Five things you need to know from Kentucky’s embarrassing 41-14 loss to Louisville
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Game day: Louisville 41, Kentucky 14
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Louisville football game at Kroger Field.
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Five things you need to know from Kentucky football’s dispiriting 41-14 loss to Louisville:
1. A rivalry breakthrough for Brohm. In a game that was essentially “must win” for Jeff Brohm, the Louisville head man and his team emphatically handled their business.
The Cardinals victory snapped a five-game Kentucky winning streak in the Governor’s Cup rivalry. U of L’s win means that on Saturday evening, the Governor’s Cup trophy will spend its first night in the Derby City since Nov. 23, 2018.
The Cardinals snapped Kentucky’s 19-game, regular season winning streak vs. nonconference foes.
From the point last year when No. 9 and 10-1 Louisville suffered a crushing, come-from-ahead 38-31 loss to Kentucky in Brohm’s Governor’s Cup rivalry coaching debut, the U of L head man knew his assignment: To come to Lexington and finally get U of L back on top of the team its fan base most yearns to beat.
On Saturday, that mission was accomplished with ease.
2. Cutter Boley’s first start. The former Lexington Christian Academy star had a rough go in his first college game as a starting quarterback.
Boley finished 6-of-15 passing for 48 yards and threw two interceptions.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound true freshman was knocked from the game on Kentucky’s first drive of the third quarter by a hit that led to the ejection of Louisville defensive lineman Thor Griffith for targeting.
Former Owensboro star Gavin Wimsatt replaced Boley and produced UK’s only two scores on touchdown passes of 4 and 83 yards to Ja’Mori Maclin.
In a season in which UK never scored more than 20 points in a game against a power conference defense, the insertion of Boley as starting QB ended up being no different than anything else Kentucky tried offensively this year: It didn’t work.
That doesn’t tell us anything at all about Boley’s long-term potential as UK’s full-time starting QB.
It did show us that playing quarterback from the start in a game in which the opponent has had the full week to prepare is more difficult than coming in and playing the second half — which Boley did with encouraging results in UK’s prior two games vs. Murray State and at No. 3 Texas.
In the Mark Stoops coaching era, QBs are now 9-5 in their first Kentucky starts.
3. The number that tells the story. During UK’s now-ended five game winning steak over Louisville, the Wildcats turned the ball over only three times total: Terry Wilson and Lynn Bowden each threw interceptions in UK’s 56-10 win over U of L in 2018 and Devin Leary tossed a pick in last season’s 38-31 upset by UK of the No. 9 Cardinals.
On Saturday, Kentucky turned the ball over three times by halftime — a lost fumble by Jamarion Wilcox and two interceptions by Cutter Boley, one that was picked in the end zone on a play that began at the Louisville 17.
In half two, there were two more UK turnovers. Wilcox lost the ball again. This fumble came on the drive after Kentucky had scored its first touchdown and the Wildcats defense had forced a Louisville punt.
U of L defensive end Ramon Puryear scooped and scored with the second Wilcox fumble and rumbled 20 yards for the TD that put the Cardinals ahead 27-7 and essentially ended the game.
To finish the Thanksgiving weekend generosity by UK, Gavin Wimsatt threw a fourth quarter interception on a deep pass attempt with the Cats already down 41-14.
Undisciplined, sloppy football plagued Kentucky throughout the 2024 season. The final chapter of the UK campaign featured more of the same.
4. Not much “home-field advantage” in the Governor’s Cup. With its win, Louisville is now 11-6 against Kentucky in games played at the venue now known as Kroger Field.
Conversely, U of L is 5-8 vs. UK in contests played at the venue now known as L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.
The Cardinals now lead the modern Kentucky-Louisville rivalry 16-14. Overall, UK leads the series 20-16.
5. A distressing UK football stat. With Kentucky’s defeat Saturday, the Wildcats are now 3-14 in their last 17 games vs. power conference competition.
Fashion police
For its 2024 season finale, Kentucky wore black helmets, black jerseys with blue letters and white numbers and black pants.
Since the start of the 2015 season, UK had never before worn all black — helmets, jerseys and pants.
The Wildcats are now 0-4 in black jerseys since the start of 2015.
This story was originally published November 30, 2024 at 3:15 PM.
