Opponent Preview: Kentucky
September 13, 2013 | Football
Sept. 13, 2013
Preview Kentucky
Kentucky The Wildcats come into Saturday with a 1-1 record on the year. Kentucky posted its first victory over the year, and the first of the Mark Stoops era, when it defeated Miami (OH), 41-7. The Wildcats' quarterbacking duo of Maxwell Smith and Jalen Whitlow combined for 413 passing yards for three touchdowns and Whitlow rushed for 48 yards and a score. The Wildcats opened the year with a 35-26 loss to Western Kentucky.
Stoops came to Kentucky in the summer after serving as Florida State's defensive coordinator. He also held the position at Arizona. During the 2012 season, the Seminoles' defense finished second in total defense, allowing just 254.1 yards per game while having eight defensive players earn All-ACC honors.
Louisville-Kentucky Series History
Saturday serves as the 26th meeting between Louisville and Kentucky in the battle for the Governor's Cup. The series first started in 1912. While Kentucky holds a 14-11 series advantage, Louisville has won the last two games. The Cardinals' posted a decisive 32-14 decision last year in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and registered a 24-17 win at Commonwealth Stadium to snap the Wildcat's series winning streak. In addition to winning the last two contests, the Cardinals have been the recipients of the last two Howard Schnellenberger Award. Dexter Heyman won it in 2011 after posting 12 tackles and one forced fumble, and Teddy Bridgewater took it in 2012 following a 19-of-21 performance for 232 yards. The Schnellenberger award was created in 2010, naming it after the former Kentucky player and Louisville head coach. The Cardinals are 3-2 when coming into the game ranked in the AP poll.
Offense
Kentucky runs the "Air Raid" offense, which spreads the field and hurries to the line. The Wildcats feature two quarterbacks, Maxwell Smith and Jalen Whitlow. Smith is the pocket passer and was the Wildcats' 2012 starter before an injury ended his season after four games. In 2013, Smith has completed 63.9 percent of his passes for 435 yards with four touchdowns. Whitlow, the other quarterback Kentucky will use, is athletic and runs the ball. Last year, Whitlow started the final seven games after the injury to Smith. This season, Whitlow has completed 74.1 percent of his passes for 181 yards, while rushing the ball 14 times for 123 yards and two scores. Senior Raymond Sanders is the leading rusher for the Wildcats, with 20 attempts for 137 yards, one touchdown, and 6.8 yards per carry. At receiver, junior Javess Blue leads the team in catches (nine), yards (139), and is tied for touchdowns (one).
Defense
Coach Mark Stoops and defensive coordinator D.J. Elliot use a base 4-3 defense that likes to blitz in a variety of ways. Third-team All-SEC player Alvin Dupree and Za'Darius Smith lead Kentucky on the defensive line. Dupree has 10 tackles on the year, including one sack, one quarterback hurry and two tackles for loss. Smith leads the Kentucky defense with four sacks, including three last game against Miami (OH). Smith has 11 tackles and one quarterback hurry on the year. Senior and third-team All-SEC player Avery Williams is the team leader in tackles with 20. Kentucky has a young secondary that features four juniors and no seniors. Cornerback Nate Willis has a team-best two break ups and two pass deflections on the year.
Special Teams
Senior Joe Mansour handles the Wildcats' kickoffs and field goal duties. He is entering his first year handling the placekicker role. This year he is 4-for-4 on field goals with a long of 30 yards. On 13 total kickoffs, Mansour has seven touchbacks and opponents are averaging a starting position of the 24-yard line. Landon Foster, who is handling the punting duties and earned freshman league honors last year, averaged 42.9 yards per punt in 2012. This year, Foster is averaging 42.1 yards per punt with a long of 58 yards. Javess Blue, Daryl Collins and Demarco Robinson handle the punt return duties, averaging 8.7 yards per return with a long of 33 yards. Demarco Robinson, who serves as the team's kickoff returner, averages 28.2 yards a return and has a long of 39.
