Mark Stoops explains how much a win vs. Louisville would mean for Kentucky

Under Mark Stoops, Kentucky hasn’t lost to Louisville since 2017, claiming five of the last six victories along the way.

2023 is a different story, however. The Jeff Brohm era has Louisville ranked inside the top 10 in the latest College Football Playoffs rankings, and have every intention of disposing of their in-state rival en route to their ACC Championship showdown against Florida State.

Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops would be remiss if he thinks UK can walk into Cardinal Stadium and beat them 52-21 like they did last time (2021), or 56-10 the time before that (2019). And while a victory won’t undo the damage that has already been done to Kentucky throughout the season — it sure would be a damn good way to end the regular season and improve their bowl projection.

“Well, it’ll be a big win for us. It’s the last game of the year. It’s been a tough stretch, without a doubt, but this is another game,” Stoops said on Monday. “It certainly doesn’t salvage some of the things that we’ve done or anything like that, we don’t look at it that way, we look at it like it’s another opportunity. We play a lot of big games here. This one, I’ve said it from the moment I walked in here that it was important. I know the importance of it to our fan base and to the community and I’ve acknowledged that for 11 years.” 

A key to success for Stoops’ squad against the Cardinals defense is being able to complete the deep ball. Explosive plays will need to be the name of Kentucky’s game if they want their shot at knocking off the Cardinals’ final stampede toward a College Football Playoff run. While Stoops won’t say it — a win would be the perfect way to silence a restless fanbase by letting them cling on to the Governor’s Cup.

Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary has struggled will the deep ball, and consistency in general down the stretch this season. He went 17 of 34 passing for a touchdown and an interception in last week’s 17-14 loss to South Carolina. A similar performance could give Louisville the advantage it needs to overcome their bitter rival for the first time in five tries.

Opening kickoff for Saturday’s battle for the Bluegrass is scheduled for Noon ET live on ABC. The Wildcats will head to Louisville as 7.5-point betting favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under total is set at 50.5 points.