LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Governor's Cup has wrapped up its five-year residency at the University of Kentucky.

Louisville wrestled back the hardware on Saturday with a resounding 41-14 victory over the Wildcats.

The Cardinals (8-4, 5-3 ACC) rushed for 358 yards, including a 178-yard effort by Isaac Brown and a 104-yard performance by Duke Watson. Both of the talented backs scored a pair of touchdowns.

"A solid finish to finally get the Governor's Cup back," Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm said. "... I'm fully aware of this rivalry and what it means to the fan base, to the university. It was two really good programs, but we came ready to play. I thought our guys wanted it and worked really hard for it."

It was a different tone in the UK locker room.

"The end of a very tough and difficult season," said a dejected Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops. "Give Louisville credit. I knew going into it that they had a very good team that was, I'm sure, very motivated to come in and play very well, and they did.

"I thought Jeff (Brohm) and their staff did a nice job, obvious, of keeping us off-balance. Very multiple in the run game. You could see that very evident by the stats."

Kentucky (4-8, 1-7 SEC) saw its season come to a close with the worst record since Stoops' first year in Lexington, a 2-10 campaign in 2013. The Cats also saw their run of eight consecutive bowl game appearances snapped, as well as a 19-game win streak against non-conference opponents in regular-season games.

A lone bright spot for UK was the connection between backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt and junior receiver Ja'Mori Maclin. Wimsatt entered in the third quarter after starter Cutter Boley was forced out with a helmet-to-helmet targeting shot. He threw two touchdown passes to Maclin, who finished with three catches for 121 yards.

Boley, a freshman making his first start, completed only six of 15 passes for 48 yards and a pair of interceptions before exiting the game.

Another talented freshman for Kentucky, running back Jamarion Wilcox, had flashes with 66 yards rushing on 12 carries, but also lost a pair of fumbles that hindered the Cats.

Louisville outgained the Cats 486-328 on the day, controlled the ball for over 35 minutes, and forced five UK turnovers on a frigid late-November afternoon in Lexington.

"We've been on the right side (of the rivalry game) for many years, and we know what it feels like to be on the right side of it," Stoops said. "And we know now for the first time in a long time how it feels to be on the wrong side of it. It's not very much fun.

"I know the year was very frustrating to a lot of people. Our fan base was wonderful and stuck with us the entire year -- once again out there today -- and sorry we did not deliver a better performance than that today and throughout the season."

*****

In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK loss...

KEY MOMENT:

The game was essentially over at halftime as Louisville built an insurmountable 20-0 lead against Kentucky's inept offense. The Cardinals played almost the entire first half with midfield as a starting point while the Wildcats lived constantly backed up to their own goal line. A 58-yard touchdown run by Louisville's Duke Watson to make it 17-0 in the second quarter was the back-breaker for the Cats.

GAME BALL:

Isaac Brown, Louisville -- The Cards' freshman running back feasted on a UK defense that has not looked the same since losing veteran inside linebacker D'Eryk Jackson to a season-ending injury. He carried the ball 26 times for 178 yards, averaging almost seven yards per carry, and scored two touchdowns. Brown was selected by the media as the winner of the Howard Schnellenberger MVP Award.

BY THE NUMBERS:

4 - Louisville possessions in the first half started at the Cards' 40-yard line or better. Four Kentucky possessions started inside the Cats' 21-yard line.

5 - Turnovers by Kentucky -- three interceptions and two fumbles.

12 - Offensive touchdowns for the Wildcats in nine games against P5 opponents this season.

83 - Longest TD pass for UK -- Gavin Wimsatt to Ja'Mori Maclin -- since Patrick Towles connected with Javess Blue on an 83-yard pass against Louisiana-Monroe in 2014.

263.2 - Rushing yards per game allowed by the UK defense against its last five P5 opponents.

58,612 - Official attendance at Kroger Field.

QUOTABLE:

"We've got to go back to work. We've got to go back to being who we are, which is very tough and very disciplined and very fundamental, and we weren't always that this year... We'll get it fixed. That excites me and motivates me." -- UK head coach Mark Stoops

UP NEXT:

Kentucky enters the off-season with a roster in need of major upgrades across the board. High school and junior college players sign on Dec. 4, and the transfer portal opens on Dec. 9.