In the second half of a 27-13 win over Central Michigan, the Kentucky Wildcats put together their best 30 minutes of football so far this season. Behind a rushing attack that rolled up 230 yards and an aggressive defense that allowed no points over the final three quarters, UK moved to 2-0.As the Wildcats get to battle for the Governor’s Cup against rival Louisville, UK will face off against a similarly aggressive Cardinal defense that will look to handcuff the rushing attack that paced Kentucky last weekend. According to head coach Joker Phillips, Morgan Newton and the passing game are going to need to take a step forward if the Wildcats are to win their fifth-consecutive game against Louisville.”They definitely stack the box and dare you to throw it,” Phillips said. “Teams have had some success throwing the ball on them. We’ll have to throw it consistently to have a chance to get them out of the box so we can run the ball.”Kentucky has managed just 105.5 yards per game through the air while Newton has completed fewer than 50-percent of his passes. It stands to reason, then, that Cardinal head coach Charlie Strong will be looking to force the Wildcats to beat his team through the air.”We expect the box to be stacked even more this week,” Phillips said. “We have to complete some passes to get them into some coverages. Based on the statistics, it may seem that asking Newton to open the game up through the air is unrealistic, but that is not the case. Yes, the junior has had his share of struggles, but he has shown the ability to throw the deep ball, though his receivers have often been unable to convert well-thrown balls into the long completions they should have been.With some help from his receivers, Newton is more than capable of punishing a Louisville defense has also shown itself to be susceptible to the big play. Florida International receiver T.Y. Hilton scored touchdowns on 74- and 83-yard catches to propel his team to an upset victory over Louisville last Friday. Hilton does have the kind of game-breaking speed that no Wildcat has, save for maybe freshman Demarco Robinson, but his big play success shows there are holes to be exploited in the Cardinal secondary.To capitalize on those opportunities, Newton will more than likely turn to junior wide receiver La’Rod King. Newton targeted King on 13 of his 18 passes last weekend and King responded with five catches for 100 yards, including game-tying touchdown on a 34-yard bomb in the third quarter.”La’Rod’s been open quite a bit,” Phillips said. “He’s gotten behind defenders. Defenders are a little bit tighter on La’Rod and that gives him an opportunity. If Newton is able to hit King or another of his targets for a long pass or two early, Louisville could be forced to sink into pass coverage and its rushing defense, which has allowed just 94.0 yards per game on 2.5 yard per carry, could be softened.UK will rely on an extremely inexperienced group of runners to attack the Cardinal defense, whether it has been softened by the deep ball or not. Freshman Josh Clemons, who has 165 yards in his first two games, will start in place of the injured Raymond Sanders. Redshirt sophomore Jonathan George, who has just nine carries on his young career, will serve as Clemons’ backup.UK, though, does have a ball carrier with significant experience at quarterback. Newton was a crucial part of UK’s running attack in each of UK’s first two games, rushing for 72 yards and a touchdown. Whether it’s a called run or a scramble, Newton is a weapon that could do damage against Louisville’s aggressive defense.”We always thought for us to have success with him, he’s got to be able to run it because he can be a force,” Phillips said. “The guy is 235 pounds, he runs well. “Because Newton is the only experienced quarterback on UK’s roster, Phillips knows that he needs to be protected. However, he does not expect Newton to hold back in any crucial situations. In the season opener against Western Kentucky, Newton had a bruising 58-yard run on third-and-long to seal UK’s win.”I don’t expect him, if it’s third down and 10, like it was the other day, I don’t expect him to get on the ground at eight, nine yards,” Phillips said. “I expect him to lower his shoulder like he did and get us the first down.”Against Louisville, nearly every play is crucial and Phillips knows he doesn’t have to tell his team that.”You don’t have to say much,” Phillips said. “Our kids know about this rivalry.”