Wildcats Look to Close Regular Season in Style
Share
Kentucky will travel to in-state rival Louisville with a chance to cap its most successful regular season since 2010 in style with its first win on the road over a ranked team since 2002, also against Louisville.
|
||
| Kentucky vs. Louisville | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 26 – 12 p.m. ET Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium Louisville, Ky. Game Notes: UK  | UL Digital Gameday Program Gameday App |
||
| Coverage | ||
|
TV: ESPN |
||
| UK | 2016 Team Stats | UL |
| 6-5 | Record | 9-2 |
| 4-4 | Conference Record | 7-1 |
| 30.1 | Scoring/game | 46.0 |
| 414.4 | Total offense/game | 558.5 |
| 242.4 | Rushing yards/game | 254.6 |
| 172.0 | Passing yards/game | 303.9 |
| 22.6 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 21.2 |
| 8.4 | Punt returns (avg) | 9.5 |
| 39.4 | Punting (avg) | 42.3 |
| 29:49 | Time of possession/game | 29:18 |
| 37.3% | Third down conversion | 43.3% |
| 81.8% | Fourth down conversion | 69.2% |
| 30.5 | Points allowed/game | 21.7 |
| 428.5 | Total yards allowed/game | 292.2 |
| 220.0 | Rush yards allowed/game | 99.2 |
| 208.5 | Pass yards allowed/game | 193.0 |
The Wildcats became bowl eligible with a 49-13 victory over Austin Peay last Saturday and travel to Louisville looking to improve their potential bowl destination. A win over the Cardinals would also end a five-game losing streak in the Governor’s Cup rivalry.
Offensively, the Wildcats continue to run the football effectively and now rank 17th nationally in rushing yards per game with 242.4 per contest. UK is averaging 275.1 rushing yards over its past nine games, during which it is 6-3. Running backs Boom Williams and Benny Snell Jr. are the first pair of single-season 1,000-yard rushers in school history.
Cat Scratches: Rivalry Game Another Chance for Step Forward
There wasn’t a person in Commonwealth Stadium happier than Jojo Kemp.
The senior running back has poured his heart and soul into turning around the Kentucky football program. So when the Wildcats reached bowl eligibility for the first time in six seasons, Kemp celebrated like he meant it.
By Tuesday, he had all the mimed bowling rolls out of his system. By Tuesday, it was all about Louisville.
“Last week was about taking a step forward,” Kemp said. “This week is about the same thing, so guys are really just focused on controlling what they can control, being more detail-oriented and just let everything take care of itself.”
A win over the No. 11 Cardinals (9-2) would certainly be a big step for UK (6-5) when the two teams face off on Saturday at noon at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. In fact, Denzil Ware sees the potential step as even bigger than the bowl…Read More
The Governor’s Cup
• The Governor’s Cup was created in 1994 as the trophy for the winner of the Kentucky-Louisville game. Donated by The Kroger Company at a cost of $23,000, the Governor’s Cup stands 33 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds. The trophy’s base and upright columns are hand-milled black marble. The glass components are optic-grade crystal. All metal parts are 23-karat, goldplated brass. The cup itself is made of pewter with a 23-karat gold-plated finish.
• The cup was designed by Kendall Costner and sculpted by James Corcoran of Bruce Fox, Inc. The Kroger Company also is involved in supporting academic pursuits at the schools. Kroger is donating $10,000 to each school for each year the game is played. Kroger’s donations now total $460,000 — $230,000 to each school.
Cats vs. the Cardinals
• The all-time series is tied at 14, with Louisville winning the past five meetings.
• Kentucky leads the series 6-5 in games played in Louisville. The Cats’ last win there was a 23-16 win in 2010.
• UK led last season’s game 24-7 at halftime but Louisville turned the tables in the second half en route to a 38-24 victory.
• The modern version of the Governor’s Cup rivalry began in 1994 after a 70-year hiatus and has been played each of the past 22 seasons.
Scouting Louisville
• Louisville is 9-2 overall and 7-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• Sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson is the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy, having accounted for 3,109 yards and 28 touchdowns passing and 1,367 yards and 19 touchdowns rushing.
• Jackson ranks in the Top 20 nationally in 14 individual statistical categories, including total offense per game (2nd, 406.9 yards), passing (19th, 282.6) and rushing (8th, 124.3).
• Statistically speaking, Louisville has the best offense in the nation. The Cardinals lead the nation in total offense (558.5) and scoring (46.0) per game. They also rank eighth in passing yards per completion (15.06), 12th in rushing (254.6) and 15th in passing (303.9).
