Has The Gap Closed Significantly?

[DSmith21]

Whatever on the garbage yards comment, Louisville had 114 yards rushing at the half so clearly most of UofL’s rush yards came in the first half.

You got your asses kicked again. Own it lil bro. You played with us for a half but it was over early in the third. It was obvious who had the better team. Your offense was weak and your D couldn't create any havoc against a SEC team. Try again next year.

 

[BigBlueManSouthCentralKY]

26-13. Score indicates that it was a competitive game between two fairly evenly matched teams. However, UK left 16 points on the field by not closing out 4 drives and taking FGs instead. A 40-13 game feels a lot different that a 26-13 game. UofL arguably had something to do with stopping those drives but UK’s problems in the red zone all year probably had more to do with it. In any event, if UK finishes a couple more of those drives, this would have been a 3+ TD game. It isn’t the 40 point beat downs over the last couple of games against UofL but I think it shows there is still a significant gap.

Stoops praised them after the game of being a lot more physical than they have been. But I think our offense getting worse and worse had the most to do with it. Noticed the TV guys was talking about sometimes they had nine in the box and we would still run it. A decent offense/play caller would have burned that D up big time.

 

[CaptainBoogerBuns]

I’ll give Louisville credit. They came to play.

 

[BlueRunner11]

Gap is closing, yes. Also US jr and UT trending up and UK is trending down. Window of opportunity is closing in the East. Stoops will need to earn that $ next year.

 

[yoshukai]

Let's play what if. What if the scenarios were flipped.

What if UK had started their backup QB and an injured Levis played 1/2 the game. CRod was injured and never saw the field.

On the flip side, if Cunningham had been 100% and an injured Evans had played in the game.

Halftime was 13-7 and UofL received 2nd half KO. So there was opportunity for UofL to deliver. UK shut the door in the second half.

A big performance by the Schnellenberger MVP going 4/4 after a season where he was 12/20.

Congrats on 4 wins in a row. I can hope that UK does not tie the Cardinals who once won 5 in a row in this series.

What is the overall series record ?

 

[The-Hack]

Entering the game, both teams had allowed about 19 points a game to their opponents, and were essentially tied for scoring defense, nationally.

Because both entered having played their entire conference slate, were statistically tied for scoring defense, and this was the last regular season game for each, it was the perfect opportunity to measure respective conference strengths.

Essentially, Louisville scored 2/3rds of Kentucky’s average rate of surrendering 19 points a game, and Kentucky scored 130% of the average Louisville otherwise had surrendered on the season.

Pretty close to the average of what our serious prognosticators had guessed on this forum.

As it is, White’s defense completed the regular season ranked 12th in scoring defense, third in the SEC.

As to “the Gap,” Louisville finally fielded a mature football team, and many of the better players are gone next year, especially on defense. Yassir and “Ya Ya,” were the heart and soul of that defense. They will be drafted.

 

[sluggercatfan]

Put your backup quarterback in and see what happens. I believe we saw that already.

Your guy has played a ton this season and looks pretty good. If you get him, is the young qb from Cal going to be given the job from day 1?

 

[The-Hack]

I’ll give Louisville credit. They came to play.

Look at U of L’s game thread on TOS. When it was 20-7 in the third Q, posters were bailing and predicting a 30 point beat down.

I saw no quit in U of L players, unlike their posters on Card March.

 

[Cardinals19701]

Your guy has played a ton this season and looks pretty good. If you get him, is the young qb from Cal going to be given the job from day 1?

Rumor is his dad who runs a QB camp is helping with trying to find a one year fill in QB so Clarkson can redshirt year one.

 

[rockycard]

Your guy has played a ton this season and looks pretty good. If you get him, is the young qb from Cal going to be given the job from day 1?

I’m sure we’ll use the portal for a year.

 

[The-Hack]

Rumor is his dad who runs a QB camp is helping with trying to find a one year fill in QB so Clarkson can redshirt year one.

I’ve followed (loosely) the recruiting boost from NIL/Clarkson for U of L.

If you keep most of these commitments, U of L should see improvement in two/three years. But will true frost making big bucks anger older guys . . . .

I suspect A & M’s (multi) million dollar signing class for ‘22 created some discord among upper classmen. How else to explain that train wreck of a season?

 

[Pickle_Rick]

I’ve followed (loosely) the recruiting boost from NIL/Clarkson for U of L.

If you keep most of these commitments, U of L should see improvement in two/three years. But will true frost making big bucks anger older guys . . . .

I suspect A & M’s (multi) million dollar signing class for ‘22 created some discord among upper classmen. How else to explain that train wreck of a season?

And we're hearing rumors of the same occurring at EWWTEE. I thought U6's D was much improved this year. But it wasn't because of size, but because of speed. So when they come up against an SEC line, they can zip around the big uglies to make a play every now and then. SEC lines face equally sized lines with the elites having size AND speed. That experience is not something you can replicate in a practice.

When we started running Crod every other play I lit the victory ceegar!

 

[23jumpboy]

UL plays a lot of sophs. That group will get better if they hang onto their DC.

True

 

[ukdoc11]

Put your backup quarterback in and see what happens. I believe we saw that already.

Son the game was never in doubt! I’ve sat there many times with a double score lead and was nervous as hell! Saturday wasn’t one of those days by any stretch of the imagination. Btw didn’t your 3rd stringer beat NC State? From the mighty acc?

 

[Cardinals19701]

UL plays a lot of sophs. That group will get better if they hang onto their DC.

Kind of funny being most UofL fans wanted that very same DC fired the last two years and the beginning of this year until the defense started showing improvement

 

[LouievileKat]

My favorite stat of the game was Louisville had 42 yards passing going into the 4th quarter. Louisville did have surprising success with the zone stretch runs.

Cards did look improved on the line of scrimmage but as I understand they'll lose a lot of that this year and I have no idea how well they've recruited DTs and Olineman. Louisvilles scheme made it tough sledding but we still ran into 8 and 9 man fronts and had success.

How much of a gap is there? I don't know. Won't know until next season etc.

Now that I think of it and this is not smack but not giving up 300+ yards rushing was a huge change for Louisville this year.

 

[rockycard]

Son the game was never in doubt! I’ve sat there many times with a double score lead and was nervous as hell! Saturday wasn’t one of those days by any stretch of the imagination. Btw didn’t your 3rd stringer beat NC State? From the mighty acc?

Yes and wake Forest blew out Vanderbilt, so what’s your point?

 

[bigblueinsanity]

Yes and wake Forest blew out Vanderbilt, so what’s your point?

And we blew you out. I guess that's the point.

 

[PushupMan]

The could’ve been card would be worth playing if we had been capitalizing at any point. But not capitalizing is who we are at this point.

Stoops was very smart in the way he coached this game. Very conservative game plan, partly because he knew the limitations of the UK offense and partly because he knew of the big play capabilities of UofL’s defense.

Once he got the lead, he went even more conservative, because he knew that the only way UofL could beat UK was to give that defense an opportunity to create turnovers. UK had the big punishing running back and the smart, patient QB to execute that game plan with precision.

UofL has gotten better. I believe Satterfield is building UofL into a good program, but it was clear that UK is still better. If both programs continue on the same trajectory (UofL improving, UK well established and also improving), next year’s game at Louisville should be very interesting.