Louisville takes final shot at college football playoffs in matchup with Kentucky

The No. 9 Louisville Cardinals are on the outside looking in for a shot at the college football playoffs as they wrap up the regular season with a visit from the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday.

Louisville looks to end a four-game series slide against rival Kentucky and win the Governor’s Cup for the first time since 2017 with Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. 

The Cardinals also seek their 11th win for the first time since 2012 before playing in their first ACC championship game. Kentucky has lost five of six overall but seeks its third consecutive winning regular season after falling 17-14 last week at South Carolina.

Kentucky running back Ray Davis is 10 rushing yards shy of his second consecutive 1,000-yard season after totaling 1,042 last fall. The fifth-year senior leads the SEC with 17 total touchdowns, including 12 rushing, and is third in rushing yardage. Davis, who would become Kentucky’s 11th 1,000-yard rusher in a season, ranks fourth among active NCAA rushers with 3,487 career yards.

Louisville running backs Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo have combined for 1,594 yards and 19 touchdowns. Jordan is the Cardinals’ first 1,000-yard runner since 2019 and leads the ACC with 6.73 yards per carry. Guerendo has gained 333 yards with five scores the past three games and has totaled a career-high 585 yards after transferring from Wisconsin.

Louisville (10-1) is tied for 26th nationally in scoring at 33.2 points per game and beat Miami (Florida) 38-31 last week. Quarterback Jack Plummer rang up his third three-touchdown passing game this season along with 308 yards, hitting 10 receivers. 

Kentucky (6-5) is allowing 24.3 points and 347.8 yards per game (fourth in SEC) and must slow down an offense capable of breaking multiple big plays.



(AP file photo)