Final Thoughts and Observations on Louisville's Blowout Win Over Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program ended the regular season in style this past Saturday, blasting Kentucky 41-0 in the annual battle for the Governor's Cup. It not only snapped a three-game losing streak, but was their largest margin of victory in the all-time series.

Before we close the book on the game and transition to the eventual bowl matchup, I wanted to provide some closing thoughts and observations from the game against the Wildcats:

First of all, I have to give a ton of credit to everyone in the Schnellenberger Complex. Between the three-game losing streak, the putrid performance at SMU in their last time out and the mounting injuries to impact playmakers, I didn't have a shred of confidence in Louisville's ability to actually look good in this game, let alone win outright. But man, am I happy to take a heaping plate of crow on this one. Almost from the jump, they put their foot on the gas against Kentucky, and even when the game was well in hand, they didn't once think about taking their foot off of it. The players, coaches and everyone in between went out there to send a message, and that message was well received: no matter how grim things might seem with Louisville, even on their worst day, they're still in a much higher class than Kentucky is.
Anyone that has read my work or listened to me on the radio in recent weeks knows that I have been critical regarding Jeff Brohm's overall coaching job this season - both in terms of playcalling and overall preparation during the week. That being said, he saved his best performance for last. He didn't let the outside noise phase him, and made sure his team was locked in on the goal. Additionally, this was without question his best playcalling game of the season. The fourth down play action to Jacob Stewart and the heavy formation disguising the leak out by Jaleel Skinner were both gorgeous play designs, plus that 99-yard/10-minute drive was a great way to effectively ice the game. It makes me wonder where this playcalling has been all year, but I digress. Not to mention that, even with the injuries at running back, Brohm stuck with the ground game. Kentucky's defense sat in coverage all day long anticipating that Louisville would throw it all over the yard, and Brohm didn't fall for it.
Another person that I've been extremely critical of is quarterback Miller Moss. While I still feel that some of that criticism was justified, there's no denying that Moss totally redeemed himself on Saturday. There were moments during this game where it was clear that he was still dealing with that foot injury that he suffered the week before. But not only did he gut through that, he also put together he best performance of the season. Sure, there were still a couple throws that made you hold your breath, but more often than not, Moss both took care of the ball and produced a handful of really good throws. While you would have liked him to be a little more consistent throughout the course of the season, Moss' reputation amongst the fanbase certainly received a much-needed boost.
In terms of the players who were actually catching passes from Moss, several guys here deserve credit for stepping up in place of the injured Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy. Antonio Meeks, TreyShun Hurry, Dacari Collins, Skinner and Stewart all made noteworthy plays at some point during the afternoon. Sure, their collective effort aren't what gets the headlines from this game, but it helped make a difference.
If you would have asked me to come up with a scenario in which Louisville drubs Kentucky, I'm not sure I ever would landed on "their 4th and 5th string running backs having legacy games" - but that's exactly what happened. I mean, this is some storybook ending stuff here. A true freshman walk-on and a redshirt freshman converted wide receiver, both of whom are in-state products, combined to rush for north of 200 yards against the state school. You hear coaches preach about "next man up," and being patient and waiting for you opportunity. But Braxton Jennings and Shaun Boykins Jr. are proof that, if you just keep working, eventually you time and opportunity will present itself. Their time came, and they were ready to answer the call. Also, Louisville needs to hold onto Chris Barclay for as long as they can. He is a fantastic coach, and he is destined for great things later in life.
The offensive line has been another unit that has been hit-or-miss at times this season, but they helped set a physical tone incredibly early. Jennings and Boykins has plenty of rushing room all game lone (save for maybe a few reps), and for the most part, Moss had ample time to go through his reads and get the ball out. Jordan Church, Pete Nygra and Rasheed Miller in particular were dominant against that Kentucky front seven.
Now onto the defensive side. I won't lie, early on in this game, I was a little bit nervous. Over Kentucky's first couple drives, they were having some success with the same underneath stuff that SMU did in the week before. But credit to defensive coordinator Ron English and Co. for being able to adjust the scheme as the game went on.
Miller Moss having a bounce-back game and the freshman running backs doing whatever they wanted were the two biggest factors in the final result, but the relentless pressure from the defensive line/front seven as a whole is right up there. Kentucky could not get anything going out of their ground game, so much so that their longest run came on a jet sweep from a wide receiver. On top of that, QB Cutter Boley was harassed all game long - especially in the first half. Clev Lubin was an absolute monster, and continued to show why he is one of the best pass rushers in the ACC. A.J. Green and Wesley Bailey also feasted in this game from their edge rusher spots as well. T.J. Quinn and D'Angelo Hutchinson, like usual, did a great job swarming to the football against the run.
On top of doing a fantastic job of containing the run, Louisville's efforts on the back end in coverage were also very good. Boley came into this game playing well over the last month or so, and he had just *two* completed passes of 15 yards or more. In fact, he was held to 1-for-7 on throws that went at least 10 yards past the line of scrimmage. Tayon Holloway had a stellar day in terms of playing tight coverage from his cornerback spot, while safeties Hutchinson and JoJo Evans Jr. did a good job at tracking the ball to make plays on it or the receiver getting it. Not to mention the rest of Louisville's defensive backs in linebackers did a great job at limiting yards after the catch when the play was made in their vicinity.
I remember writing that, because of the uncertainty surrounding this game because of injuries and recent underperformance, that special teams would be key in this game. Well... at least I got this part right. Once again, Louisville's collective special teams unit had a stellar game. Eric Hazzard had the blocked punt to set up Louisville's first touchdown, Blake Ruffin also had a partially blocked punt, and Lacy gutted out a couple returns despite clearly still being banged up. Oh, and Cooper Ranvier is now the second-leading scoring freshman in Louisville history after two more made field goals.
Before I wrap this up, Louisville also deserves credit for one more thing: they didn't let their emotions take control. It was obvious from the pregame onwards that Kentucky was hellbent on trying to stir stuff up (like they always do under Mark Stoops) and attempt to get Louisville to bit. Fortunately, they kept their composure, and didn't fall victim to UK's antics. And yes, Boley is the one that started that sideline brawl. Don't let any of the state-run media in Lexington gaslight you into thinking otherwise.
I'll close with this thought: Yes, I know that there's still the bowl game to play. But a blowout victory over Kentucky still doesn't change the fact that Louisville has a very crucial offseason in front of them. Whether that be through high school or the transfer portal, there have to fill a ton of holes on the roster. Not to mention there's always the prospect of some staff changes. That was always going to happen regardless of the outcome this past Saturday. That being said, the vibes around the program and feelings regarding the direction are certainly in a much better place than they were just a week ago.

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