Scott Satterfield Embracing Louisville-Kentucky Rivalry

After spending the majority of his playing and coaching career outside the Commonwealth, the head coach of the Cardinals has fully embraced the importance of the annual Battle for the Governor's Cup.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Scott Satterfield admits that, during his first year as the head coach of the Louisville football program, he didn't quite understand the full scope of the Cardinals' rivalry with Kentucky.

It's hard to blame him. As someone who grew up in Boone, N.C., played college in his home state at Appalachian State, then spent nearly his entire collegiate coaching career there, how could he? The basketball side of the Louisville-Kentucky rivalry is what most people think of, and the football side of it is nowhere near, say, Ohio State-Michigan or Alabama-Auburn.

But in his nearly three years at Louisville, Satterfield has grown to appreciate and embrace the Battle for the Governor's Cup.

"I've only played them one time, and the first year I didn't really know what to expect," he said immediately following Louisville's blowout win over Duke last Thursday. "I didn't know what kind of rivalry that was, really. I do now."

In Satterfield's lone matchup against the Wildcats, coming during his first year at Louisville in 2019, his visiting Cardinals were dealt a 45-13 bludgeoning in the pouring rain at Commonwealth Stadium. The rivalry was unable to take place in 2020, with the SEC adopted a conference-only schedule that season due to COVID-19.

Between living with that loss for an extra year, attending the basketball side of the rivalry, and simply running into both Louisville and Kentucky fans out in public on a daily basis, he has slowly come to realize the impact that the rivalry has since that first year in Louisville.

In fact, he is advocating for the rivalry's potential survival. With the SEC mulling a move to a nine-game conference schedule, it could make scheduling the annual rivalry matchup a bit more difficult, particularly with Kentucky's tendency to schedule less than competitive non-conference - which Satterfield may or may not have taken a thinly-veiled shot at. 

"It’s great for this region, it’s a great rivalry game and I think the fans on both sides of it love it and like it in every other sport as well," he said.

Not only that, but a win serves a tangible purpose as it pertains to advancement of the program, outside of just bragging rights. Kentucky has dominated the Commonwealth on the recruiting trail in recent years, and a victory on Saturday could help play a role in flipping the script.

"There's just a lot that is on this game each year and you better have the passion; you better have that sense of urgency and focus," he said. "Everything leads up to this game this week and that's what we've talked about starting on Sunday.”

Of course, no rivalry is complete without even a little but of smack talk.

"I know we're in the state of Kentucky, but hopefully it's gonna be the state of Louisville on Saturday when we go out there and play," Satterfield said after the win against Duke Thursday.

Kickoff against the Wildcats is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Scott Satterfield: Reinhold Matay - USA TODAY Sports)

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