Louisville football can add to special season. Here's how it's fared vs. UK when ranked
It has been a special season already for No. 9 Louisville. For many fans, a victory over Kentucky in the Governor's Cup might be even more important than a bowl victory.
Since 1994, the Cardinals are 15-13 against the Wildcats.
Louisville (10-1) has not lost at home this season, but it has dropped its last three home matchups against the Wildcats.
How have ranked U of L teams fared against unranked Kentucky teams while playing at home in the Governor's Cup? When the host Cards were ranked in either the AP Top 25 poll or the coaches poll, they have gone 3-2 against their unranked in-state rivals.
Here is a closer look:
Wins: 2006, 2012, 2014
Losses: 2002 and 2016
Sept. 1, 2002
Louisville started the season ranked No. 18 in the coaches poll in what turned out to be coach John L. Smith's last season with the team.
Smith became the head coach in 1998 and turned around the program after the Cards went 1-10 in 1997. Smith led Louisville to 7-5 seasons his first two years.
The Cardinals entered the 2002 season looking to three-peat as Conference USA champions. They also had defeated Kentucky three years in a row.
Senior Dave Ragone was the starting quarterback. He had just won his second Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year award and was a Heisman Trophy candidate.
The Wildcats were underdogs, coming off their second consecutive 2-9 season.
Kentucky's defense brought pressure to test Louisville's revamped offensive line, and the Wildcats were successful.
UK's offense, led by quarterback Jared Lorenzen, jumped to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
Louisville found momentum in the second half after redshirt freshman Broderick Clark returned the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.
Midway through the third quarter, Ragone led the Cards down the field for another touchdown, giving them a 17-16 lead.
Kentucky responded with two field goals. The second came with 4:09 left in the fourth quarter, and the Cats held on to win, 22-17.
On the Cardinals' last possession, Ragone's pass was intercepted on a desperation heave.
"I'm so pleased and proud for these kids. They have worked so hard for this. Our kids were close to beating some ranked teams last year. We talked about taking the next step, and we did that tonight," Kentucky coach Guy Morriss said.
"They understand and believe in what we're doing. This game will help us with our confidence because we beat a very good football team tonight," Morriss said.
Kentucky finished 7-5; after the season, Morriss resigned and took the head coach position at Baylor.
Louisville's offense totaled 248 yards against UK, which ranked 109th nationally in yards allowed the previous season.
Ragone was 14-of-39 passing for 193 yards, with one touchdown and one interception.
"We've got the same goals. We didn't accomplish our first goal, and that's to beat Kentucky. I gave it everything I had. Adversity tests your character. We'll see about our team," Ragone said after the loss.
Ragone became the first player in Conference USA history to win three Offensive Player of the Year awards.
After the season, Smith accepted the head coaching job at Michigan State. He went 41-21 in five seasons with the Cardinals.
Final record: 7-6
Final rankings: Unranked in AP poll and coaches poll
Sept. 3, 2006
Louisville entered the season ranked No. 13 in the country.
The Cardinals bulldozed many opponents that season, and their first victim was Kentucky.
They defeated the Wildcats, 59-28, in an extraordinary offensive display by quarterback Brian Brohm and star running back Michael Bush.
Brohm was 19-of-31 passing for 254 yards and one touchdown. Bush had 17 carries for 128 yards and three touchdowns in the first half.
Bush suffered a broken leg early in the third quarter while being tackled by a Kentucky defender.
"Losing a guy like Michael Bush, he's irreplaceable. You can't replace him with one guy. But we have a team of guys like George Stripling, Kolby Smith and Anthony Allen that can come in and try to replace him," Brohm said. "Michael is irreplaceable, and I really feel bad for him. He'll be back; he's a tough guy."
Stripling finished with 90 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Final record: 12-1
Final rankings: No. 6 in AP and No. 7 in coaches poll
Sept. 2, 2012
To start the season, Louisville was No. 25 in the AP poll but unranked in the coaches poll.
The Cardinals used a balanced attack against the Wildcats and jumped to a 22-7 lead.
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater left the game after Louisville extended its lead to 32-7 in the third quarter.
Bridgewater was 19-of-21 passing (a school record for completion percentage) for 232 yards in the 32-14 victory.
U of L running backs combined for more than 200 yards rushing. Senorise Perry had 108 yards and one touchdown; Jeremy Wright rushed for 105 yards and three touchdowns.
Final record: 11-2
Final rankings: No. 13 in AP and No. 13 in coaches poll
Nov. 29, 2014
In its final regular-season game, No. 23 Louisville was in a high-scoring thriller with Kentucky.
The game started slowly for the Cardinals, whose first four offensive possessions ended with three punts and one interception.
The Wildcats took a 13-0 lead, but Louisville responded with 21 points in the second quarter.
Kentucky's only other points in the first half came on a Fred Tiller pick six.
In the third quarter, Louisville quarterback Kyle Bolin connected with DeVante Parker on a 33-yard touchdown pass on their first possession of the half. That extended the Cards' lead to 28-20.
The Wildcats led, 33-28, with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, but Louisville finished strong. The Cardinals scored two touchdowns and kicked one field goal.
U of L's defense forced interceptions on two of Kentucky's last three drives to secure the Cardinals' 44-40 victory.
Final record: 9-4
Final rankings: No. 24 in AP and No. 24 in coaches poll
Nov. 26, 2016
Going into this game, Louisville was ranked No. 11 in the coaches poll, fresh off a loss to Houston.
Kentucky was barely bowl-eligible and in the middle of the SEC pack.
The offenses mirrored each other most of the game; if one team scored a touchdown, the other answered on its next possession.
Kentucky jumped to a 14-7 lead in the first quarter, but Lamar Jackson's 18-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Bonnafon on the first play of the second quarter tied the score.
The Cardinals then capitalized on an interception and led, 24-14, with three minutes before halftime.
Kentucky responded with a two-play, 76-yard drive in 56 seconds. Wildcats quarterback Stephen Johnson connected with receiver Garrett Johnson for a 63-yard touchdown pass.
In the second half, the defenses made critical stops and created game-changing plays.
With the game tied at 31, Jackson was intercepted, and Kentucky scored to reclaim the lead, 38-31, early in the fourth quarter.
On the Cardinals' next possession, Jackson was intercepted again, but U of L's defense forced Kentucky's first punt of the second half.
Jackson then led the offense on a five-play, 55-yard scoring drive.
Louisville defender Chris Williams later ended Kentucky's march down the field when he ripped the ball from UK running back Benny Snell's arms and recovered the fumble.
The Cardinals had the ball close to midfield with less than six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Jackson moved the offense down the field with six runs before his first pass of the drive.
On first-and-goal from the 9-yard line with less than two minutes left, Jackson was stripped on a QB run, and Kentucky recovered the fumble.
Kentucky needed seven plays to get into field-goal range. Kicker Austin MacGinnis made a 47-yard field goal to put the Wildcats up, 41-38, with 12 seconds left.
Jackson's Hail Mary was intercepted on the final play.
Jackson went on to win the Heisman that season.
Final record: 9-4
Final rankings: No. 21 in AP and No. 20 in the coaches poll.
C.L. Brown: Enjoy the 2023 Governor's Cup in Louisville. There's no telling when it'll be back
Reach sports reporter Prince James Story at pstory@gannett.com and follow him on X at @PrinceJStory.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Governor's Cup: How ranked Louisville football teams have fared vs. UK
