, “You’re seeing a very good player. … He’s physical. He can make some people miss, make tough catches.” Junior Josh Kattus (six catches, 77 yards, two TDs) caught a 4-yard TD pass at Texas.
▪ A transfer from San Diego State, Louisville’s Mark Redman has 23 catches for 239 yards and three touchdowns this season. Redshirt sophomore Nate Kurisky (eight catches, 73 yards, two TDs) caught two passes for 33 yards in last week’s win over Pitt.
Advantage: Louisville.
Offensive line
▪ A staple in the Kentucky football program now in his sixth season with the Wildcats, center Eli Cox will play his final game at Kroger Field on Saturday. Mark Stoops said Cox, a former West Jessamine High School standout, “is a big piece of it. He has been really steady for us.”
▪ Louisville left guard Michael Gonzalez, a 6-4, 305-pound senior from Indian Trail, North Carolina, anchors a U of L offensive front that has given up only 15 quarterback sacks (by comparison, UK has allowed 33 sacks) so far in 2024.
Advantage: Louisville.
Defensive line
▪ Kentucky senior ends Tre’vonn Rybka (32 tackles, three sacks, five tackles for loss) and Octavious Oxendine (18 tackles, four sacks, 4.5 TFL, three QB hurries) will wear the blue and white for the final time Saturday. So will rush end J.J. Weaver (26 tackles, five sacks, 6.5 TFL, six QB hurries). The former Moore High School star recovered two Louisville fumbles in the second half to spark Kentucky’s come-from-behind win over the Cardinals last season. Expected to enter the 2025 NFL draft or transfer, star junior tackle Deone Walker (36 tackles, 1.5 sacks, five TFL) will also likely playing his final game at Kroger Field.
▪ Louisville end Ashton Gillotte is a high-level performer. The 6-3, 275-pound senior from Boca Raton, Florida, has made 39 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss and has nine quarterback hurries. Tackle Jared Dawson, a 6-2, 305-pound redshirt junior, has been disruptive with four sacks and 6.5 TFL.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Linebackers
▪ In his one season with Kentucky after transferring from Georgia, MLB Jamon Dumas-Johnson has become UK’s leading tackler (62). The 6-1, 245-pound, Hyattsville, Maryland, product scored a touchdown last week at Texas on a 25-yard return of a recovered fumble. In his first season at linebacker after transitioning from defensive back, SLB Alex Afari has made 52 tackles and 10 tackles for loss.
▪ Louisville MLB TJ Quinn made a team-high nine tackles last week in the win over Pittsburgh and leads the Cardinals with 75 stops on the season. WLB Stanquan Clark (67 tackles, 4.5 TFL) has a nose for the football. Clark has picked off two passes and forced a fumble.
Advantage: Louisville.
Defensive backs
▪ Kentucky star cornerback Maxwell Hairston made seven tackles and successfully defended a pass in the loss at Texas. Free safeties Ty Bryant (eight) and Jordan Lovett (seven) combined to make 15 stops at Texas. Strong safety Zion Childress, a super-senior, will play for Kentucky for the final time Saturday. On the season, Childress has made 52 tackles, six TFL, six QB hurries and broken up two passes and forced a fumble.
▪ Louisville cornerbacks Corey Thornton and Quincy Riley have active stat lines. Thornton, a 6-1, 195-pound senior from Miami, has made 33 tackles, broken up seven passes and intercepted two. Riley, a 6-foot, 195-pound senior from Columbia, South Carolina, has made 33 stops, broken up 12 throws and both intercepted a pass and forced a fumble.
Advantage: Even.
Special teams
▪ Kentucky place-kicker Alex Raynor missed his first field goal attempt of the season last week at Texas, misfiring wide left from 33 yards. Dating back to last season, Raynor had made 18 straight field goals until the miss in Austin. On the season, Raynor is now 15-for-16 with a long of 55 yards. Punter Aidan Laros had a good day at Texas, kicking five times for an average of 46.2 yards and pinning the Longhorns inside their 20-yard line three times. On the season, Laros is averaging 45.6 yards a kick and has left opponents inside their 20 on 10 of 26 punts. Kickoff returner Barion Brown had a 100-yard touchdown return against U of L in 2023.
▪ Louisville place-kicker Brock Travelstead hit field goals of 41, 36 and 40 yards in the win over Pitt. On the season, Travelstead is 16-for-23 with a long make of 56 yards. U of L has used two punters, with so-so results. Brady Hodges has punted 18 times for an average of 39.6 yards with four kicks stopped inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. Carter Schwartz has kicked 12 times for a 40.4 yards average and pinned foes inside their 20 three times.
Advantage: Kentucky.
Prediction
Louisville 28, Kentucky 17.
This story was originally published November 28, 2024 at 6:30 AM.
