No. 12 Louisville edges rival Kentucky

“I don’t feel like we escaped with one,” quarterback Brian Brohm said. “I feel we earned it.”

Michael Bush rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns and Elvis Dumervil added a school-record six sacks as No. 12 Louisville held off Kentucky 31-24 on Sunday.

Louisville has dominated Kentucky with six wins in seven years, but didn’t get its usual double-digit romp — something the Cardinals accomplished four times since 1999.

“It felt good to come into Lexington and get a win,” Brohm said. “This is what it’s all about. Come in, get a victory and start 1-0.”

Louisville led 28-7 at halftime, but Kentucky rallied within 31-24 and reached the Louisville 2-yard line with 6:21 left before Louisville linebacker Brandon Johnson recovered a fumble by Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson — Woodson’s third lost fumble of the game.

“I did a horrible job with ball security,” Woodson said.

Kentucky coach Rich Brooks thought Woodson was down and said the game should have been stopped for officials to review the play using instant replay, which the Southeastern Conference is allowing this season. Officials chose not to do so.

Bush helped the Cardinals maintain possession the rest of the way.

“I think we were up pretty handily and some guys got a little complacent,” said Brohm, who was 19-of-27 passing for 179 yards and rushed for two touchdowns in his first collegiate start. “We didn’t have as much energy and didn’t execute like we needed to, and that contributed to Kentucky getting back into the game.”

Louisville opened with a 13-play, 76-yard touchdown drive, capped by Brohm’s 1-yard run, but Kentucky — coming off a 2-9 season — answered by covering 80 yards in 10 plays, with Arliss Beach scoring on a 6-yard run to tie it.

Louisville’s offense kept rolling, while Kentucky managed only two first downs the rest of the half. The Cardinals went ahead 14-7, ending a 77-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Brohm on the first play of the second quarter.

Fumbles by Woodson, both forced by Dumervil, set up the next two scores. Dumervil appeared to return the second fumble 33 yards for a touchdown, but officials ruled he was down at the spot of the recovery after reviewing the play.

Dumervil had four sacks in the first half and added two more after the break. The previous school record for sacks in a game was five, set by Mike Flores against Murray State in 1990.

“I just try to use my speed and quickness and come off the edge,” Dumervil said. “In the offseason, I studied tapes of Dwight Freeney and Derrick Thomas. I try to mirror my game after those guys. I was happy getting six sacks, but it was all about the win.”

Woodson, a sophomore making his second career start, went 17-of-27 for 278 yards and two touchdowns. The first, a 21-yarder to Scott Mitchell, made it 28-17 in the third quarter. The second, a 15-yard strike to tight end Jacob Tamme with 11:52 left, pulled the Wildcats to 31-24.

Tamme then partially blocked a Louisville punt, giving Kentucky possession at the Louisville 33 with 7:21 left. The Wildcats quickly reached the 7, but on the next play, Woodson fumbled and Johnson recovered.

“We’re a young team, and we played like it,” Brooks said. “You can’t beat a good football team by fumbling the ball three times and turning it over to them.

“I only hope we can learn from this game and get better.”

Louisville coach Bobby Petrino expressed similar sentiments.

“We feel like we came in very well-prepared, played real well early, and then we have to find out why we weren’t as successful in the second half,” Petrino said.

“That’s how rivalry games are supposed to be, and we felt like, coming in here, it was going to be a great battle. So we’re certainly glad to get out of here with a ‘W.'”