Kentucky PFF Grades and Snap Counts versus Louisville
In the immortal words of Ray Davis , “It’s Ls down forever around here!” Mark Stoops and company defeated the filthy Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, salvaging what had been somewhat of a disappointing second half of the season.
And it was glorious.
ABC picked a good game to showcase on the big stage because the 3rd and 4th quarters were certifiably insane. A Barion Brown kickoff return for a touchdown, a horrific Devin Leary interception, and two beautiful Louisville fumbles turned the contest into a thriller to even the most neutral of onlookers.
Who knows what will happen between now and the bowl game, but this victory lifted the spirits of a deflated fan base, at least for the time being. We’ll have several weeks to track the coaching carousel rumors and transfer portal news, but for now, let’s bask in the glory that was Kentucky’s fifth straight win over the dirty birds.
Barion Brown backed up his smack talk
Fewer players in college football talk more trash than Barion Brown. He was even seen letting the Louisville band know what was about to go down before the game. On Saturday, he backed those words up in a big way.
On top of his game-changing kickoff return for a touchdown (his second of the season and third of his career), Barion Brown was the best receiver in a chrome helmet all day. He made a few incredible catches that moved the chains and kept Kentucky drives alive. As he might say , he knew it was cookies.
Devin Leary deserves a lot of credit for a few of Brown’s catches as well. While he once again struggled with consistency, when he was on, Leary’s passes were an absolute thing of beauty.
Two of those beauts went to “Sweet Baby” Ray Davis. The barbeque-inspired nickname never really stuck, but his record-breaking season will. He passed Benny Snell for the most touchdowns in a single season, turning his sole year in Lexington into one of the most impressive ones in Kentucky football history.
Kentucky Offensive PFF Grades and Snap Counts versus Louisville(Minimum 5 snaps)
Barion BrownWR3079.3Devin LearyQB4775Ray DavisRB3770.5Khamari AndersonTE2170.3Brenden BatesTE3569.4Izayah CummingsTE2468.2Marques CoxT4764.8Ramon JeffersonRB762.5Jeremy FlaxT4761.7Kenneth HorseyG1459.2Dane KeyWR4057.1Anthony Brown-StephensWR1655.4Dylan RayG4255.3Tayvion RobinsonWR2155Jager BurtonG3854.4Eli CoxC4752.8JJ Weaver turned in his best performance of the year when it counted
On defense, it was the JJ Weaver show. The Louisville native put in an incredible performance in front of his hometown crowd, much to the dismay of most people in attendance. Weaver recovered two fumbles, turnovers that flipped the game in Kentucky’s favor. The six-fingered team captain finished his last regular season game as a Wildcat with his highest PFF grade of the year at 80.2.
Deone Walker D’Eryk Jackson also came up huge for the ‘Cats. Walker was his normal unstoppable force inside while Jackson led the team in tackles. Most fans expected a big year for Walker, but the emergence of D’Eryk Jackson has been a welcomed surprise. If he winds up eligible for a fifth year, the ‘Cats will be just fine at the linebacker position next season.
Several other defensemen turned in above-average games as well, with players like Keeshawn Silver Josaih Hayes playing extremely well on the line. Backup cornerback, Jantzen Dunn , also came in and made some ferocious hits in limited snaps.
It was a good day to be a Wildcat.
Kentucky Defensive PFF Grades and Snap Counts versus Louisville(Minimum 5 snaps)
D’Eryk JacksonLB6782.3JJ WeaverLB6080.2Deone WalkerDT7374.1Alex AfariDB4873.8Keeshawn SilverDT2372.7Jantzen DunnCB1172.7Josaih HayesDL3772.5Zion ChildressS7671.6Kahlil SaundersDE2171.3Trevin WallaceLB7767.8Andru PhillipsCB7767Daveren RaynerLB666.9Maxwell HairstonCB7365.1Octavious OxendineDE2561.8Jalen GeigerS560.7Ty BryantS555.8Jordan LovettS7255.5Tre’von RybkaDE3353.1Keaton WadeLB4352.5Jonquis HardawayCB1339.4
