(UK Athletics Photo)
Compiled by UK Athletics
KENTUCKY FOOTBALL POSTGAME NOTES
KENTUCKY AT LOUISVILLE
L&N FEDERAL CREDIT UNION STADIUM | LOUISVILLE, KY
NOV. 25, 2023
FINAL SCORE: Kentucky 38, No. 9 Louisville 31
Team Records and Series Information
Kentucky ends the regular season with a 7-5 record. Louisville is 10-2.
Kentucky leads the all-time series, 20-15, and has won the last five.
Kentucky leads in games played in Louisville, 9-5.
Next for UK: Kentucky awaits its bowl destination, which will be announced Sunday, December 3.
What the Win Means for the Wildcats
Kentucky clinches a winning record for the seventh time in eight seasons. The exception is the Covid-altered 2020 campaign.
This is UK’s fifth consecutive win in the series, tying Louisville (2011-15) for the longest streak in the Governor’s Cup era.
This extends Kentucky’s school-record streak of six consecutive seasons winning the regular-season finale (2018-23).
This is Kentucky’s 20th consecutive win against regular-season non-conference opponents. It is the second-longest active streak in the nation, behind Georgia (23 entering tonight’s game at Georgia Tech).
Coach Mark Stoops extended his school records for most wins (73) and wins over opponents ranked in The Associated Press poll (13).
This is the highest AP-ranked win of the Mark Stoops era and tied for the eighth-highest AP-ranked victory in Kentucky history:
13-7 over No. 1 Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl, Jan. 1, 1951
27-21 over No. 1 Ole Miss (game played in Jackson), 1964
43-37 vs. No. 1 LSU (three overtimes), 2007
24-20 at No. 4 Penn State, 1977
20-0 vs. No. 7 Auburn, 1964
21-14 vs. No. 8 Ole Miss, 1955
10-9 vs. No. 8 Ole Miss, 1969
26-0 vs. No. 9 Georgia, 1947
41-24 vs. No. 9 Florida, 1974
40-34 vs. No. 9 Louisville, 2007
Kentucky is now 2-3 this season against teams ranked in The Associated Press poll.
The Wildcats are now 7-7 against their last 14 ranked AP ranked opponents, dating back to a win over North Carolina State in the 2020 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
Team Notes
This was the 13th game in the Mark Stoops era in which Kentucky has rallied from at least 10 points down to win. UK trailed 17-7 and 24-14.
Kentucky had no penalties in the game.
Player Notes
Quarterback Devin Leary completed 12 of 22 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns.
He has thrown for 23 touchdowns this season, entering the game third in the SEC in that category.
He now has 9,247 passing yards and 84 passing touchdowns in his career.
Running back Ray Davis carried the ball 14 times for 76 yards, including the game-winning 37-yard touchdown jaunt with 1:31 remaining in the game. He also caught four passes for 51 yards, including two TD catches of 20 yards each.
With three touchdowns today, he has 20 total TDs on the season, breaking the UK single-season record of 19 touchdowns by Benny Snell Jr. in 2017.
He also broke the UK single-season record for points scored with 120. The previous was 116 points by Snell in 2017 (19 TDs, one two-point conversion).
He now has 1,066 rushing yards on the season and became the 11th player in school history to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a single season. The feat has been accomplished a total of 15 times by 11 players.
Davis became the only active player – and believed to be the only player in history – to total at least 1,000 career rushing yards at three Division I schools (also Temple and Vanderbilt).
Davis became the first player in SEC history to have 1,000-yard seasons at two league schools, also running for 1,042 last season for Vanderbilt.
Wide receiver Barion Brown returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. He also caught two passes for 48 yards, including a crucial 23-yard catch that set up Ray Davis’ game-winning touchdown run.
The TD return is his second of the season (also 99 yards vs. Ball State) and the third of his career (100 vs. Miami-Ohio in 2022).
He tied two school records today – Craig Yeast for most kickoff return TDs in a career and Derek Abney for most KO return TDs in a season.
He had 250 all-purpose yards on the day, 180 on kickoff returns, 48 receiving and 22 rushing.
He improved his streak of 25 straight games with a reception, which is every game of his college career.
He has 1,067 career receiving yards, moving up to No. 30 in school history.
Wide receiver Dane Key hauled in two catches for 25 yards, including a nine-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
He hauled in a spectacular grab in the end zone on third down in the second quarter to get the Cats on the scoreboard.
Key has 1,056 career receiving yards, moving up to No. 31 in school history.
Wide receiver Tayvion Robinson caught one pass for six yards.
He has 1,004 receiving yards at Kentucky, becoming the 35th player in school history to reach 1,000 receiving yards in his career.
Tight end Khamari Anderson caught his first collegiate pass, good for 11 yards.
Linebacker J.J. Weaver won the Howard Schnellenberger Award as Most Valuable Player of the winning team in the Governor’s Cup game.
He had eight tackles, a quarterback sack, caused a fumble and recovered two fumbles.
Late in the third quarter, with Louisville ahead 24-21 and driving, Weaver forced a fumble, then recovered it. The turnover set up a drive for a field goal that tied the game.
On the next possession, Weaver recovered another fumble, setting up a UK touchdown that put the Wildcats ahead 31-24.
Weaver also had a seven-yard sack.
Linebacker D’Eryk Jackson and Trevin Wallace tied for the team lead in tackles with 11 each.
Jackson also caused a fumble and had a nine-yard tackle for loss.
Wallace made the stop on fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter, turning over the ball on downs.
Defensive back Jordan Lovett made the game-clinching interception with two seconds left. It is his second interception of the season and fourth of his career.
Game captains: Eli Cox, Kenneth Horsey, Devin Leary, J.J. Weaver
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