Can we control the LOS vs UofL?

[gamecockcat]

Basically, controlling the LOS for the past several games has meant a comfortable UK win. Even last year with a putrid OL, for the most part, we held our own on both LOS. This year, I'm not so sure. UofL is no TX, obviously, but the ease with which the Horns marched straight down the field without throwing (or even threatening to throw) a pass and averaging > 5 ypc on their final drive is concerning. Not the first game we've seen our supposed strong DL give up big run after big run.

I think, if Boley starts (surely), our OL won't be tasked with holding blocks for 3, 4, 5 seconds as Boley is quick to read and throw, much quicker than Brock. But, we still need some semblance of a running game as we won't be able to throw 45 times and win, imo. OL, as always, is prone to drive-killing penalties, misreads and straight up getting beat badly on any given play.

Don't know what went wrong in several games that our front 7 on defense got steamrolled but we need to fix that in a hurry. If given the opportunity, UofL will run up the score without mercy. They've got a lot of pent up anger for the past.

Can we win the LOS on Saturday? If we don't at least play even at the LOS, I don't see us winning. We don't have enough firepower to win a super high scoring game, I don't believe. We need to keep the score in the 20s to win, imo, and that means we are holding our own at the LOS.

 

[Myotis]

If there’s any team that can shoot themselves in the foot as badly as UK, it’s the Cards. No idea how this is going to turn out. Everything from a comfortable victory by Kentucky to a blowout by Louisville seems equally probable. (Stoops’s grind it out offensive strategy make a blowout by Kentucky exceedingly unlikely)

 

[CardHack]

Running yardage used to be the barometer for the winner in this series but I think most would surprised to know that Louisville has outrushed UK the last two years. It is in the trenches that UK has clearly been superior in it's five game run but it seems like Louisville has slowly been bridging that gap--especially with regard to defensive line depth. I don't know that you have had a negative TO margin in that five game span in any of those wins and the only turnover I remember was Leary's catastrophe of an Interception in the fourth quarter of last year's game. I thought we blocked UK pretty well last year, but it was turnovers off of great plays by Weaver that ended up being the difference. Louisville's offensive line has stabilized since the Miami loss with Mills coming back off a knee injury at one OT and Renato Brown getting back after an ACL tear in the Pitt game last year and splitting RG reps with Austin Collins. The towering Yale transfer Mendoza has seen his reps drop at RT; he was a turnstile for chunks of the first half of the season. The O line has been very effective in the BC, Clemson, Stanford, Pitt stretch the last four games. I will never figure out what happened at Stanford, it looked like they were clearly superior four out of five downs but that one bad down had the look of a team blowing it's foot off with a shotgun.

Louisville has been a Jekyl and Hyde defense all year; outside of Phil Mafah running backs haven't gotten a lot of running yardage this year, but QB running yardage had been crushing through the Miami game. I was like a lot of people back through the Spring that thought this would be a very good, and deep, defensive line and while it has proven to be deep in numbers it hasn't produced the TFL numbers it did the previous three years. Ironically Gillote is Top Two in the ACC in QB pressures-but hasn't generated the sacks of the previous two years which I think has less to do with him and more to do with not having Mason Reiger at the other DE. It's looked very stripped down and the types of stunting and bringing a fifth rusher for pressure that we saw with success the two previous years has been rare.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

We will if we want to. Last year coen got pass happy till ray davis sealed it after a brown ko return.

This year our ol is more than capable of running the ball. Just need the oc to stick with it. Against some teams this season, he didn't and it killed us.

UL is due. Its their Superbowl. Run the ball till they walk up a safety or at least go heavier personnel. Way too often this year i see us trying to hit a pa shot vs 2/3 deep nickel look. Not the time for those calls.

 

[Boz]

Our OL is EKU talent level. Our DL is overrated, fat, lazy and ineffective. I say UL wins easily.

 

[rolaid]

Not sure you saw the game the same way Louisville gained 403 yards and controlled the ball
If not for 2 bizarre fumbles after long gains we don’t win
UofL QB will dice our pathetic defense to part
No pass rush and playing soft will not work
Are only hope is Boley getting hot

 

[gamecockcat]

Not sure you saw the game the same way Louisville gained 403 yards and controlled the ball
If not for 2 bizarre fumbles after long gains we don’t win
UofL QB will dice our pathetic defense to part
No pass rush and playing soft will not work
Are only hope is Boley getting hot

I'm afraid you're correct. They certainly won't let up on the gas and go 4 corners if they have a lead. They'd love to bury us and we're more than capable of coming out flat and mailing in another uninspired performance to lose by 21+.

 

[OnUK]

Nope. They are elite in havoc.

 

[CardHack]

I'm afraid you're correct. They certainly won't let up on the gas and go 4 corners if they have a lead. They'd love to bury us and we're more than capable of coming out flat and mailing in another uninspired performance to lose by 21+.

I had made the point earlier today that the two years we've seen Brohm at Louisville he is remarkably conservative when he gets the lead. The best two examples I can give are against Notre Dame last year and at Clemson this year where he was sitting on blowouts in both and milked clock gladly settling for field goals. Of course you're talking about having very different QBs in Shough and Plummer where you HAD to shorten the game with Plummer at QB; he was a disaster waiting to happen.

If given the same scenario I can't imagine he'd play the percentages any differently with UK; game management cost us the Notre Dame and Stanford games in technicolor. Brohm sometimes has the look of a coach a little on tilt with reckless 4th down playcalling.

 

[catsfanbgky]

Running hasn't been our issue for the most part. Cut down on the stupid, untimely penalties and turnovers, we would be looking at a totally different season. Just DUMB, stupid mistakes constantly set this team back. Lack of focus and restraint. Well and QB play, but I think we have a keeper in Boley. We actually have several young players to be excited about, Wilcox will be a star.

 

[Soupbean]

Basically, controlling the LOS for the past several games has meant a comfortable UK win. Even last year with a putrid OL, for the most part, we held our own on both LOS. This year, I'm not so sure. UofL is no TX, obviously, but the ease with which the Horns marched straight down the field without throwing (or even threatening to throw) a pass and averaging > 5 ypc on their final drive is concerning. Not the first game we've seen our supposed strong DL give up big run after big run.

I think, if Boley starts (surely), our OL won't be tasked with holding blocks for 3, 4, 5 seconds as Boley is quick to read and throw, much quicker than Brock. But, we still need some semblance of a running game as we won't be able to throw 45 times and win, imo. OL, as always, is prone to drive-killing penalties, misreads and straight up getting beat badly on any given play.

Don't know what went wrong in several games that our front 7 on defense got steamrolled but we need to fix that in a hurry. If given the opportunity, UofL will run up the score without mercy. They've got a lot of pent up anger for the past.

Can we win the LOS on Saturday? If we don't at least play even at the LOS, I don't see us winning. We don't have enough firepower to win a super high scoring game, I don't believe. We need to keep the score in the 20s to win, imo, and that means we are holding our own at the LOS.

UL DC loves to create havoc with pressure and we havent shown any ability to handle blitzes or stunts this year. So as much as I love Cutter's game he's going to have a hard way to go Saturday unless we can win up front in the run game. I do think UL is a little succeptable there and we HAVE to make that work. Hamdan has a tendency to float away from whats working some and fall back in love with his play down field game so he has to stay patient with the run game IMOfor us to have a chance.

 

[bigblueinsanity]

UL DC loves to create havoc with pressure and we havent shown any ability to handle blitzes or stunts this year. So as much as I love Cutter's game he's going to have a hard way to go Saturday unless we can win up front in the run game. I do think UL is a little succeptable there and we HAVE to make that work. Hamdan has a tendency to float away from whats working some and fall back in love with his play down field game so he has to stay patient with the run game IMOfor us to have a chance.

We heard this exact same song and dance going on at least 3 if not 4 years. Idk why uk fans echo this hand wringing every year.

Theyre due and will eventually win. However we don't need to make it easier on them by abandoning the run. If we run the ball, all we have to do is pop through the line and we have a huge gain. Yes they will get us here and there but we cant panic.

Run the ball. No turnovers or special teams debacles. We should be fine.

 

[KattieCat]

Louisville will score. They score on everyone. UK on the other hand hasn't been able to score more than 20 points this year on any SEC team. So the question is, can UK with a freshman QB be able to do something they haven't done all year and score more than 20 points. Because to win they'll probably have to. Is Louisville's defense worse than every SEC team we've played this year?

 

[The-Hack]

Yes.

 

[CardHack]

UL DC loves to create havoc with pressure and we havent shown any ability to handle blitzes or stunts this year.

That hasn't been the case this year; the only havoc we've consistently seen is on 4th downs where a receiver or a RB coming out of the backfield is completely unchecked. Last year we'd see a fifth rusher sent off of two End/Tackle stunts, but that hasn't been a thing this year in part because our two primary corners were hurt for big chunks of the season and our safeties aren't as good in coverage as last year.

I think the whole Bringing English down out of the press box has been to get him closer to the stench of our collective inability to get off the field.

 

[Myotis]

Kind of humorous listening to CardHack running down Louisville’s chances while (most of) the rest if you run down Kentucky’s. Not a lot of confidence in this thread either way. My own prediction is whichever team/coach makes the fewest boneheaded mistakes wins.

 

[ArtLaibsGhost]

U of L has played better than us in the season on a whole. We don't score enough points to beat a good team . Bolly might change that dynamic but I wouldn't bet the house on it.i

 

[Rockfly78]

We should probably expect to lose the game honestly. But I will not concede a loss to those clowns until they prove they can match up physically because let’s be honest, when was the last time they did? Even when we suck we still go into this game and impose our will.