Kentucky-Louisville Postgame Notes

KENTUCKY FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY AT LOUISVILLE
L&N FEDERAL CREDIT UNION STADIUM | LOUISVILLE, KY
NOV. 25, 2023

FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 38, No. 9 Louisville 31

Team Records and Series Information

• Kentucky ends the regular season with a 7-5 record. Louisville is 10-2.
• Kentucky leads the all-time series, 20-15, and has won the last five.
  • Kentucky leads in games played in Louisville, 9-5.
• Next for UK: Kentucky awaits its bowl destination, which will be announced Sunday, December 3.

What the Win Means for the Wildcats

• Kentucky clinches a winning record for the seventh time in eight seasons. The exception is the Covid-altered 2020 campaign.
• This is UK’s fifth consecutive win in the series, tying Louisville (2011-15) for the longest streak in the Governor’s Cup era.
• This extends Kentucky’s school-record streak of six consecutive seasons winning the regular-season finale (2018-23).
• This is Kentucky’s 20^th consecutive win against regular-season non-conference opponents.  It is the second-longest active streak in the nation, behind Georgia (23 entering tonight’s game at Georgia Tech).
• Coach Mark Stoops extended his school records for most wins (73) and wins over opponents ranked in The Associated Press poll (13).
• This is the highest AP-ranked win of the Mark Stoops era and tied for the eighth-highest AP-ranked victory in Kentucky history:
  • 13-7 over No. 1 Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, Jan. 1, 1951
  • 27-21 over No. 1 Ole Miss (game played in Jackson), 1964
  • 43-37 vs. No. 1 LSU (three overtimes), 2007
  • 24-20 at No. 4 Penn State, 1977
  • 20-0 vs. No. 7 Auburn, 1964
  • 21-14 vs. No. 8 Ole Miss, 1955
  • 10-9 vs. No. 8 Ole Miss, 1969
  • 26-0 vs. No. 9 Georgia, 1947
  • 41-24 vs. No. 9 Florida, 1974
  • 40-34 vs. No. 9 Louisville, 2007
• Kentucky is now 2-3 this season against teams ranked in The Associated Press poll.
• The Wildcats are now 7-7 against their last 14 ranked AP ranked opponents, dating back to a win over North Carolina State in the 2020 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

Team Notes

• This was the 13^th game in the Mark Stoops era in which Kentucky has rallied from at least 10 points down to win.  UK trailed 17-7 and 24-14.
• Kentucky had no penalties in the game.

Player Notes

• Quarterback Devin Leary completed 12 of 22 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns.
  • He has thrown for 23 touchdowns this season, entering the game third in the SEC in that category.
  • He now has 9,247 passing yards and 84 passing touchdowns in his career.
• Running back Ray Davis carried the ball 14 times for 76 yards, including the game-winning 37-yard touchdown jaunt with 1:31 remaining in the game. He also caught four passes for 51 yards, including two TD catches of 20 yards each.
  • With three touchdowns today, he has 20 total TDs on the season, breaking the UK single-season record of 19 touchdowns by Benny Snell Jr. in 2017.
  • He also broke the UK single-season record for points scored with 120.  The previous was 116 points by Snell in 2017 (19 TDs, one two-point conversion).
  • He now has 1,066 rushing yards on the season and became the 11th player in school history to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a single season. The feat has been accomplished a total of 15 times by 11 players.
  • Davis became the only active player – and believed to be the only player in history – to total at least 1,000 career rushing yards at three Division I schools (also Temple and Vanderbilt).
  • Davis became the first player in SEC history to have 1,000-yard seasons at two league schools, also running for 1,042 last season for Vanderbilt.
• Wide receiver Barion Brown returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.  He also caught two passes for 48 yards, including a crucial 23-yard catch that set up Ray Davis’ game-winning touchdown run.
  • The TD return is his second of the season (also 99 yards vs. Ball State) and the third of his career (100 vs. Miami-Ohio in 2022).
  • He tied two school records today – Craig Yeast for most kickoff return TDs in a career and Derek Abney for most KO return TDs in a season.
  • He had 250 all-purpose yards on the day, 180 on kickoff returns, 48 receiving and 22 rushing.
  • He improved his streak of 25 straight games with a reception, which is every game of his college career.
  • He has 1,067 career receiving yards, moving up to No. 30 in school history.
• Wide receiver Dane Key hauled in two catches for 25 yards, including a nine-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
  • He hauled in a spectacular grab in the end zone on third down in the second quarter to get the Cats on the scoreboard.
  • Key has 1,056 career receiving yards, moving up to No. 31 in school history.
• Wide receiver Tayvion Robinson caught one pass for six yards.
  • He has 1,004 receiving yards at Kentucky, becoming the 35^th player in school history to reach 1,000 receiving yards in his career.
• Tight end Khamari Anderson caught his first collegiate pass, good for 11 yards.
• Linebacker J.J. Weaver won the Howard Schnellenberger Award as Most Valuable Player of the winning team in the Governor’s Cup game.
  • He had eight tackles, a quarterback sack, caused a fumble and recovered two fumbles.
  • Late in the third quarter, with Louisville ahead 24-21 and driving, Weaver forced a fumble, then recovered it.  The turnover set up a drive for a field goal that tied the game.
  • On the next possession, Weaver recovered another fumble, setting up a UK touchdown that put the Wildcats ahead 31-24.
  • Weaver also had a seven-yard sack.
• Linebacker D’Eryk Jackson and Trevin Wallace tied for the team lead in tackles with 11 each.
  • Jackson also caused a fumble and had a nine-yard tackle for loss.
  • Wallace made the stop on fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter, turning over the ball on downs.
• Defensive back Jordan Lovett made the game-clinching interception with two seconds left. It is his second interception of the season and fourth of his career.
• Game captains: Eli Cox, Kenneth Horsey, Devin Leary, J.J. Weaver