KENTUCKY POSTGAME NOTES
Kentucky at Louisville
Cardinal Stadium, Louisville, Ky.
Nov. 24, 2018
FINAL SCORE: No. 17/18 Kentucky 56, Louisville 10
Team Records and Series Information
- Kentucky ends the regular season 9-3, with a two-game winning streak. Louisville is 2-10.
- Kentucky leads the series 16-15.
- Next for the Wildcats: Kentucky awaits its bowl destination, which will be announced Sunday, Dec. 2.
What the Win Means for Kentucky
- Kentucky’s 9-3 record is the team’s best regular season in 41 years, since the 1977 team went 10-1.
- This is just the fourth time in school history that UK has won at least nine regular-season games, also 1949 (nine), 1950 (10) and 1977 (10).
- Kentucky swept the regular-season non-conference schedule for the first time since 2010.
- UK has tied or improved its record every season since Mark Stoops became head coach in 2013.
- UK won two games in 2012, the season before Stoops arrived, followed by two wins in 2013, five in 2014 and ’15, seven in 2016 and ’17 and nine in 2018.
- UK is the only team in the nation to tie or improve its win-loss record in each of the last six seasons, including this year.
- This was the final regular-season game for 16 seniors. Today marked their 28th win over the last four seasons, tying for the second-most of any senior class since freshmen became eligible in 1972.
- Kentucky has four wins this season over teams that have won at least eight games – Florida, Mississippi State, Missouri and Middle Tennessee. UK also has wins over two more bowl-eligible teams, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
Team Notes
- Kentucky’s 46-point margin of victory is the largest in Governor’s Cup history.
- Kentucky scored a season-high 56 points. It’s the most since scoring 62 vs. New Mexico State in 2016.
- UK scored 35 points in the first half, the most in a first half since scoring 35 in the first half vs. New Mexico State in 2016.
- This is the first time since 1986 that UK has allowed 34 points or less in every game of the regular season.
- In addition to points, UK also set season highs with 29 first downs, 340 rushing yards and 601 total offensive yards.
- Kentucky converted 3-of-3 on fourth-down conversions tonight, with all three leading to UK touchdowns.
- Kentucky is now 9-0 this season when having more rushing yards than the opponent, 0-3 when the opponent wins the rushing yardage.
- A.J. Rose and Benny Snell each rushed for at least 100 yards tonight. It is the third time this season – also Central Michigan and Florida – that UK had a pair of 100-yard rushers.
- UK has allowed 16.2 points per game this season, the team’s best defensive mark since 1979 (13.0 points per game).
- UK won five games this year by limiting the opponent to 10 points or less. The last time UK held five opponents to 10 points or fewer was 1979.
- Louisville’s 10 first downs and 79 passing yards are the fewest by a UK opponent this season.
Governor’s Cup Records
- Kentucky did not punt in the game, tying the record for fewest punts set by Louisville in 2017.
- UK limited Louisville to 79 passing yards, fewest by one team in Governor’s Cup history.
- Benny Snell has five rushing touchdowns in Governor’s Cup games, tying the career record of five set by Louisville’s Michael Bush from 2003-06.
Player Notes
- UK’s game captains were RB Benny Snell, Jr., LB Kash Daniel, LB Josh Allen and S Mike Edwards.
- Sophomore quarterback Terry Wilson received the Howard Schnellenberger Award as the Most Valuable Player of the winning team in the Governor’s Cup.
- Wilson completed 17 of 23 passes for 261 yards and a career-high three touchdown passes.
- He rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown.
- He had career highs with 340 yards total offense and four total touchdowns.
- He has thrown a touchdown pass in seven straight games.
- He has completed at least 60 percent of his passes in 10 of 12 games this season.
- Junior running back Benny Snell, Jr. rushed 18 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns.
- This was his sixth 100-yard game of the season and 18th of his career, tying the UK career record also held by Sonny Collins.
- Snell has rushed 58 times for 362 yards and five touchdowns in three games vs. Louisville.
- Has 3,729 career rushing yards, remaining in second place in UK history and advancing to 15th place in SEC history.
- He is fifth in SEC history in rushing yardage prior to a senior season.
- Snell scored his 45th and 46th touchdowns, extending his school record for total touchdowns and rushing touchdowns in a career. He is tied for tied for third in SEC history in rushing touchdowns.
- He trails only Herschel Walker (49 rushing TDs) for the most rushing TDs prior to his senior season in SEC history.
- Sophomore running back A.J. Rose ran 10 times for 112 yards, including a career-long 75-yard touchdown dash that is also the longest run by a Wildcat this season.
- True freshman running back Kavosiey Smoke got his first collegiate carries, rushing four times for 45 yards, including a 37-yard scoring dash.
- Sophomore wide receiver Lynn Bowden, Jr. caught six balls for 86 yards and a career-high two touchdowns.
- He has 61 receptions this season, most for a Wildcat since Randall Cobb had 84 in 2010.
- It is the second-most receptions by a sophomore in school history.
- Sophomore wide receiver Josh Ali caught his first collegiate touchdown with a 32-yard reception.
- Senior wide receiver Dorian Baker caught two passes for 21 yards.
- He became the 16th player with at least 100 receptions in a career. He has 101 catches.
- Junior linebacker Kash Daniel led the Wildcat defense with eight tackles and a career-high three tackles for loss.
- Freshman linebacker Chris Oats was next with five tackles and had his second quarterback sack of the season.
- Senior linebacker Josh Allen had four tackles, including a sack.
- He extended his school records for most sacks in a season (14) and career (28.5).
- 12 of Allen’s 14 sacks this season have been in the second half, four in the third quarter and eight in the fourth quarter.
- UK has not allowed a point this season on all 14 opponent possessions that Allen has a sack.
