Fasten your seat belts, for this year's Cats-Cards clash figures to be an up-and-down, run-and-gun, high-flying, death-defying, scoreboard-crashing, feeding frenzy of post-Thanksgiving fireworks.
What's that? You say this isn't Kentucky-Louisville basketball?
Nope, it's the Governor's Cup.
Indeed, fans of the punting game might have to look elsewhere for entertainment when UK and U of L hook up at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Cardinal Stadium on ESPN2. This year's renewal of the state's top football rivalry could well be a Saturday night shootout.
Why in their tune-up game for Cats-Cards, Louisville demolished Duke 62-22 on Thursday night in Durham before Kentucky cranked up the points machine to bury New Mexico State 56-16 at Kroger Field on Saturday. Louisville's total yards in its win: 687. Kentucky's total yards in its win: 707.
More numbers: Louisville is averaging 33.0 points per game. Kentucky is averaging 31.8 points per game.
Louisville's quarterback is Malik Cunningham, he of the Lamar Jackson comparisons. True, there is and will be only one Lamar. But Cunningham is pulling off an impressive impersonation. For the season, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound senior from Montgomery, Ala., has thrown 2,589 yards and 18 touchdowns and rushed for 933 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Against Duke, Cunningham became only the second Power Five quarterback to throw for 300 yards and rush for 200 more in the same game. Through the air, Cunningham was 18-for-25 for 303 yards and five touchdowns. On the ground, Cunningham ran 11 times for 224 yards and two scores, including a 72-yard magical mystery tour through the Blue Devil defense sure to make all those season wrap-up highlight reels.
Kentucky's quarterback is Will Levis, he of the peculiar eating habits — eating brown bananas is one thing; putting mayo in your coffee is quite another. The 6-3, 232-pound junior from Madison, Conn., has thrown for 2,444 yards and 23 touchdowns. He has rushed for 274 yards and five more scores.
Plus, the Penn State transfer with the power arm is coming off a 419-yard passing effort against New Mexico State. That's the first 400-yard passing day by a UK quarterback since Andre Woodson was slinging it for Rich Brooks back in 2008.
Both teams can ground-and-pound, should the occasion arise. Kentucky's Chris Rodriguez has rushed for 1,117 yards and seven touchdowns. Louisville's Jalen Mitchell has rushed for 669 yards and five scores.
Kentucky's dynamic duo of receivers shredded on Saturday. Wan'Dale Robinson caught eight balls for 181 yards, including a 79-yarder. Josh Ali caught seven balls for 164 yards, including a 62-yarder. Louisville boasts a stable of speedsters, including Jalen Watkins (15.4 yards per catch), Ahmari Huggins-Bruce (15.4 yards per catch) and emerging sophomore Tyler Harrell (a ridiculous 31.64 yards on 14 catches).
Get this: Louisville has produced not one but two plays of over 90 yards this season — a 93-yard Cunningham-to-Huggins-Bruce connection against Eastern Kentucky and a 92-yard Cunningham-to-Harrell connection against Virginia. Louisville has produced nine offensive plays go for 50-plus yards this season; Kentucky has produced seven.
Then you have the play-callers. Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield is a former Appalachian State quarterback whose quick-tempo offenses are known for stacking up stats. Kentucky's Liam Coen is a former UMass quarterback now first-year Power Five offensive coordinator straight out of Compton, er, Los Angeles, where he studied at the feet of Sean McVay.
Wait, wait, UK's Ali would like a timeout for a brief word.
"I don't think our defense is going to be the same as the Duke defense," the senior receiver said on Saturday.
True, Kentucky ranks 27th nationally in total defense for coordinator Brad White, allowing 335.7 yards per game. Louisville ranks 77th nationally for coordinator Bryan Brown, allowing 391.8 yards per game. The Cardinals have shown improvement on that side of the line, however, allowing just three points to Syracuse and 22 to Duke in their last two games.
Still, under the lights on Saturday night in River City, defensive stops might be hard to come by. This year's Governor's Cup figures to be all about the points.
