Kentucky vs. Louisville After Action Review

On3 imageby:Freddie Maggard11/27/22

An After Action Review, or AAR for short, is a military process used to analyze what happened, why it happened, and how it can be done better. Thanks to our friends at the Kentucky Army National Guard, KSR applies that concept to analyze Kentucky football games. Here is the breakdown of the Wildcats’ 26-13 win over Louisville in the 2022 Governor’s Cup.

B.L.U.F. (Bottom Line Up Front)

I was wrong in my pregame analysis by grossly overestimating Louisville based on inferior ACC competition. This error has been a consistent blind spot in my analysis during the rivalry series. Kentucky was resoundingly the better team and dominated the Cards to retain the Governor’s Cup. In other words, the better team with the best players won the football game. 

OVERVIEW

Kentucky was the better team from the coin toss to the final horn. The Wildcats’ defense and special teams were fantastic. The offense continued to struggle to score touchdowns in the Red Zone. But, this deficiency was assisted by UK going 4/4 on FG attempts. 

Brad White’s defense held the visitors to 309 total yards and 13 points. The Wildcats’ defense played bully ball and dominated the line of scrimmage. The ‘Cats also turned the Cards over on three occasions. Let’s get into pregame goals vs. results. 

OFFENSE 

My major concern going into Saturday was Louisville’s havoc-producing defense against the Cats’ sputtering offense. While UK didn’t exactly burn up the stat sheet, Rich Scangarello’s unit did enough to earn the win and played complementary football. The offensive line continued to improve and refuted the Cards’ strengths. UK allowed two QB sacks and four tackles for loss. The visitors led the nation with 41 sacks and ranked 11th in the country with 81 TFLs prior to the Governor’s Cup matchup. This has to be considered a win for the Big Blue Wall. 

Offensive stars starred. Chris Rodriguez Jr. finished his Kroger Field career by averaging 5.0 yards per carry and surpassing the 100-yard mark yet again. Freshmen pass catchers Barion Brown and Dane Key combined for seven catches, 81 yards, and two scores. Rookie TE Josh Kattus is quickly becoming a fan favorite and grabbed two passes for 76 yards. UK finished the contest with 346 total yards of offense.

The Red Zone was again an unfriendly spot for the ‘Cats. UK scored touchdowns on 2/5 drives, or 40%. The goal was 70%. Third downs were also an issue after Kentucky converted 27% on money downs.

Let’s get into the goals vs. results.

Get Ahead and Stay Ahead: YES

UK never trailed in the game. This was important due to UL’s trend of outscoring opponents in the second half. The ‘Cats achieved this objective by having a touchdown lead going into halftime. Kentucky won the line of scrimmage. 

Score: YES

The ‘Cats capitalized on turnovers and exceeded their season average point total. 

Levis on the Run: NO

60 yards was a stretch to begin with, but QB Will Levis ran when he needed to and presented the threat — the possibility of the QB-run loosened the visitor’s attacking trends. 

DEFENSE

Rinse and repeat. The Kentucky defense was fantastic. Louisville never presented serious threats to score on a consistent basis. The ‘Cats were physical up front and won the line of scrimmage. UK also forced three turnovers and significantly won the turnover margin by three. The Cardinals managed just 309 total yards and were limited to 33% on third down. 

UK was uncharacteristic and flipped the script on UofL in the stat column by registering six tackles for loss and four quarterback sacks. JJ Weaver was fantastic, recording seven tackles, one TFL, one QB sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one pass breakup. The same can be said of freshman Jordan Lovett. The redshirt freshman had seven stops and an INT. Texas State transfer Zion Childress has really come on as of late and contributed five tackles, one TFL, one QB sack, and a pass breakup. Overall, the Wildcat defense proved why it’s a top 5 unit in the SEC. 

In what could be a first, UK had two defenders enter the 300-tackle club on Saturday. DeAndre Square and Jacquez Jones both recorded their 300th which is an exclusive club. Here are the goals vs. results: 

Keep the QB in the Pocket: YES

Louisville quarterbacks combined for -14 rush yards. The ‘Cats were fantastic in this category. 

Make Louisville One Dimensional: YES

See above. Louisville passed for 145 and rushed for 164. UK did not allow the visitors to get into a rhythm in any offensive aspect. The lone bright spot for the Cards was running back Jawhar Jordan’s 145 rush yards off 22 carries. His 6.6 yards per carry were too much, but the ‘Cats managed to hold the visitors to 13 points. 

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Kentucky special teams was brilliant and significantly contributed to the victory. Matt Ruffolo was a perfect 4/4 on FG attempts. I’m so happy for Matt. The game’s kicker was the MVP. Seven kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. Punter Wilson Berry averaged over 42 yards per punt and stuck the Cards at the one on a timely punt late in the fourth quarter.

Snap-Hold-Kick: YES

I have to admit, I held my breath when the FG team trotted on the field for the first time. Ruffolo was money. So were the snaps and hold.   

Return Score: NO

I thought an extraordinary play may be needed to get the win. This goal was not necessary or achieved.  

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN? 

The ACC’s best team, No. 7 Clemson, lost to 8-4 South Carolina. The league’s second-best team, No. 16 Florida State, barely defeated 6-6 Florida at home. Georgia rolled Georgia Tech. UK soundly defeated No. 25 Louisville. Maybe I’ll learn my lesson one of these days. The ACC is just not good at football. I grossly overestimated the Cardinals. The truth in the rivalry is that Kentucky has much better players and competes against stiffer competition. Louisville was improved, but UK has outscored the Cardinals 179-57 during their four-game win streak. Does this lessen the disappointment of a 7-5 record? No. Yes. Maybe. I’m going yes. 

The Big Blue Wall has lived up to that billing over the past three outings. Even against Vanderbilt in an embarrassing loss, the front five have gotten better and better. Will Levis was good enough to get the victory. Chris Rodriguez Jr. did C-Rod things, again. One of the storylines of the offense on Saturday was the bountiful amount of youthful contributors. TE Josh Kattus and receivers Dane Key and Barion Brown were excellent. 

This team has not been fun to cover at times during the 2022 season. Offensive struggles and special teams’ mishaps have been aggravating. But, Saturday was fun. What happens next? A bowl game is in the future along with participation questions surrounding Levis, Rodriguez, and maybe others. An 8-5 finish would feel a lot better than 7-6. 

2022 has been a roller-coaster season. A Top-10 ranking and an undefeated record quickly turned into 6-5 going into the season’s final game. Regardless of Saturday’s box score, Mark Stoops will take a deep look at his offense going into the offseason. Even with the losses of Levis and Rodriguez Jr., UK has pieces in place to be explosive on that side of the football. Portal acquisitions are mandatory, especially at quarterback and offensive line. But, the playmaking nucleus is in place. 

I have not enjoyed critiquing this team. At times, I’ve been hard on the ‘Cats and I take no joy in doing so. Saturday was fun. This team was also entertaining in the Governor’s Cup. I relished seeing smiles after the game and excitement on the field, stands, and sidelines during the contest. Saturday’s win was what this program and fan base needed. 

The BBN remains somewhat disappointed in a 7-5 season even after another win over their arch-rivals. Standards and expectations have changed in Lexington. Bowl eligibility is no longer the end-all purpose. I’m old enough to think that a disappointing 7-5 mark is much better than coming off a 4-8 year with a team that cannot compete in terms of talent. That’s not where UK is in 2022. Mark Stoops is the winningest coach in program history for a reason. The program is in great and steady hands. I’m fairly certain that this season stings for the head coach. Where will the ‘Cats go from here? We’ll see but I am totally confident that Stoops will figure it out. 

December Signing Day and Portal Day are rapidly approaching. College football is in a different place in 2022. A team’s trajectory can change with a few signatures. The offseason is upon us. But, Saturday was fun. 


A message from the Kentucky Army National Guard, The Kentucky Army National Guard is YOUR Kentucky home team.  The Soldiers of the Kentucky National Guard are your friends, neighbors, coworkers and classmates.  We are from each county in Kentucky and we stand together to support our fellow Kentuckians in times of natural disaster and civil unrest.  We also serve our nation at the direction of the president should the need for national defense arise.  Soldiers in the Kentucky Army National Guard are able to take advantage of opportunities in education with trade skill training, student loan repayment and up to $60,000 in tuition assistance to state public universities while serving part time.  Do you think you have what it takes to be a member of our team? For more information about joining the Kentucky Army National Guard, Text “KYGUARD” to 95577.  Live Here, Serve Here, Kentucky Army National Guard.

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