Nov 30, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals running back Isaac Brown (25) runs the ball against Kentucky Wildcats defensive back Alex Afari Jr. (3) during the first quarter at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Louisville’s Issac Brown ran for a season-high 178 yards and also scored twice, and Duke Watson added 104 yards and two touchdowns on just six carries to lead the visiting Cardinals to a 41-14 victory over the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington on Saturday.
Thanks to the freshmen running back tandem and a defense that forced five turnovers, the Cardinals (8-4) scored their first triumph in the Governor’s Cup rivalry since 2017.
Louisville jumped out to a 20-0 lead and outgained the Wildcats 241-61 through the first 25 minutes.
In all, the Cardinals racked up 486 yards on offense, including a season-high 358 yards on the ground behind the explosiveness of Watson, whose scores went for 58 and 24 yards, and Brown, who ran 26 times and capped off the scoring a with a 67-yard jaunt with 9:01 left in the game.
Brown, who also added a 1-yard score, became the first Louisville freshman to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, breaking Lamar Jackson’s record of 960 in 2015.
The Wildcats (4-8) finished with 328 yards on offense, but they failed to convert any of their nine third downs. The defense gave up a season-high in yards to Louisville’s rushing attack.
Freshman Cutter Boley struggled in his first start at quarterback for the Wildcats. He completed just one of his first seven passes for just 9 yards and an interception, which led to Brock Travelstead’s 20-yard field goal. The lone Wildcats’ drive that reached the red zone with Boley at quarterback ended in his second pick of the game.
Boley left the game in the third quarter after receiving a hit to the helmet. Gavin Wimsett replaced him and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Mori Macklin to cut the deficit to 20-7 with 9:22 left in the quarter.
Kentucky’s defense then held Louisville on the ensuing drive, but Jamarion Wilcox fumbled on the Wildcats’ next offensive play. Defensive lineman Ramon Puryear scooped up the loose ball and returned it for a 20-yard touchdown to make it 27-7 with 4:59 left in the third quarter.
Boley finished completing just 6-of-15 passes for 48 yards. Wimsatt went 4-of-9 for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Macklin finished with 121 yards and both scores on three catches.
–Field Level Media
