Louisville, KY – Terry Wilson, Lynn Bowden Jr. and Benny Snell stood out for the Kentucky Wildcats in their 56-10 win over their in-state rivals, the Louisville Cardinals, putting the Wildcats at 9-3 to end the regular season.
“Special group of young men led by the seniors,” said Bob Stoops.
Despite Louisville receiving on kickoff, the Cardinals were unable to gain many yards on their first drive and were forced to punt. Kentucky’s Benny Snell ultimately rushed for 7 yards for a touchdown, putting the Wildcats on the board and setting the tone for an intense game.
Later in the quarter, Snell once again proved to be a powerhouse in the running game, earning the Wildcats multiple first downs. With 2:05 remaining, Wildcat quarterback, Terry Wilson, rushed for 2 yards and dove into the end zone for another touchdown putting Kentucky up 14-0. The Cardinals were quick to answer back with an incredible 75 yard touchdown run by Malik Cunningham.
Louisville’s defense fighting hard, Snell made it clear he was a force to be reckoned with, scoring another Kentucky touchdown. Louisville responded with multiple first downs and a 16 yard rush by Cunningham, putting the Cardinals in the red zone. Pressure from the Wildcat defense forced Louisville to go for a field goal which was completed by kicker Blanton Creque.
A targeting call ejecting Cardinal P.J. Mbanasor from the game pushed the Wildcats to the Louisville 27 yard line. Wilson went on to complete a 28 yard pass to Lynn Bowden Jr. for a touchdown. Louisville again struggled to make it out of their own territory on their next drive and were forced to punt. With 31 seconds remaining in the half, Wilson found Bowden Jr.’s hands once again for another Kentucky touchdown. The Wildcats went into halftime leading the Cardinals 35-10.
“Getting a ninth win is significant, as this is the first time the Wildcat football program has won 9 games in 41 years,” said Stoops.
Both the Wildcats and the Cardinals fought hard on defense in the third quarter resulting in neither team earning any points. Going into the fourth quarter, Wilson made it clear he was ready to finish the game and lock in a victory for the Wildcats.
Wilson completed a 32 yard pass to Josh Ali for another Wildcat touchdown.
With 11:09 remaining, Asim Rose rushed for 75 yards up the middle, putting the Wildcats at 49-10 over the Cardinals.
Finally, Kentucky’s Kavosiey Smoke rushed for 37 yards, making the score 56-10.
Despite a hard fight, the Cardinals were unable to score any points in the second half. Overall, Kentucky had a total of 601 yards for the game to Louisville’s 305 yards.
In the post-game press conference, Kentucky Head Coach, Mark Stoops, stated that this was a very gratifying victory for his team.
“I believes this was one of my best game here at Kentucky, said quarterback Terry Wilson, “A game like this sets the tone for the future.”
