By Joshua Huff

jhuff@kykernel.com

UK was a dropped interception away from defeating Louisville and leaving Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium with the Governor’s Trophy hoisted on its shoulders and a trip to a bowl game on the horizon.

However, just as unpredictable as the whipping winds blowing throughout the stadium, the Cardinals turned what would typically be a routine interception into the games’ winning touchdown behind the deadly accurate arm of Louisville third-string quarterback, Kyle Bolin.

“There are several plays that are really going to haunt us,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said. “And again that’s what happens. They made the plays and we came up short. We had the opportunities down the stretch and throughout the whole game, down to the bitter end there. We had opportunities to change the game.”

No bigger opportunity came when Bolin threw a deep ball to DeVante Parker late in the fourth with UK holding onto a slim three-point lead. Parker fell down as the ball soared over his head into the waiting arms of UK’s Marcus McWilson. But, almost as a testament to how UK’s season has gone, the ball slipped through his hands giving Louisville the ball back with less than five minutes to play in the game.

The Cardinals proceeded to march into the end zone, taking the lead and the game, 44-40.

“Big time players have got to make plays,” UK senior Bud Dupree said about the dropped interception.

One player who didn’t make plays for UK was its own quarterback Patrick Towles. Towles was an anemic 14-for-29 with two interceptions, no touchdowns and failed to steer the Cats down the field on a potentially game-winning drive with less than two minutes left in the game.

His poor play resulted in the coaches nearly yanking him for backup Reese Phillips.

“There are throws and there are plays that he has to be better at,” Stoops said. “You know, the easy, the quick throws and the plays that we’re counting on that are an extension of our run game that has to be on the money.”

Missed reads, shoe-tip throws and the inability to throw the ball down the field early in the game, doomed the Cats as the offense once again road the coattails of a defense who had to contend with the unlikeliest of players, Bolin.

With Louisville’s starting quarterback, Reggie Bonnafon, injured early in the second quarter, unheralded three-stringer Bolin took over the reins down 13-0 and on his second pass threw a 45-yard bomb to Parker for the first of Bolin’s three touchdowns.

However, as any third-stringer would, Bolin made mistakes. An interception and fumble, which were both ran in for touchdowns by UK, kept the Cats alive. Although, UK’s inability to remain consistent on offense sends UK home with a long offseason looming.

“This is going to be with us until we strap it up again in August,” Towles said. “So this is going to be real motivating for the weight room and stuff like that.”

So the story ends for a UK team that started off the season with unprecedented success and finished the season riding a six-game losing streak with the last loss coming against UK’s biggest rival.

“It sucks,” Towles said, “It sucks, growing up a Kentucky fan this is the game you grow up dreaming about playing. We had an opportunity and I didn’t get it done today and we’ve got to go back to work. So I will get it done next year.”