For Kentucky football fans, the hopes and fears about UK’s game vs. Louisville

What Kentucky football backers should hope for and what they need to fear as the Wildcats (4-7, 1-7 SEC) prepare to play Louisville (7-4, 5-3 ACC):

Kickoff is at noon EST Saturday, Nov. 30, at Kroger Field (seating capacity of some 61,000) on the campus of the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

The game will be telecast by the SEC Network.

Hopes

▪ The insertion of true freshman Cutter Boley as Kentucky’s starting quarterback energizes a UK offense that has not scored more than 20 points in a game against any of the eight power conference foes the Wildcats have so far faced in 2024.

▪ Kentucky’s defense is able to generate performances similar to what it turned in earlier this year when the Wildcats held then-No. 1 Georgia to 13 points and limited then-No. 6 Mississippi to 17 points.

With Saturday’s high temperature expected to be 37 degrees, the first cold-weather game of the 2024 season could also boost UK in miring Louisville’s high-powered offense in a low-possession grinder of a game.

▪ Kentucky having won five in a row and six out of seven in the Governor’s Cup rivalry gives the Wildcats an intangible edge over Louisville that is strong enough to prevail even in a year when the Cats have not had a good season.

Fears

▪ In a game that is essentially a must-win for Louisville coach Jeff Brohm in terms of staying in the good graces of his fan base, U of L will come to Lexington on a mission — and with an exceedingly well-thought out game plan.

▪ Ashton Gillotte and a Louisville defense that has sacked opposing quarterbacks 27 times make life difficult on Kentucky’s Cutter Boley as the UK true freshman QB makes his first college start.

▪ Seeking a victory that would turn the course in a rivalry in which Louisville has lost five in a row to Kentucky, the Cardinals have the game in the venue that has, historically, been most favorable to U of L.

In the modern (since 1994) UK-U of L series, the Cardinals are 10-6 against the Wildcats in the stadium now known as Kroger Field.

Conversely, the Cats are 8-5 (in on-the-field results) against the Cards at the venue now known as L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.

Mark Story

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-444-4731

Mark Story has worked in the Lexington Herald-Leader sports department since Aug. 27, 1990, and has been a Herald-Leader sports columnist since 2001. I have covered every Kentucky-Louisville football game since 1994, every UK-U of L basketball game but three since 1996-97 and every Kentucky Derby since 1994. Support my work with a digital subscription