Kentucky PFF Grades and Snap Counts versus Louisville

In the immortal words of Ray Davis, “It’s Ls down forever around here!” Mark Stoops and company defeated the filthy Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, salvaging what had been somewhat of a disappointing second half of the season.

And it was glorious.

ABC picked a good game to showcase on the big stage because the 3rd and 4th quarters were certifiably insane. A Barion Brown kickoff return for a touchdown, a horrific Devin Leary interception, and two beautiful Louisville fumbles turned the contest into a thriller to even the most neutral of onlookers.

Who knows what will happen between now and the bowl game, but this victory lifted the spirits of a deflated fan base, at least for the time being. We’ll have several weeks to track the coaching carousel rumors and transfer portal news, but for now, let’s bask in the glory that was Kentucky’s fifth straight win over the dirty birds.

Barion Brown backed up his smack talk

Fewer players in college football talk more trash than Barion Brown. He was even seen letting the Louisville band know what was about to go down before the game. On Saturday, he backed those words up in a big way.

On top of his game-changing kickoff return for a touchdown (his second of the season and third of his career), Barion Brown was the best receiver in a chrome helmet all day. He made a few incredible catches that moved the chains and kept Kentucky drives alive. As he might say, he knew it was cookies.

Devin Leary deserves a lot of credit for a few of Brown’s catches as well. While he once again struggled with consistency, when he was on, Leary’s passes were an absolute thing of beauty.

Two of those beauts went to “Sweet Baby” Ray Davis. The barbeque-inspired nickname never really stuck, but his record-breaking season will. He passed Benny Snell for the most touchdowns in a single season, turning his sole year in Lexington into one of the most impressive ones in Kentucky football history.

Kentucky Offensive PFF Grades and Snap Counts versus Louisville

(Minimum 5 snaps)

Offense
Player	Pos	Snaps	Grade
Barion Brown	WR	30	79.3
Devin Leary	QB	47	75
Ray Davis	RB	37	70.5
Khamari Anderson	TE	21	70.3
Brenden Bates	TE	35	69.4
Izayah Cummings	TE	24	68.2
Marques Cox	T	47	64.8
Ramon Jefferson	RB	7	62.5
Jeremy Flax	T	47	61.7
Kenneth Horsey	G	14	59.2
Dane Key	WR	40	57.1
Anthony Brown-Stephens	WR	16	55.4
Dylan Ray	G	42	55.3
Tayvion Robinson	WR	21	55
Jager Burton	G	38	54.4
Eli Cox	C	47	52.8

JJ Weaver turned in his best performance of the year when it counted

On defense, it was the JJ Weaver show. The Louisville native put in an incredible performance in front of his hometown crowd, much to the dismay of most people in attendance. Weaver recovered two fumbles, turnovers that flipped the game in Kentucky’s favor. The six-fingered team captain finished his last regular season game as a Wildcat with his highest PFF grade of the year at 80.2.

Deone Walker and D’Eryk Jackson also came up huge for the ‘Cats. Walker was his normal unstoppable force inside while Jackson led the team in tackles. Most fans expected a big year for Walker, but the emergence of D’Eryk Jackson has been a welcomed surprise. If he winds up eligible for a fifth year, the ‘Cats will be just fine at the linebacker position next season.

Several other defensemen turned in above-average games as well, with players like Keeshawn Silver and Josaih Hayes playing extremely well on the line. Backup cornerback, Jantzen Dunn, also came in and made some ferocious hits in limited snaps.

It was a good day to be a Wildcat.

Kentucky Defensive PFF Grades and Snap Counts versus Louisville

(Minimum 5 snaps)

Defense
Player	Pos	Snaps	Grade
D’Eryk Jackson	LB	67	82.3
JJ Weaver	LB	60	80.2
Deone Walker	DT	73	74.1
Alex Afari	DB	48	73.8
Keeshawn Silver	DT	23	72.7
Jantzen Dunn	CB	11	72.7
Josaih Hayes	DL	37	72.5
Zion Childress	S	76	71.6
Kahlil Saunders	DE	21	71.3
Trevin Wallace	LB	77	67.8
Andru Phillips	CB	77	67
Daveren Rayner	LB	6	66.9
Maxwell Hairston	CB	73	65.1
Octavious Oxendine	DE	25	61.8
Jalen Geiger	S	5	60.7
Ty Bryant	S	5	55.8
Jordan Lovett	S	72	55.5
Tre’von Rybka	DE	33	53.1
Keaton Wade	LB	43	52.5
Jonquis Hardaway	CB	13	39.4