Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops discussed his team's dominant defensive effort in 26-13 win over Louisville

On3 imageby:Wade Peery11/26/22

The Kentucky Wildcats used a combination of dominant defense and an explosive running game to defeat the Louisville Cardinals 26-13 on Saturday night. The Governor’s Cup will officially stay in Lexington for the fourth consecutive time. Following the victory over the Wildcats’ bitter rival, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops discussed his thoughts with SEC Network’s Andraya Carter.

Stoops discussed how his team was able to create separation to come away with the hard-fought win.

“Well, it was a hard-fought game. We knew it would be. Louisville’s really playing good football and we needed to respond. Just play better. Worry about ourselves. Really proud of our team because it’s been a tough year, but it is for everybody. You know, there’s a lot of ups and downs. And I like the way we responded. I’d like to have a few more wins like most people, but they fought hard here tonight,” Stoops said.

Then Stoops discussed his team’s dominant defensive effort. The Kentucky defense forced three turnovers, including two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Not surprisingly, he was quite pleased with the energy that his defense brought to the game on Saturday.

“Really solid. Really good. I love their competitive spirit. They did the same way the last couple of weeks. I just like how hard they played. A lot of good things will happen when you play that hard. We had a lot of penalties early, but we overcame ’em and the guys, again, played with that passion and heart, toughness that we’re looking for,” Stoops said.

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Kentucky running back Chris Rodriguez, Jr. had an impressive day

The Kentucky head coach then discussed the impressive performance from his star running back, Chris Rodriguez, Jr., who dragged Louisville defenders on several different plays in the game. Rodriguez racked up over 100 rushing yards on Saturday, giving him his 20th-100-yard game of his career, setting a new Kentucky school record. “Just amazing. Just you know, really tough. He’s in here. Right here. Some of those runs at the end were truly amazing. The four-minute offense. The way he grinds out tough yards. We needed it. I’m really proud of him and I love him,” Stoops said.

Then, Andraya Carter took some time to speak with Chris Rodriguez, Jr., who finished the day with 120 yards on 24 carries. He made sure to thank his offensive line after stamping his name in Kentucky football history. “Well, all I gotta say is shoutout to one my seniors. But, more specifically, the o-line. They believe in me. The coaching staff believed in me. We came out here and worked and it all came together,” Rodriguez said.

Kentucky linebacker Trevin Wallace snatched an interception in the third quarter from Louisville quarterback Malik Cunnigham. The 19-yard interception return put the Wildcats in the red zone at the Louisville 16-yard line. A few plays later, UK quarterback Will Levis connected for a touchdown with freshman receiver Barion Brown. That would push the Kentucky score to 23-7 and the game was essentially out of reach, at that point. Brown’s touchdown catch made some history of his own, it was his 45th catch of the season, setting a new Kentucky freshman record.

Louisville running back Jawhar Jordan had an outstanding performance for the ‘Cards, rushing 22 times for 145 yards. Cardinals’ receiver Tyler Hudson had an excellent game as well, hauling in six catches for 83 receiving yards and a touchdown. His 27-yard touchdown catch was a beauty down the right sideline where he stretched his arms out to bring it in before falling into the end zone. That cut the Kentucky score to 26-13 with 7:16 remaining in the fourth quarter, but there wouldn’t be any more points scored the rest of the way.

Kentucky has now won 20 consecutive games vs. non-conference opponents. That’s currently the longest active streak in FBS.