Football
Eight Wins, Governor's Cup on Line in Regular Season Finale

Eight Wins, Governor's Cup on Line in Regular Season Finale

The Governor’s Cup rivalry takes center stage on Thanksgiving weekend as Kentucky hosts Louisville in the regular season finale. With a win the Wildcats would finish with an 8-4 mark, the first eight-win regular season for the program since the 1984 Hall of Fame Bowl team. It also would be the second consecutive season the Cats took ownership of the Governor’s Cup trophy.
 

Kentucky
Kentucky vs. Louisville
Sat., Nov. 25 – 12 p.m. ET
Kroger Field
Lexington, Ky.
Game Notes: UK Get Acrobat Reader | UL Get Acrobat Reader
Digital Gameday Program
Kroger Field Clear Bag Policy
Cat Walk – 9:45 a.m.
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TV: SEC Network
Radio: UK Sports Network
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UK 2017 Team Stats UL
7-4 2017 Record 7-4
4-4 Conference Record 4-4
26.5 Scoring/game 38.6
352.0 Total offense/game 560.4
164.5 Rushing yards/game 241.2
187.5 Passing yards/game 319.2
23.5 Kickoff returns (avg) 19.7
17.3 Punt returns (avg) 5.9
42.5 Punting (avg) 43.6
30:53 Time of possession/game 30:31
43.7% Third down conversion 45.5%
57.1% Fourth down conversion 56.0%
27.2 Points allowed/game 28.0
413.3 Total yards allowed/game 391.2
145.5 Rush yards allowed/game 147.2
267.8 Pass yards allowed/game 244.0


The two teams staged a thrilling edition of the rivalry last season, with Kentucky erasing a 10-point deficit for the comeback win. Austin MacGinnis split the uprights with a 47-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining to give the Cats a 41-38 upset victory that paved the way to being invited to the TaxSlayer Bowl. It was UK’s first victory over the Cardinals since 2010.

Kickoff will be at noon ET at Kroger Field and the game will air on the SEC Network. The Wildcats can tie the series 9-9 in games played in Lexington with a win.

Twenty-five players also will be honored during a special “Senior Day” pregame ceremony.

Cat Scratches: Cats Eager for Challenge, Opportunity Presented by Cards


There’s no time for mourning at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility.
 
With Louisville coming to town for Kentucky’s regular-season finale, that won’t be any problem for the Wildcats.
 
“Tough loss versus Georgia,” Mark Stoops said. “They played some very good football. We had a few opportunities early, did not play our best. We knew we had to execute at a high level and did not do that. So, got to get that behind us and look forward to this week’s challenge with Louisville.”
 
The challenge, to be sure, is significant ahead of the noon matchup on Saturday at Kroger Field.
 
Winners of two straight after dismantling Syracuse by a score of 56-10, the Cardinals (7-4) don’t sport the same lofty ranking they did entering last year’s Governor’s Cup. They still have Lamar Jackson though…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 opticgrade crystal. All metal parts are 23-karat, gold-plated 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 $480,000 — $240,000 to each school.

Senior Day


Twenty-five players will be playing their final home game at Kroger Field on Saturday:

#55, David Baumer, OT, Jr., Cincinnati, Ohio
#43, Logan Blue, LB/LS, Jr., Owensboro, Ky.
#6, Blake Bone, WR, Sr., Woodruff, S.C.
#47, Jordan Bonner, LB, Jr., Lyndhurst, Ohio
#69, Matt Elam, NG, Sr., Elizabethtown, Ky.
#37, Spencer Foy, LB, Jr., Louisville, Ky.
#62, Dylan Greenberg, RG, Sr., Tucson, Ariz.
#85, Greg Hart, TE, Sr., Dayton, Ohio
#68, Nick Haynes, OG, Sr., Niceville, Fla.
#36, Jacob Hyde, NG, Sr., Manchester, Ky.
#9, Garrett Johnson, WR, Sr., Winter Garden, Fla.
#15, Stephen Johnson, QB, Sr., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
#20, Ryan Kendall, WR, Jr., Charlotte, N.C.
#51, Courtney Love , LB, Sr., Youngstown, Ohio
#99, Austin MacGinnis, K, Sr., Wedowee, Ala.
#32, William Mahone III, RB, Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio
#73, Kyle Meadows , OT, Sr., West Chester, Ohio
#74, Cole Mosier, OT, Sr., Walton, Ky.
#84, Charles Moushey, WR, Sr., Westerville, Ohio
#93, Matt Panton, K/P, Sr., Melbourne, Aus.
#77, Naquez Pringle, DT, Sr., Georgetown, S.C.
#5, Kendall Randolph, CB, Sr., Tallahassee, Fla.
#19, Kayaune Ross, WR, Sr., West Chester, Ohio
#88, Charles Walker, WR, Sr., Louisville, Ky.
#14, Luke Wright, QB, Jr., Atlanta, Ga.

Scouting Louisville


• Louisville is currently 7-4 overall, 4-4 in the ACC entering the final game of the regular season.
• The Cardinals are led by 2016 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson is a member of the 3,000-yard passing and 1,000-yard rushing club for two consecutive seasons and has accounted for 40 touchdowns this season.
• Louisville ranks No. 3 nationally in total offense with 560.4 yards per game. They average 38.5 points per game.
• The Cardinals average 6.4 yards per rush, including Jackson’s 6.8 per carry.
• Louisville has had an opportunistic defense, creating 20 turnovers and ranking in the nation’s top 25 in takeaways.
• Linebacker Dorian Etheridge leads the defense with 69 tackles. The Cards have a potent passrush duo with linebackers James Hearns (seven sacks) and Jonathan Greenard (six sacks).
• Like UK, Louisville has an accurate kicker should the game come down to a field goal again. Blanton Creque is 12-of-14 on the season with a long of 48 yards.

Series vs. Louisville


• With last season’s win, Kentucky now leads the all-time series 15-14.
• Louisville leads the series 9-8 in games played in Lexington, having won three straight. The Cats’ last win in Lexington was a 31-27 victory in 2009.
• Kentucky stormed into Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and secured a thrilling 41-38 last-second victory over the No. 11 Cardinals last season, ending a five-game losing streak to Louisville in the process.
• The win was the Cats’ first road win over a ranked team since 2002, which also came against Louisville.
• The Cats rang up 581 yards of total offense in the game (338 passing, 229 rushing).
• QB Stephen Johnson connected on three scores and rushed for another 83 yards in the win. He found WR Garrett Johnson for a 75-yard score on the Cats’ first offensive play and later hit Johnson again for a 63-yard score. His final touchdown throw was a 35-yarder to Dorian Baker.
• The Cats’ defense forced four turnovers, including a late fumble that stopped a Lousiville drive deep in UK territory and set up the Cats’ game-winning drive.
• UK kicker Austin MacGinnis nailed the game-winning 47-yard field goal with 12 seconds left.
• 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 23 seasons.

Kentucky-Louisville Connections


• Kentucky has just three players from the city of Louisville on its current roster: DB Spencer Blackburn, LB Spencer Foy and WR/PR Charles Walker.

• Louisville has four players from the city of Lexington on its roster: QB Clay Bolin, S Jack Fagot, LS Ryan Betlach and WR Jordan Thomas.

• UK wide receivers coach Lamar Thomas spent two seasons in the same position at Louisville before opting to join the Wildcats’ staff.

 

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