Its game week!

[Tim_T]

Its finally here, Louisville vs. that other team in football, 2014 version! Cards are 14 point favorites in the opening line (for entertainment purposes only). Lots to play for, for both teams. Louisville is still looking at a possible Orange Bowl bid (depending on how some other game play out) and UK needs to win to earn a bowl bid.

I think Louisville has most of the advantages on the field. QB is a push, or possibly slight edge to UK, but Louisville is better at RB and DeVante Parker at WR is the best player on the field for either team. Offensive line is a push.

On Defense I think it is hands down advantage Louisville, especially with Lozo and Pio back.

I give the coaching edge to Petrino, based mostly on experience. We just don't know enough about Stoops yet for a clear picture. IMO UK has two big advantages that can help them win this game: #1 Louisville winning at Notre Dame. The celebration could go on too long for the Cards, distracting this team from the task at hand.

#2 UK's bye week. Not only does it give them some rest after a long grind and the chance to get some people healthy, but it also gives them two weeks to prepare and add some new wrinkles that Louisville hasn't seen.

I think if Louisville gets out to an early lead, UK fades. Their confidence level is probably not very high and Louisville getting out 10-0 or 14-0 could see that Cats throwing in the towel. If this happens, it could get ugly quickly.

I say UK hangs around for a while, but in the end I think 31-10 or so will be the final score.

[kentuckykingfisher]

I don't know if this will be a game worth watching. I don't see it being remotely close. Uk's offense will be terrible and scores a late touchdown in the 3rd quarter when it doesn't matter anymore. I'm predicting 45-10 route. Cards take the cats to school in this one. Hopefully uk makes some staff changes in the off season by getting rid of that joke they call our special teams coach. IMO Neil Brown can go as well. I haven't seen anything remotely close to an air raid offense. Unless you consider tossing a screen pass on 3rd and long, airing it out... His playing calling is painful to watch. Sorry just had to vent a little.

[MrSplitshot]

35-17, Louisville.

Cats vs go to the Tidy Bowl, sponsored by 2000 Flushes Blue.

[know1]

I don't think it will be very competitive. Louisville should win big.

[mhall]

I am worried about this game a little, why you ask. Well Louisville is all happy punch drunk over that ND win and has a lot to lose. Kentucky needs this game bad and Stoops really needs this game. Kentucky in football or basketball always plays out of their frickin skull against Louisville every time. They do not want to talk Mattie Jones off of the bridge and the fans would rather win that game than any all year.

I look for a close one and the Louisville defense either wins or loses this one. Which D shows up will decide this one.

[DJD]

UK has had flashes of brilliance this year and if that team shows up it will be a good game that's for sure.

[kentuckykingfisher]

The game was a lot closer than everyone thought. Patrick towles was outplayed big time by a 3rd string qb. Says a lot about how poor uk's offense is. Neil brown is gone now so that makes me happy. Uk's defense was the only thing that kept them in it. Overall good game to watch and I'll root for the cards in their bowl game. Orange bowl bound right?

[MrSplitshot]

It was closer than I expected, absolutely.

Louisville's defense is really really good, plus UK's offense is really really bad. Devante Parker is a man child at WR...and the Bolin kid...what can you say? The kid happened into the game by fate and went off. Had the starting QB not went down, this game may have played out a lot differently. UK's defense and a little good fortune was giving Louisville all it wanted early.

UK's defense carried the load. UK's offense was completely inept once again.

Has there ever been a Governor's Cup game before this one where the team that won the rushing battle lost the war? I don't think so. This game always goes as the rushing game goes. (UK 151 UL 83 this year) Plus, UK had the turnovers column +2. Crazy.

Passing yards (Bolin) ended up being the difference maker. What a dream game for that kid, especially being from Lexington/Lexington Catholic.

The game was way too chippy. I like emotion, but there was too much dump crap. Kentucky killed itself on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that gave UL 15 yards that they ended up scoring on after a kickoff. Then, we completely bailed UL out on a late hit out of bounds on the QB where we had stopped them 3 and out...they went on to score. A couple of killers there that could have changed the game, no joke.

Oh, and single coverage on what is arguably the best WR in college football seems perfectly legit. LMAO I would have made somebody else...anybody else...make a play - Even if it meant quadruple teaming Parker. LMAO

Oh well. It was more entertaining than I expected.

Coming off a 2-10 season and starting 5-1, it was fool's gold for Kentucky fans and the expectations became something that this team was never capable of delivering. I'll take 5-7 I guess, with a couple of conference wins, as improvement over last year and headed the right direction. I don't think Neil Brown to Troy is that big of a loss, honestly. Some of the play calling has been pretty suspect, but it's easy to blame the OC sometimes. It comes down to your QB just having to make a play and Patrick Towles has went downhill every game this year.

Congrats, Cards.

[Tim_T]

Two statements on the game. UK played as hard as any team I have ever seen. UK ysterday, was by far the dirtiest team I have ever seen come into PJCS. I was really shocked at their behavior. No joke, they made Miami of 2006, WVU of 2006 and FSU this year all seem like choir boys. They taunted fans, talked smack to the players, talked trash to the cheerleaders and tried to start two different fights with the Louisville players.......and this was all in the early pre-game phase. Then addition to all that and their behavior during the game, most of them left the field without shaking hands.

[MrSplitshot]

I'm sure the Louisville players and fans were nothing but true scholars and gentlemen.

I'm not a fan of all the jawing, but come to expect it...especially for UK-UL in any competition. The chess clubs could face off on a Tuesday night and it would probably start with somebody calling somebody's mother a ***** and breaking a chair across their back. lol

[Tim_T]

I'm sure the Louisville players and fans were nothing but true scholars and gentlemen.

I'm not a fan of all the jawing, but come to expect it...especially for UK-UL in any competition. The chess clubs could face off on a Tuesday night and it would probably start with somebody calling somebody's mother a ***** and breaking a chair across their back. lol

Sorry Q. You know I am biased toward the red, but I am being 100% serious. ALL of this was UK and was more or less admitted to by Stoops in post-game comments. I saw all of this with my own eyes from section 223 because I got to my seats extra earlier (I do that for big games and senior day). Heck, Eric Crawford wrote about it on WDRB. I forgot to add that the one players for UK stood over Bonnafon and taunted him while he was laying on the ground with his injury and that four of the players involved in the first mid-field altercation were not even dressed to play. Stoops suited up a bunch of players who had not traveled with the team because they were being redshirted, and one of them got a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after UK scored on Bolin's interception.

#13 for UK better hope he is injured every time the Cats play for UK because his trashy azz is going to be hurt. What garbage.

http://www.theacc.com/#!/video-detai...WRz8d2ZbbfdCQy

http://www.wdrb.com/story/27508522/crawford-colder-weather-hotter-tempers-tensions-flare-between-kentucky-louisville

[mhall]

Have two sets of friends with season tickets that told us the same thing that Tim just said. I have to admit I am pretty shocked by this and what really shocks me was Stoops ''SEEMS'' to be ok with it. In fact it appears it was part of the game plan in fact. I thought the guy had more class than that.

If we can't win lets just go start an old fashioned street brawl and it still didn't work. What I really liked was watching Kyle Bolin get that first touch down pass under his belt go to the sideline and flat give it to the other side. That kid was not scared one **** bit. Anyway the good guys won and UK started a fight they couldn't finish. I am rethinking my thoughts on Mark Stoops right now, Hell I thought the Ravens had showed up.