Just because Louisville seems to be long-removed from its offensive behemoths of recent years doesn’t mean it’s gotten any easier for the UK defense to cover the Cards.

The Louisville offense may have taken a step back at the quarterback position, but the rest of the skill positions still present plenty of challenges for the Cats. Running back Victor Anderson and wide receivers Josh Chichester and Doug Beaumont are all established gamebreakers.

“Offensively, we all know what kind of skilled weapons they have,” UK head coach Rich Brooks said.

Chichester, a 6-foot-8 wide receiver, is a nightmare matchup for any corner. Beaumont, a junior, has impressive speed that suits his diminutive frame. Anderson, a sophomore, rushed for over 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns last year en route to being named Big East Rookie of the Year.

“He’s a guy who can take it the distance on you,” Brooks said. “I think their running game is very dangerous.”

All that combined means there’s still plenty for the Cats to be worried about in their biggest rivalry game of the year. This year’s game, in which the Cats are favored, is more than a little bit of a role reversal from previous seasons.

But the game’s importance still isn’t lost on Brooks and several of the UK players who are Kentucky natives. Sophomore offensive guard Stuart Hines, from Bowling Green, said this game would be especially disappointing to lose because of the rivalry implications.

Hines has plenty of friends who attend Louisville, and he said he’s been talking with them in recent days about the game.

“I’ve got some buddies that went to Louisville,” Hines said. “They told me they’d be rooting for me, but they’d be rooting for Louisville at the same time. So I said, ‘How are you going to do that?’ ”

BOGUE LIVING THE DREAM

It took four years for senior tight end Ross Bogue to make his first career reception. But when it happened against Miami of Ohio in the season opener, it was everything he could have hoped for and more.

“It was a thrill,” Bogue said. “I’ve been waiting around for a long time.”

Bogue was considered a surprise choice to open the season as the starting tight end after spending three years as a special teams player. Even he admits he mostly won the job because incumbent starter T.C. Drake missed over two weeks of fall camp with a groin injury. When that happened, Bogue impressed the coaches while taking snaps with the first-team offense.

Because of that, Bogue knows he’ll be battling all year for snaps at tight end. He sees the Cats eventually using Drake, himself and senior Maurice Grinter every game. That gives him plenty of motivation to keep proving himself to the coaches, even as he lives it up as the starter.

“I’m enjoying it as I go and I’m working hard,” Bogue said. “It’s kind of like earning a spot each week and that’s how we’re taking it. Nothing is given and that’s how we go week by week.”

INJURY UPDATE

Senior fullback John Conner is still listed as questionable for this weekend’s game, Brooks said at his Monday news conference. Conner sprained an ankle in a preseason scrimmage and missed the season opener.

Junior wide receiver Kyrus Lanxter is considered doubtful for the Louisville game after pulling a hamstring in a one-on-one drill in practice on Wednesday.

Sophomore linebacker Danny Trevathan is expected to play against Louisville with a cast on his arm. He played against Miami of Ohio with the same injury and had a pin inserted in the arm after the season opener.

“It’s a pain tolerance thing,” Brooks said.