Final Thoughts and Observations on Louisville vs. Kentucky

The Cardinals suffered their fifth consecutive loss to the Wildcats in their regular season finale.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Taking on Kentucky in their annual Battle for the Governor's Cup, the Louisville football program was unable to overcome costly late mistakes, falling 38-31 to extend their losing streak in the rivalry to five in a row.

Before we close the book on the game and transition to the matchup vs. Florida State in the ACC Championship Game, I wanted to provide some closing thoughts and observations from the game against the Wildcats:

• First of all, I'll go right ahead and say that this matchup vs. Kentucky certainly felt different than the previous ones under Scott Satterfield. No matter what the situation was and how much time was left on the clock, I genuinely thought that Louisville still had a chance to pull through until the clock hit double zeroes. But that being said, I was certainly disappointed with the up-and-down execution and overall focus. All week long, and really going back as far as the offseason, the main narrative heading into this game was how important it was to the program to get back in the win column against Kentucky. However, there were multiple points during the matchup where - both players and coaches alike - were not putting the team in the best position to succeed. There's no question that Louisville still fought until the end, and I don't think they were overlooking Kentucky to Florida State, but by the end of the game, I still couldn't shake the feeling that this game still means more to Kentucky than it does to Louisville. Even though I know how badly Jeff Brohm wanted to beat them.
• Going back and re-watching the game, the offensive play calling from Brohm was actually not as a bad as it seemed watching it in real time. Sure, there were a few moments where the play calling didn't make a ton of sense, such as on their final drive of the first half, but I think a lot of the offensive mistakes by Louisville was more so a product of the on-field execution. The two massive fumbles in the second half. A handful of routes in clear passing situations were ran just short of the line to gain. I feel like the offensive game plan was largely one that could be successful, it just wasn't executed properly.
• Arguably the biggest disappointment in this game was the fact that the players had trouble containing their emotions. Kentucky's M.O. ever since Mark Stoops arrived is to muddy up the game as much as possible with cheap shots and things of that nature. I know it, you know it, Kentucky fans know it, and even Kirby Smart knows it. But from the jump, Louisville took the bait from Kentucky and actively participated in the skirmishes they started.
• Chris Bell, c'mon man. That's now two years in a row you've let your emotions get the better of you against UK.
• When looking at the final stats, Louisville's top two offensive players in this game - QB Jack Plummer and RB Jawhar Jordan - honestly didn't have bad games and did do plenty of things to keep Louisville in the game. Plummer largely made good decisions with his throws, was active early in the run game to try and set the tone, and his 4th down throw to Ahmari Huggins-Bruce was maybe the best play of his collegiate career. While Jordan's yards per carry average in this game might not jump off the page, he helped Louisville string together a pair of methodical scoring drives. However, the two fumbles in the second half from this duo simply cannot happen. In the blink of an eye, it turned a three point lead - with momentum already starting to trend in Kentucky's favor - to a ten point deficit with the Wildcats in clear control. While they did put Louisville in position to try and win, they also put the Cardinals in precarious positions that played a massive role in the final outcome.
• I did like how, like in the previous game against Miami, there was an emphasis by both Brohm and Plummer to spread the ball around. Jamari Thrash was till the unquestionable WR No. 1 even with his wrist injury, but the UK defense was largely kept on their toes with how many players got involved in the passing game. Huggins-Bruce and tight end Joey Gatewood came through in big moments. Jordan and running back Isaac Guerendo were reliable options out of the backfield. There were a couple drops, but I don't have many complaints from the group of pass catchers other than there were a few routes run across the middle where they ended a yard or two short of the line to gain, and they should have broken up field a bit more.
• The offensive line was... okay. Kentucky's defensive front has been a strong suit over the last few years, so it was always going to be tough sledding to win at the point of attack. While they only gave up two sacks and four overall tackles for loss, it certainly felt like a lot more than that. Chunk plays on the ground were hard to come by, and Plummer did seem to get harassed easily. It wasn't a complete detriment, though.
• Alright, it's now time to have a conversation about the defense. And I'm not talking about what happened in just this game. Through the middle of the season, that side of the line of scrimmage was absolutely suffocating, and made it extremely difficult for opposing offenses to move the ball through the air or on the ground. But something has been different since the Virginia game. I'm not sure if it's the product of a bad game plan or poor execution, but the defense has flat out been a liability for the last three games. Very poor situational tackling against the run, and wide open busted coverages have become semi-routine now, and that is not where you want this unit to be heading into a game where they face a top-four opponent next week.
• Based on the defensive line's phenomenal start to the game, I thought they were on track to have a game where they were much more consistant than they had been for the last couple games. But after bottling up the run with relative ease and getting after quarterback Devin Leary with regularity in the first half, they weren't nearly as big of a factor in the second half. Running back Ray Davis was able to find more holes at the line, and Leary was able to get a lot more comfortable. Ashton Gillotte and Kam Wilson made early statement, but then they were quiet in the second half. I get that not having Stephen Herron available hurts, but it shouldn't have led to Louisville having trouble getting in the backfield in the second half.
• One reason why the front seven had been so successful against the run was because the linebacking corps - and at times some defensive backs - were doing a great job at swarming to the football and finishing the ballcarrier off with with good open field or team tackling. In the second half, some of the tackle attempts and efforts to get to the ball were just flat out atrocious. Poor form, arm tackling, taking bad cut-off routes, and getting locked up on blocks. It wasn't just something that happened in this game, either. for some reason, it's been a common theme on the defense for the last three games. Benjamin Perry was really the only player in this area of the field to have a good outing when it came to wrapping up or flying to the ball.
• On top of the defense's regression in terms of their ability to tackle, there has been a *major* step back taken as it pertains to the secondary's abilities in pass coverage. There were way too many instances of a Kentucky player - whether it was a wide receiver or running back - running unchecked, or a Louisville defender playing with bad form or fundamentals. I'm not sure what the main reason for this is, but Ron English and Steve Ellis need to adjust their game plan to make it easier for the players to comprehend and operate, and the players themselves need to be more locked in.
• I'm not calling for Karl Maslowski to be fired. But at the very minimum, there needs to be "come to Jesus" meeting between him and Brohm in the offseason. Louisville's efforts on special teams have absolutely fallen off a cliff in recent weeks. Blocking on kickoffs and punts has already been so-so this season, then there was the regression of placekicker Brock Travelstead, and then Louisville gives up a kickoff return for a touchdown against Kentucky at the worst possible moment.
• I'll close with this thought: Yes, losing to Kentucky absolutely stings, and it puts a damper on the fanbase's overall feelings regarding Brohm's first season at the helm. But there is still potential for a special season. Louisville has the ACC Championship on tap, and then in all likelihood a New Year's Six bowl after that. Losing to the Wildcats doesn't derail the season. But in the same breath, Louisville has a lot to work on if they have a chance to win either of their last two games and avoid heading into the offseason low amounts of momentum.

(Photo of Ashton Gillotte: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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