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RECAP: Cats maul Cards 45-13

Kentucky's Lynn Bowden Jr. races for one of his four touchdowns in Saturday's win over Louisville.
Kentucky's Lynn Bowden Jr. races for one of his four touchdowns in Saturday's win over Louisville. (Mark Zerof/USA Today Sports)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- After watching his star player lead Kentucky to a 45-13 win over arch-rival Louisville in the regular-season finale on Saturday at Kroger Field, Mark Stoops nearly ran out of ways to praise Lynn Bowden Jr.

"What can you say about Lynn?" the UK head coach said. "He is truly remarkable in so many ways."

Bowden, a junior athlete who moved from wide receiver to quarterback midway through Kentucky's season after injuries struck down the Wildcats' first two signal-callers, rushed for a career-high 284 yards and four touchdowns to help UK keep the Governor's Cup in Lexington. He scored on runs of 6, 60, 46 and 32 yards.

The massive effort was part of a 517-yard rushing day for the Cats, who dominated Louisville along the line of scrimmage and won despite throwing only two forward passes.

“It feels great," Bowden said. "We went out there and put our heart on the line, and it was good.”

Stoops compared Bowden's heroics to another player who loomed large in the Bluegrass State rivalry.

"You have to recognize his competitive nature, just how tough and competitive and what a leader he is," said Stoops, who referred to Bowden as an 'Alpha dog.' "... When you do that time and time again and prove it and put the team on your back and say 'Let's ride. Let's do this,' you know, it's remarkable.

"Lamar Jackson was probably maybe the greatest player that I ever competed against, but what I admire so much about him is how competitive he is... And Lynn, in that regard, is one of the most competitive people I've seen."

Kentucky (7-5) also got a 125-yard rushing effort from redshirt freshman running back Christopher Rodriguez to complement Bowden's big game.

Meanwhile, the Cats' defense, after giving up a touchdown on Louisville's first possession of the game, held one of the top offensive units in the country to just one other score the rest of the way. UK held the Cards to 21 points under their season average and to 135 yards under their typical offensive output while recording six sacks.

Javian Hawkins led Louisville (7-5) with 142 yards rushing and a touchdown on 11 carries.

Kentucky led just 17-13 at the half but outscored the Cards 28-0 the rest of the way. Bowden's 60-yard scamper on the second play of the half tipped momentum permanently in the Cats' favor.

"Just a tough day for the red team out there today," said first-year Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield. "... Bottom line, we got wore down by their offensive line and defensive line, quite frankly. I think they kind of dominated the line of scrimmage in the second half, and that was obviously the difference in the game."

*****

In this Cats Illustrated "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory…

THE GOOD:

Kentucky closed out the regular season in grand fashion, smashing its arch-rival and leaving no doubt who the dominant program is in the Bluegrass State. All three phases contributed to the win in a total team effort to give the Cats a 7-5 record and open the door to what should be an attractive bowl bid.

THE BAD:

Mark Stoops conceded he made a tactical mistake by going for it on fourth down near midfield with time winding down in the second quarter. Kentucky was going to take a commanding 17-6 lead into the locker room at the half, but after getting stuffed on fourth-and-1, the Cats gave up a long touchdown run that made it 17-13 and could have breathed new life into the Cards. Fortunately, UK took the ball first in the third quarter and immediately marched for a touchdown to swing the momentum back to its side.

THE UGLY:

Mother Nature. This may have been the nastiest game in modern UK football history with temperatures in the lower 40s leading up to kickoff and a constant downpour for four quarters. The 48,336 souls who braved the elements for this one deserve a medal.

GAME BALL:

Lynn Bowden Jr., Kentucky -- The Wildcats' junior star was an easy choice for the Howard Schnellenberger MVP honor. Forget a game ball. The Youngstown native is treading into statue territory.

BY THE NUMBERS:

12.9 - Yards per rushing play by the Wildcats.

13 - Tackles for loss, a season-high by the UK defense.

17-15 - Kentucky's lead in the all-time series against Louisville.

284 - Rushing yards by Lynn Bowden Jr., the most ever by an SEC quarterback and the 11th-highest figure by any league runner.

517 - Rushing yards by the Cats are the most by an FBS team against an FBS opponent this season.

1979 - The last time UK kept every opponent in the regular season under 30 points.

1938-39 - The last time UK scored 45-plus points against an opponent (Oglethorpe) in back to back seasons. The Cats have outscored the Cards 101-23 the last two years.

QUOTABLE:

"I've told you over and over again how much of a joy they have been to coach. And that's not just lip service, it's the truth. This is a week during Thanksgiving that there's a lot of thanks out there and a lot to be grateful for, and our team has been grateful this week. We talked about that and having really good hearts all week and being grateful for the opportunity. They did that." -- UK head coach Mark Stoops

UP NEXT:

Kentucky now awaits its bowl bid, which should be made official on Dec. 8. Speculation has the Cats playing in either the Music City Bowl in Nashville or the Belk Bowl in Charlotte.

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