Louisville edges Kentucky in thriller
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Louisville, KY (SportsNetwork.com) - Brandon Radcliff ran for a 4-yard touchdown with 2:47 remaining in the fourth quarter to lift 24th-ranked Louisville to a 44-40 win over Kentucky on Saturday.
Kyle Bolin threw three touchdown passes to DeVante Parker in relief of injured Cardinals quarterback Reggie Bonnafon. Bolin finished with 381 yards and one interception on 21-of-31 passing for Louisville (9-3), which posted its fourth straight win over Kentucky (5-7).
"The fourth quarter was a little bit wild but we found a way to win," said Louisville coach Bobby Petrino. "That's the important thing. I'm really proud of Kyle Bolin, to come in that situation and work hard and complete passes and compete. I think that's one of the things you could really see is how hard he was competing."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Stanley Williams rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries for the Wildcats, who ended the season on a six-game skid to miss out on a bowl game.
"Obviously I am very disappointed in the outcome of this game. Disappointed for our seniors to come up short in such an important game for us," said Kentucky coach Mark Stoops. "I was proud of how our team fought. We played with great energy, great passion, and we really did a lot of great things. Give Louisville credit. They made plays when they had to, to win the football game and they beat us."
Patrick Towles completed 14-of-29 passes for 176 yards and threw two interceptions, the second pick sealing Kentucky's fate.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Parker ended Louisville's first drive of the second half with a 33-yard TD grab, but Kentucky scored 13 straight points to go up 33-28.
Austin MacGinnis kicked a 40-yard field goal following a Michael Dyer fumble late in the third quarter, then made a 27-yarder with 9:48 to play.
Alvin Dupree, who forced the Dyer fumble, stripped Bolin on the second play of the next Louisville drive. Mike Douglas made the recovery and scored on a 30- yard return.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bolin came back with a 45-yard TD pass to Parker, and an unsuccessful 2-point try left the score 34-33 in favor of the Cardinals.
John Wallace kicked a 36-yard field goal following a Towles interception to make it 37-33 with 6:30 left.
However, Kentucky went back on top 59 seconds later. Towles threw passes of 50 and 11 yards to set up Williams' 14-yard TD run.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Radcliff then capped off a seven-play, 81-yard drive before Gerod Holliman picked off Towles' 4th-down pass to seal the win.
A.J. Stamps picked off Bonnafon's deep pass on the second Louisville drive, and 43-yard run by Williams helped set up a 22-yard MacGinnis field goal.
MacGinnis drilled a 45-yarder to cap the next Kentucky possession, and the Wildcats got the ball back in excellent field position following a big play on special teams.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Javess Blue blocked a punt, then made a first down-saving tackle on the punter Ryan Johnson, who scooped up the ball.
Williams scored on an 11-yard run to give Kentucky a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter.
The Cardinals battled back to go up 14-13.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bonnafon suffered a left knee injury on a second-down run during the subsequent Louisville drive. Bolin threw a 10-yard pass to Eli Rogers to convert a 3rd-and-7, then hooked up with Parker for a 45-yard touchdown on the next play.
The Cardinals moved ahead on a 3-yard touchdown run by Dyer, but Fred Tiller picked off Bolin and his 40-yard return put Kentucky back on top at 20-14 with 3:30 remaining in the second.
However, Radcliff got in on the third try from the 1 to send Louisville into halftime with a 21-20 lead.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Game Notes
The Wildcats haven't beaten a ranked team on the road since a 22-17 win over these same Cardinals on Sept. 1, 2002 ... Parker finished with 180 yards on six catches ... Radcliff had 67 yards on 21 carries.