Didn’t realize that. Let’s hope today is our first.

You may not be a UK football fan.

I am on Cloud Nine right now.

Thanks CMS and Cats for making my week. Go Big Blue!!!

Is that out there somewhere yet?

And they actually stayed in it this year, making it at least interesting until we finally broke their hearts.

That usually comes in the first Q!!!

Modern basketball is about spreading the floor, having an open lane for cuts and drives, and shooting. I think a major problem with our offense last year besides shooting was having multiple guys on the low block, further clogging the lane. We shouldve played Knox at the 4 and PJ at the 5. That opens up the court and makes us a better shooting team.

This year, our 3 bigs should operate as face up guys and set screens instead of posting up. Our guards historically haven't been the best at feeding the post anyway.

Ls down baby.

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Wouldn't it be nice to see 5-6 Fla. beat FSU tonight after UK beat UL today. The 2 ACC Championship game teams both beaten by Mid Level SEC teams.

QUICK TAKES: Kentucky 38, Louisville 31​

Kentucky's Ray Davis hauled in a touchdown catch in the second half of the Wildcats' 38-31 win over No. 10 Louisville on Saturday in the Governor's Cup game at L&N Stadium. (Matt Stone/USA Today Sports)

Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK

In our regular postgame feature, the Cats Illustrated staff offers its first impressions from Kentucky's 38-31 win over No. 10 Louisville on Saturday in the Governor's Cup game at L&N Stadium...​

JUSTIN ROWLAND:

That's the only way Kentucky could have salvaged something here at the end of the season. Folks are still going to look back at this year and wish they had accomplished more, but winning on the road against a Top-10 Louisville team is a nice consolation prize and does give UK the chance to carry some momentum and good feelings into the offseason. Devin Leary didn't play a perfect game but he made some outstanding throws and did not back down. He didn't flinch. Ray Davis, Barion Brown, Deone Walker, JJ Weaver - just some of the other players who make exemplary plays. Mark Stoops really owns this rivalry. Brohm had talked about UofL's players not wanting to let the fan base down, but they probably feel pretty down today.

JEFF DRUMMOND:

Like JR said above, I think this one goes a long way toward soothing some of the disappointment from what was expected to be a much better season. Not only do you beat your arch-rival, you do it in their house with a rabid sell-out crowd foaming at the mouth to end the losing skid, you retain the Governor's Cup for a fifth straight year, and you do it in a season when you were down and they were knocking on the door of the College Football Playoff with a 10-1 record. That has to be a soul-crushing loss for the Cards. To accomplish that, several players came up with some great individual efforts. Ray Davis goes for 137 combined rushing and receiving yards while scoring three touchdowns. Barion Brown delivers a 100-yard kickoff return for a TD and comes up with some huge plays to keep the chains moving. JJ Weaver saved his finest performance for his hometown team, recording eight tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. Fellow linebacker D'Eryk Jackson forced another fumble, and Jordan Lovett called "game" with an interception in the end zone with two seconds remaining. Today, the Cats came up with those game-changing plays that have eluded them since a 5-0 start to the season.

I called my shot. I never relented. I told you boys they ain’t sh*t. Y’all doubters ain’t sh**

L’s Down Forever

I posted this in another thread the other day. Y’all know me as a totally negative person, glass half empty, it’s how I am, I can’t change that, I’ve tried. I am a UK football diehard, raised by a guy who’s been going since 1977 or some crazy shit like that. Dudes been to hundreds of UK games, I was wired like this and I didn’t ask to be. Y’all know I bitch about Stoops all the time, all the time, I see his potential, I see things that hold him back, I know the game(you can think otherwise if you like).

Enjoy the win today, quit the bullshit arguing with each other, and enjoy your damn day. I’m having some great bourbon right now and probably gonna be pretty gone by the time the night games start.

Now to the post, no matter what you think of Mark Stoops, no matter if he goes to Texas A&M or not(idc what the man does), he built this shit and he’s the reason for days like today, even when last weeks game was an absolute disaster and I was mad at him for it. MARK STOOPS has made Kentucky desirable for anyone going forward, Rich Brooks laid the rock and Mark Stoops built the foundation after Joker abandoned the project. HE has created a fanbase who cares, that used to not care, he’s created a desirable job, he has gotten us the facilities. No matter what you think of that man in the end he deserves his credit. He deserves some hard questioning to, but overall the premise of this post is he created something at UK to be excited about that no man since 1950 has done. And he deserves his roses for that. Mark Stoops will be the reason for the future of the program no matter if he’s here or not.

PS: I’m still pretty aggravated about the season but best believe imma enjoy this today. And I also told you all Louisville wasn’t good, all year long, they were a little better than I thought, but not good enough to beat us. I think @Jeff Drummond should show him this post, cause deep down this is how we all feel, he’s had his failures but without him it’s the same lame ass failures of the last 70 years.

Ballsy call by Washington coach. 4 and 1 on there own 35 with 1:15 to go and he goes for it. Wow.

Anyone know specifically what they're talking about?

Let’s go cats

Cats surge in second half, upset No. 10 Cards​

Kentucky's Deone Walker hoisted the Governor's Cup after the Wildcats upset No. 10 Louisville on Saturday at L&N Stadium. (Matt Stone/USA Today Sports)

Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK

Kentucky's fifth straight victory in the Governor's Cup game required major contributions from some of the Wildcats' stars, plays that had largely eluded them during the second half of a difficult season.

Running back Ray Davis had 137 total yards and scored three touchdowns, wide receiver Barion Brown returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, and outside linebacker JJ Weaver recorded eight tackles, two fumble recoveries, and a sack as Kentucky came from behind to stun No. 10 Louisville 38-31 on Saturday at L&N Stadium.

"We needed our best players to step up and make big plays today," Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops said. "And they did."

Weaver earned the Howard Schnellenberger MVP award for his huge performance on the defensive side of the ball, which helped the Cats rally twice from a 10-point deficit.

"This means a lot," Weaver said. "I've gone through a lot of adversity all my life, even here at UK, and I've been praying about this last game a lot. I talked to Coach Stoops this week about losing my best friend, and I just played this game for him.

"It's a blessing. All thanks to God and my teammates."

Added Stoops: "I was so happy for JJ. He and I had a one-on-one in my office this week because he looked a little down, a little depressed. I'm like, man, keep your head held high. You've gone through a lot, but you've done a lot of good things. Keep smiling, and let's go finish this."

Weaver and the Cats did just that, closing the regular season at 7-5 while playing spoiler to a 10-2 Louisville squad that had outside hopes of crashing the College Football Playoff.

Kentucky trailed 17-7 early in the third quarter, and it appeared the Cardinals were poised to break the game open at a raucous L&N Stadium. But the Cats' Brown returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to re-energize his team.

"The kickoff return was explosive. Gave us a little juice... that was the spark that we needed," Stoops said.

From there, the Cats scored on four of their next five possessions. Devin Leary connected with Ray Davis on a 20-yard touchdown pass, Alex Raynor kicked a 46-yard field goal, and Leary found Davis again on a 20-yard pass to give Kentucky its first lead of the day at 31-24 with 8:37 remaining.

Louisville tied it up at 31-31 on a 21-yard, fourth-down pass from Jack Plummer to Ahmari Huggins-Bruce with 2:33 to go.
It didn't last long.

The Cats needed only four plays to get back in the end zone as Davis ripped off a 15-yard run, Leary connected with Brown on a 23-yard pass, and Davis scored on a 37-yard touchdown run with 1:02 remaining for what proved to be the decisive points.

Louisville had one last shot, but Plummer's pass from the Kentucky 39 with two seconds left was intercepted by UK safety Jordan Lovett in the end zone.

"We just kept on grinding, kept on banging," Stoops said.

*****

In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory...

KEY MOMENT:

Louisville appeared to deliver a statement drive to begin the second half, marching 75 yards on 15 plays and eating up more than nine minutes off the clock to extend its lead to 17-7. But Kentucky's Barion Brown ran the ensuing kickoff back 100 yards to instantly get the Wildcats back in the game. UK had only 97 yards of total offense to that point in the game, so it felt like the outcome was hanging in the balance on that possession. He took the pressure off by taking it to the house, and the Cats played much looser from that point forward.

GAME BALL:

JJ Weaver, Kentucky -- There were several candidates for this honor -- UK doesn't win without Ray Davis or Barion Brown coming up big, either -- but we'll go with the official Howard Schnellenberger MVP recipient. The Louisville native may have saved his best performance for his final game as a Wildcat (pending his bowl game decision). He recorded eight tackles, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and a sack to help UK win its fifth straight Governor's Cup game.

BY THE NUMBERS:

0 - Penalties by Kentucky.

1st - Player in the SEC, UK running back Ray Davis, to have a 1,000-yard rushing season for two different teams in the league.

5 - The longest winning streak by the Wildcats in the Governor's Cup series since it was renewed in 1994. UK now leads the all-time series 20-15.

20 - Touchdowns scored by UK running back Ray Davis this season, a new single-season school record. He scored three today (one rushing, two receiving) to break Benny Snell's previous mark of 19.

38 on 47 - Points and total plays run by the Cats on the day.

2002 - The last time that UK scored 31 points in the second half of a road game. The previous occasion came at Florida.

QUOTABLE:

"There was no quit in us. We came out here looking for a fight." -- UK running back Ray Davis

UP NEXT:

Kentucky awaits its bowl game designation after finishing the regular season at 7-5. Many analysts are projecting the Duke's Mayo Bowl in Charlotte, N.C. It will mark the Cats' eighth consecutive appearance in a bowl game having won four of the last five.

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MARK STOOPS POSTGAME Q&A and UK RADIO NETWORK COMMENTS:

* Any team goes thru ups and downs. Really proud of this team for how they finished. May be the only team in the country that played four Top 10 opponents. Not happy with how they played last week, but they picked themselves back up and got after it today to bring the Governor's Cup home for a 5th straight time against a really well-coached Louisville team. A lot of resilience, grit, and determination.

* Huge plays in all three phases of the game -- offense, defense, and special teams. Complete team win.

* Didn't like the way they started today with the protection issues. Didn't want to beat themselves with those plays. Louisville is aggressive, they'll bring pressure, but you have to be ready for it and adjust if you want to win. Thinks they did that and cleaned things up with the protection.

* Knew it would be an emotional, chippy game. Liked how his guys handled themselves.

* Means a lot to finish the season the right way. Still have high expectations even though the season has had its ups and downs. It was important to finish this game against your rival and a Top 10 team.

* Preached to his guys to not panic, keep it within a one-score game, and see what happens. We knew we would keep fighting.

* The kickoff return by Barion Brown was badly needed. Gave us a lot of juice, and the defense really grinded after that.

* Kickoffs don't seem to travel as high or as long when the weather gets cold like this. UK had its own issues. Stoops doesn't say much about Poore being out, other than "some issues."

* The playmakers had to step up today, and they did. So happy for JJ Weaver and the kind of game he had. Felt stress from his lack of production this season, the numbers not being where he expected them to be and some other stuff going on in his life. Seemed a little down and depressed before the game today. Stoops said you've done so much for our program, keep smiling, and let's go win this.

* Leary really hung in there against a tough defense that was hitting him a lot today. Made those big throws when they needed them.

* Stoops says he called that Ray Davis go-ahead TD. Grabbed the OL and said, "We're putting this on you, going straight downhill, let's go win this game." Joked that it was "Eddie Gran style."

* Played to win today, played aggressive. Cited that big 2nd-and-long completion to Barion Brown before the Ray Davis go-ahead TD run as a prime example of that.

* Feels good to win 5 in a row of these. Felt like the team was in the right frame of mind to correct their mistakes and put a game like this together. Wasn't very proud a week ago, but was very proud of today.

* Locker room was fun, man. It's a long season, a tough season. Have to show a lot of resolve and toughness to finish like this.

* Playing the SEC kind prepares you for a game like this, the environment they had here today. We were ready for this.

* Stoops says he's just been focused on this game and his team, not the Texas A&M reports that are circulating right now. Declines further comment.

After watching the Ky vs Lville game there are some things so obvious ? The cards are not the number 9 team in the nation nor are they the nineteenth best team in the nation, heck I’d argue they’re not the twenty ninth team either. However play a very soft schedule and win some games from comeback victories and all of the sudden you’re a top ten team in nation ? What can be done to force these teams to play a bonafide schedule. If there had already been a 12 team playoff then Dirty birds would have been in the discussion.? This is a scary thought when you consider how basic a team they are. The ACC should thank us for beating them and showing their true colors ?

Wasn't this the 1st home loss for the Cards since the rename? Didn't we open Papa John's by giving them an L ?

Stick with a name Cards ....you have no luck playing UK in New/newly named places 😂😂😂😂

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Mo Douglass with a big win tonight.

...Has this ever happened for a UK team? Incredible stat.

Aaron Bradshaw posted God is good in IG with a picture of him and Big Z together. Is that a sign that they’re both returning or is it just a nothing burger for right now

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 20th 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 13th 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 35th 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

I said this in the game thread and I truly believe it. UofL in a packed house, their best year in ages, probably going to win the ACC Championship, and we go there and beat them. Plus, it shouldn't have been as close as it was. Shows how superior the SEC is to the ACC. While I was watching, I was thinking who could the Cards beat in the SEC? Maybe Vandy, or possibly, Auburn, but those games would be close. Other than those two, they couldn't beat another SEC team. Can you imagine what UGA, Bama, LSU, Ole Miss, or Mizzou would do to them? UofL and the ACC are a sham. I hope the rest of the country now sees what we already knew. Now, let's beat their basketball team by 30.