A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

Kentucky rips Louisville, 56-10, as sophomore quarterback Terry Wilson shines to deliver ninth win


By Russ Brown
Kentucky Today

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) – Rarely in the history of the Governor’s Cup has Kentucky had the luxury of being so comfortably ahead of Louisville late in the game that the coaches could play their second- and third-stringers.


But that was the case Saturday night in Cardinal Stadium after Terry Wilson, Benny Snell Jr., Lynn Bowden Jr., A.J. Rose Jr. and the UK defense had done their job and retired to the sideline to watch the No. 15 Cats finish off their 56-10 romp past its pathetically inept rival.


Wilson, UK’s promising sophomore quarterback, turned in his best all-around performance of the season. He completed 17-of-23 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception, and rushed for 79 yards and a TD.



“I felt real comfortable out there the whole time and I just let it rip,” said Wilson, who completed passes to seven different receivers. “I trusted my coaches, my offensive line, all my other teammates and it showed out there. I feel like the coaches did a great job in putting a great game plan together and we stuck with it. Everybody was sound in what their assignments were.”

Kentucky takes home the Governor’s Cup after defeating Louisville 56-10 (UK Athletics photo)


Rose, another talented sophomore, and Snell shared time at running back, combining for 212 yards on 28 carries for a 7.6 average and three touchdowns. Rose had 112 yards, 75 of which came on a touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Snell scored two of UK’s first three TDs on runs of 7 and 25 yards.


Bowden led UK receivers with six catches for 86 yards and back-to-back touchdown catches of 28 and 13 yards.


Offensive coordinator Eddie Gran’s variety of play calls, balancing runs and passes, kept UofL’s defense off balance most of the evening as the Cats finished their most successful seasons in decades at 9-3 and positioned themselves for a major bowl. Kentucky’s point total was by far its most against a Power 5 team this season, topping the 28-7 win over Mississippi State.


Louisville, meanwhile, finished 2-10, its worst season since 1-10 in 1997, and gave up more than 50 points for the fifth game in a row and the seventh time this season to end the campaign with a nine-game losing streak.


A new coach will deal with that skid in the 2019 opener against Notre Dame, replacing Bobby Petrino, who was fired after the 10th game of the year and replaced by interim coach Lorenzo Ward.


Kentucky was never threatened after taking control of the game in the second quarter. The Cats scored on all five possessions in the first half, getting two touchdowns each from Snell and Bowden while taking advantage of numerous UofL penalties.


The Cards, one of the most penalized teams in the country, lived up to their reputation by piling up nine penalties for 109 yards, several of which helped keep UK drives alive. The Cards put their lack of discipline on full display with flags for offenses ranging from unsportsmanlike conduct to taunting to holding to targeting.


UofL briefly gave its fans some hope that it could at least make the game interesting when quarterback Malik Cunningham sprinted up the middle for a 75-yard TD run — the Cards’ longest run from scrimmage on the season — to pull his team to within 14-7 with 1:50 remaining in the first quarter.


But hope quickly faded as Snell powered through the line on the fourth play of the second period for a 25-yard TD.

After Brandon Creque’s 32-yard field goal, Wilson threw the quick touchdown passes to Bowden. He was so wide open on the first one that he was waving his arms as he backpedaled into the end zone, but the next time he needed to make a difficult reception and stay inbounds at the back of the end zone to make it 35-10 at intermission.


It was a rare win in the series for Kentucky, which had lost six of the last seven meetings. Louisville won last year 44-17 and the heavy underdog Wildcats stunned the Cardinals 41-38 in 2016.


FOUR CARDS SUSPENDED FOR GAME


Ward suspended four UofL players before the game, although three of the losses were insignificant.


The players were tight end Jordan Davis and running backs Dae Williams, Malik Staples and Javian Hawkins, all of whom were disciplined for an unspecified violation of team rules.


Davis was the most significant because, without him, Micky Crum was the only scholarship tight end available.
 
Russ Brown, a former sportswriter for The Courier-Journal and USA Today, covers University of Louisville sports and college basketball and football for Kentucky Today. He can be contacted at www.0926.russ.brown@gmail.com.


Related Posts

Leave a Comment