Kentucky–Louisville football rivalry
Kentucky Wildcats
Louisville Cardinals
SportFootball
First meetingOctober 26, 1912
Kentucky, 41–0
Latest meetingNovember 25, 2023
Kentucky, 38–31
Next meetingNovember 30, 2024 (Lexington)
StadiumsKentucky - Kroger Field
Louisville - L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium
TrophyThe Governor's Cup
Statistics
Meetings total35
All-time seriesKentucky, 20–15[1]
Largest victoryKentucky, 73–0 (1922)
Longest win streakKentucky, 7 (1912–1994)
Current win streakKentucky, 5 (2018–present)
🌍
Locations of Kentucky and Louisville

The Governor's Cup is a trophy awarded to the victor of the annual college football game between the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville in the commonwealth of Kentucky; it is also used as a reference to the rivalry itself.[2]

History

Though the teams first played in 1912,[2] they only played six times until the rivalry was suspended after the 1924 season and wasn't renewed for another 70 years. The rivalry resumed in 1994 with a new Governor's Cup trophy which has been awarded every year since.

Kentucky leads the series 20–15.[2] Since the modern series started in 1994, Louisville leads 15–14. From 1994 to 2006, the game was played on the opening weekend of the college football season. In 2007, the game was moved to the third game of the season when played in Lexington but remained the first game when played in Louisville. Starting in 2014, which marked Louisville's inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Governor's Cup became the last game of the regular season for both teams on Thanksgiving weekend,[3] which coincided with several other ACC-SEC same-state rivalries.[4]

Because the Southeastern Conference, of which Kentucky is a member, decided to play a conference-only schedule for 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition of the Governor's Cup game was canceled.[5] The rivalry will continue until at least the 2030 season with Kentucky hosting in even years and Louisville hosting in odd years.[6]

Notable games

September 2, 2000: In the only overtime game in series history, Louisville outlasted Kentucky to win 40–34. A walk-off touchdown from running back Tony Stallings would seal the game for the Cardinals.[7]

November 26, 2016: Kentucky upsets #11 Louisville in a shootout. Kentucky recovered a fumble by Heisman candidate Lamar Jackson with 1:45 to go in the game. Kentucky would kick a field goal to win the game 41–38.[8] Lamar Jackson would go on to the win the Heisman Trophy.[9]

November 25, 2023: Kentucky upsets #10 Louisville. Louisville had hopes for the national championship and was a 7.5 point favorite. This game extends Kentuckys dominance to 5 in a row and 6 of the last 7 meetings. [10]

Game results

Kentucky victoriesLouisville victoriesTie games

Howard Schnellenberger Award

The 2010 game was the inaugural year for the award. The award is given to the Most Valuable Player on the winning team by the Louisville Sports Commission. It is named for Howard Schnellenberger, who played under Bear Bryant for Kentucky and was Louisville's head coach when the modern football rivalry began in 1994.

Date Player Team Position Statistics References
September 4, 2010 Derrick Locke Kentucky RB 23 carries, 104 yards, 2 TDs, 3 receptions, 21 yards; 1 kickoff return, 23 yards [11]
September 17, 2011 Dexter Heyman Louisville LB 12 tackles & 1 forced fumble [12]
September 2, 2012 Teddy Bridgewater Louisville QB 19/21, 232 yards [13]
September 14, 2013Teddy Bridgewater Louisville QB 16/28, 250 yards, 1 TD
November 29, 2014 DeVante Parker Louisville WR 6 catches, 180 yards, 3 TD
November 28, 2015 Lamar Jackson Louisville QB 8/21, 130 yards, 1 TD; 17 carries, 186 yards, 2 TDs
November 26, 2016 Stephen Johnson Kentucky QB 16/27, 338 yards, 3 TDs; 8 carries, 83 yards [14]
November 25, 2017Lamar Jackson Louisville QB 15/21, 216 yards, 2 TDs; 18 carries, 156 yards
November 24, 2018 Terry Wilson Kentucky QB 17/23, 261 yards, 3 TDs; 10 carries, 79 yards, 1 TD [15]
November 30, 2019 Lynn Bowden Kentucky QB 1/2, 4 yards; 22 carries, 284 yards, 4 TDs [16]
November 27, 2021 Will Levis Kentucky QB 14/18, 149 yards; 14 carries, 113 yards, 4 TDs [17]
November 26, 2022 Matt Ruffolo Kentucky K 4-4 FG 43 Long, 2-2 PAT
November 25, 2023 J. J. Weaver Kentucky LB 2 fumble recoveries, 8 solo tackles, 1 sack [18]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Winsipedia - Kentucky Wildcats vs. Louisville Cardinals football series history". Winsipedia.
  2. 1 2 3 "Louisville Cardinals vs. Kentucky Wildcats - Recap - September 17, 2011". ESPN. 2011-09-17. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  3. ↑ Mallory, Laurel (21 August 2013). "Governor's Cup moved to last game of season starting 2014 - wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather & Sports". Wave3.com. Retrieved 2015-03-06.
  4. ↑ "Louisville vs. Kentucky Governor's Cup football series extended through 2022". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  5. ↑ Robinson, Cameron Teague; Hal, Jon (July 30, 2020). "Governor's Cup put on hold after SEC goes with conference-only scheduling model". Courier Journal. Louisville. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  6. ↑ Hale, Jon. "In response to 2020 cancellation, Kentucky-Louisville agree to extend football rivalry". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  7. ↑ Black, Ryan (November 21, 2023). "5 memorable games between Louisville and Kentucky since the Governor's Cup rivalry resumed". Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  8. ↑ "Kentucky beats No. 11 Louisville 41-38 after Jackson fumble". ESPN. November 26, 2016. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  9. ↑ "HEISMAN TROPHY WINNERS LIST". Heisman.com. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  10. ↑ "Ray Davis has 3 TDs, Kentucky tops No. 9 Louisville 38-31 to win fifth consecutive Governor's Cup". ESPN. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  11. ↑ "Kentucky Wildcats vs. Louisville Cardinals - Box Score - September 04, 2010". ESPN. 2010-09-04. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
  12. ↑ Archived March 25, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ "UofL QB Teddy Bridgewater earns Howard Schnellenberger MVP award | WHAS11.com Louisville". Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Kentucky Wildcats vs. Louisville Cardinals - Box Score - November 26, 2016". ESPN. 2016-11-26. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
  15. ↑ "Kentucky Wildcats vs. Louisville Cardinals - Box Score - November 24, 2018". ESPN. 2019-11-30. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
  16. ↑ "Kentucky Wildcats vs. Louisville Cardinals - Box Score - November 30, 2019". ESPN. 2019-11-30. Retrieved 2019-11-30.
  17. ↑ "Kentucky Wildcats vs. Louisville Cardinals - Box Score - November 27, 2021". ESPN. 2021-11-27. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
  18. ↑ "J.J. WEAVER EARNS 14TH ANNUAL HOWARD SCHNELLENBERGER MVP AWARD". LouisvilleSports.org. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
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