LOUISVILLE, Ky. _ It seemed only fitting that a game that started with a video montage of Muhammad Ali would turn into a prize fight.
The knock-down, drag-out affair that included five lead changes and four ties ended in a 47-yard field goal with 12 seconds to go by Austin MacGinnis. It was the junior kicker's second game-winning field goal this season and it put Kentucky up 41-38 _ the final score _ on Saturday.
If the football game between the unranked Cats and the No. 11 Cards was the main event, the undercard became a battle between two quarterbacks, with UK's Stephen Johnson amassing 338 passing yards and three touchdowns to go with eight carries for 83 yards.
Likely Heisman Trophy front-runner Lamar Jackson of Louisville had 281 yards passing with two touchdowns (and three interceptions, including one in the final second to seal the win) and 171 yards rushing with two more scores.
The career-high 338 passing yards for Johnson were the most for a UK quarterback against the Cardinals since Jared Lorenzen in 2000.
The victory snapped a five-game losing streak in the Governor's Cup to the Cardinals, who fell to 9-3.
It also was the Cats' first victory over a ranked team on the road since 2002, which also was at Louisville.
Kentucky (7-5) amassed 581 yards of total offense, including 352 passing. The Cardinals put up 561 yards of offense.
Both teams found their own special way to say good morning to the 54,075 fans at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
Just two minutes ran off the clock before the Cardinals surgically knifed through the Cats defense, first with a 42-yard pass to open the game, then a 20-yard slant pass.
Two straight Brandon Radcliff runs set up a 19-yard score for Jackson, helping the quarterback set an Atlantic Coast Conference record for touchdowns in a season.
On its first play of the game, Kentucky's Johnson found Garrett Johnson for a 75-yard scoring pass to even it up, 7-7. It was a career long for Garrett Johnson and a UK long for Stephen Johnson.
Boom Williams' 36-yard zig-zagging run through the Louisville defense put UK up 14-7 with four minutes left in the first quarter.
Louisville responded with a 12-play, 70-yard drive that ended in an 18-yard pass to a wide-open Reggie Bonnafon in the left corner of the Kentucky end zone.
On its next go-around, the Kentucky defense held the Cardinals to three points, on a 19-yard field goal by Blanton Creque, to make it 17-14 Louisville midway through the second quarter.
A Trumaine Washington interception late in the second quarter helped set up an 18-yard shovel pass from Jackson to Hikutini to put the Cardinals up 24-14. Opponents have now scored 106 points off Cats miscues this season.
That didn't last long. On the second play of the next drive, Stephen Johnson again found Garrett Johnson for another long pass, this one for 63 yards to pull within three points, 24-21, with two minutes left in the half.
There was plenty of back-and-forth in the final two minutes, but that was the final tally going into the locker room with the Cats being outgained 338-296 by the Cardinals.
Jackson threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 50 yards and another score before the break.
Kentucky grabbed the lead back, 28-24, on its opening drive of the second half. Benny Snell needed a few inches for a first down and took about 18 yards for the touchdown.
The UK freshman had been mostly quiet in the first half, rushing for just 6 yards on four carries and catching his first career pass for 28 yards.
Louisville punched back, also going 75 yards on its opening series, and getting in the end zone on a 3-yard run by Jeremy Smith to reclaim the lead, 31-28, six minutes into the second half.
The Cats took several long shots to senior Ryan Timmons in the corner to try and go back up, but the Cardinals secondary made some big plays to force a 35-yard game-tying field goal from MacGinnis late in the third quarter.
A Mike Edwards interception of Jackson, the safety's second in as many games and second of the season, helped set up another big touchdown pass for Johnson, this time a 35-yarder to Dorian Baker, his first catch of the game.
Kentucky's secondary got yet another big play, this time a pick for senior Blake McClain when it went through the hands of a Louisville receiver. The Cats failed to convert this time, though.
A short punt gave Louisville and Jackson great field position and the quarterback made the Cats pay with a 1-yard touchdown run to even it up again, 38-38.
Two plays spelled disaster for Kentucky, first Williams appeared to injure his leg at midfield and then Snell fumbled at midfield with 5:42 to play. Louisville recovered.
But the Cardinals had a fumble of their own inside Kentucky's 20-yard line, which was recovered by Courtney Love. Kentucky then drove to MacGinnis' game-winner.
