Braxton Jennings, Shaun Boykins breakthrough as running game dominates against Kentucky
Louisville’s depleted running back room didn’t stop the Cards from staying true to their identity. Taking down Kentucky 41-0, coach Jeff Brohm showed no mercy against his in-state rival.
Louisville was clicking on all cylinders during its final regular-season match. The Wildcats had no response on either side. Louisville generated 440 yards, while Kentucky produced 140. The Cards couldn’t be stopped as they out-ran the Wildcats 258 to 40.
Brohm made the ground game a priority. Last year, the Cards had 51 rushing attempts while throwing only 18 times. This matchup was eerily similar: Louisville ran the ball 50 times for 5.2 yards per carry while making 21 passing attempts.
Coming in, the Louisville offense had struggled, averaging 19 points per game since the beginning of November. During that time, Star running backs Isaac Brown, Duke Watson, and Keyjuan Brown went down with injuries.
“They continue to work hard and put in the effort. They’ve had great attitudes. They understand all these small things matter, and if you don’t do the small things, you’re not going to win. To come out here, the last game against our rival, with quite a few guys down in numbers, and step up and just find ways to play hard for 60 minutes in all three segments, offense, defense, and special teams. Couldn’t be prouder,” Brohm said postgame.
Freshmen put on a show
It was a local talent showcase on Saturday afternoon. First-year running backs Braxton Jennings and Shaun Boykins both made their mark in the Louisville backfield.
Jennings is an Ashland, Kentucky native and walk-on who has played only in limited minutes against Eastern Kentucky, Bowling Green, and SMU until his breakout performance over the Wildcats. Having 20 rush attempts, Jennings ran for 113 yards, good for 5.7 yards per attempt. Running with his hair on fire, the young running back consistently found gaps in the defense. Jennings also put together the longest run of the game, a 22-yarder.
“Tremendous performance. Braxton’s a young fellow who came here, and he works hard and runs strong. Early on, he didn’t know which way to run, right or left, or what the play was, but you kind of saw some things in him that, in time, this guy can play for us. His time came earlier than we thought,” Coach Brohm said.
Boykins, the freshman counterpart to Jennings, also put on for his state. Residing in Radcliff, Kentucky, Boykins was a three-star wide receiver prospect. Having 15 carries for 89 yards before this rivalry game, Louisville didn’t know his capabilities. Out-carrying everyone, Boykins had 22 rushing attempts for 101 yards and a touchdown. Receiving an offer from Kentucky out of high school, Boykins made a statement to the Wildcats.
“Shaun was a unique guy we brought in as a receiver… but he had a unique skill set that we tried moving him to running back, and to his credit, he’s unselfish. He moved, he’s worked hard, they were behind a lot of guys, and they just kept inching up the depth chart,” Brohm expressed.
Louisville’s versatile ground game
With two running backs on the depth chart, Louisville needed to think outside the box. Starting quarterback Miller Moss threw for 180 yards and 3 throwing touchdowns, but his legs did not disappoint. Running for 18 yards and a rushing touchdown, the pocket passer only took one sack and extended plays for positive yardage.
Along with Moss, wide receiver Caullin Lacy put together two rushes for 18 yards. No stranger to rushes, having 12 on the season, Lacy was a needed spark for the Cards. Backup quarterback and running specialist Deuce Adams also made an impact. Coming in for a handful of snaps, Adams ran the ball twice for eight yards.
“Chris (Barclay) has done a great job. He’s a competitor; he likes to run the ball. Doesn’t matter who we have in there, he wants to run the football, which is great, and he’s worked well with them,” said Brohm.
Louisville running back coach Chris Barclay has proven his ground game is productive. No matter the class or skill set, Coach Barkley delivers results. Louisville enters bowl season 8-4 and will await its destination until the conference championship games are set.
