Way too early Louisville football game-by-game predictions

at Kentucky

November 30th

Louisville’s matchup with Kentucky to close out the 2019 season will be one that I believe could be a program changer. Win, and you go to a bowl game, even when everyone said it was impossible and it looked like it was going to be years before you competed at a high level again.

While losing won’t necessarily change much about the trajectory of the program, it gives your arch rival another year of bragging rights and also allows them to say they prevented you from going bowling.

Unfortunately, with what we know right now, the latter is the more likely outcome.

Though Kentucky loses two of the programs top players in history in DE/OLB Josh Allen and RB Benny Snell, as well as 12 total starters from last year’s 10-win team, they are in good shape to continue their upward climb into SEC relevance.

Quarterback Terry Wilson returns for another season, as does his top playmaking Lynn Bowden giving Kentucky a dynamic duo. Defensively the team returns Kash Daniel (who’s probably throwing up his lame L’s down somewhere) as well as defensive end Josh Paschal and tackle Quinton Bohanna.

By no means should this game be a blowout like it was last year. Kentucky’s offense will be good, but nothing like what they were behind Benny Snell’s power rushing, which will allow for Louisville to have a chance at keeping the score close. The Cards will need to keep their composure and not let the expected antics of the Cats get under their skin, something that we’ve seen in the past, but under Satterfield, I wouldn’t expect that to be an issue.

Speaking of which, Scott Satterfield will get his first taste of the Battle of the Bluegrass rivalry in 2019. There’s likely nothing during his time at App State that came close to comparing to this matchup, one that features a lot of hate and animosity amongst the fanbase and with that being said I expect him to bring it big time.

Trick plays, wrinkles, big plays, etc. will be on full display but not enough to mess with the flow of the offense and defense. In games like this the new staff will be thoroughly prepared and won’t the noise of the rivalry effect them, unlike the last staff, but this year it’ll be extremely challenging to try and overcome the talent and momentum that the Cats have.

But if somehow Satterfield does the unthinkable and leads his program to an “upset” of the Cats, and a bowl birth all in year one, the tone of the fanbase will go from hopeful of a bright future, to win now.

I don’t see it in year one, though I believe the game will go down to the wire where the experience of the Cats will prevail.

Prediction: Louisville 27, Kentucky 34

Record: 5-7