Jordan Lovett breaks down victory-securing INT against Louisville

Beating Louisville is always extra fun for the Big Blue Nation. It’s been especially fun on the gridiron over the last four meetings between the two rivals, with Kentucky outscoring the Cardinals by a combined total of 179-57 — all wins for the Wildcats.

While Kentucky fans would be content with beating Louisville by 40-plus points every single season, it’s the close calls that create the best memories. Last season’s matchup in Lexington was a prime example of that. Kentucky needed some late-game heroics from the secondary to fend off a last-ditch comeback effort from the Cards. Those heroics came courtesy of in-state product Jordan Lovett.

The North Hardin defensive back product was just a redshirt freshman in 2022 but appeared in all 13 games for the Wildcats. Lovett finished the season with 63 total tackles (36 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and three pass deflections. It was his second of two interceptions that etched his name into the history books though.

In what was the final regular season game of the 2022 schedule for Kentucky, the Wildcats held a 26-13 lead over Louisville on November 26. Down to a backup quarterback, Louisville had just a little over four minutes left on the game clock to try and score two touchdowns. But they wouldn’t get close. With roughly 90 seconds left, Lovett locked up the victory for UK with a game-securing pick that finished off the Cards for good.

“Coach (Brad) White, him being so smart, he said ‘Hey, everybody back up! Everybody back up!’,” Lovett said in the video below. “…Quarterback throws the ball, Zion Childress tips it, and then the ball comes to me. I’m surprised. I didn’t even know the ball was gonna come to me. Then I got the ball in my hands and my mom got onto me for holding the ball with one hand, like I was Deion Sanders or something like that. Everybody started calling me Deion Sanders after that.

“It was a game-winning interception and that’s probably one of my favorite plays.”

Watch the full clip below, courtesy of Kentucky Wildcats TV.