Andre Woodson knocks off No. 9 Cardinals
LEXINGTON, Ky. - With one perfectly thrown pass, Andre Woodson erased years of agony against Brian Brohm and turned Kentucky's border battle with Louisville into a real rivalry again.
Andre Woodson threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Steve Johnson with 28 seconds left, and Kentucky shocked the No. 9 Cardinals 40-34 Saturday night.
It was the Wildcats' first victory over a top-10 team in three decades - since they beat Penn State in 1977 - and halted Kentucky's four-year losing streak to Louisville (2-1). It also ended Andre Woodson's even longer skid against Brian Brohm, a nemesis since high school.
"Finally the right team won," Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said. "It had more twists and turns than a Dickens novel."
Kentucky (3-0) was about to lose its fifth in a row to its in-state rival after being pushed back because of a personal foul penalty. Then Johnson zipped past the Cardinals' secondary and Andre Woodson nailed him in stride.
"The only thing going through my head is, 'Stevie, please catch the ball,'" Andre Woodson said. "Once he caught it, I knew."
Andre Woodson completed 30 of 44 passes for 275 yards and four TDs as he beat Brian Brohm, a rival dating to high school, for the first time. The two are among the nation's top quarterback prospects, so if they meet again, it could be in the NFL.
"What a great throw," Kentucky tight end Jacob Tamme said. "It had to be done, and he did it."
Johnson called Andre Woodson a "big-time player."
Brian Brohm showed he was big-time, too. He was 28-for-43 for 366 yards and two TDs and he led a late drive that put the Cardinals in position to win.
But his last-second desperation attempt was deflected and caught by Harry Douglas at the 10, but the receiver couldn't get into the end zone and time expired.
Harry Douglas had a career-high 13 catches for 223 yards, his sixth straight game topping 100 yards.
Kentucky was ahead 33-28 with 6 minutes left when Brian Brohm began an 84-yard drive that ended in Anthony Allen's 2-yard plunge. It was the second touchdown for Allen, who had 96 yards rushing.
"We did give them quite a bit of time to go down and score," Brian Brohm said. "They made a play and did a great job. We gave them too many opportunities."
Andre Woodson went another game without throwing an interception, extending his streak of passes without one to 257. That broke the Southeastern Conference record set by Georgia's David Greene in 2004 and is 14 short of Trent Dilfer's NCAA mark.
Louisville's offensive line was one of only three in the country that didn't allow a sack through the first two games, but Kentucky got to Brian Brohm three times.
Kentucky would have had a fourth sack, halting Brian Brohm deep in his own territory, but a 15-yard personal foul penalty on Wildcats cornerback Trevard Lindley negated that and gave Brian Brohm another chance. He took advantage, firing a 42-yarder to Harry Douglas, who later scored from 3 yards out.
Brian Brohm led the Cardinals down the field on their next possession, setting up a 10-yard run by Allen that put them in front for the first time, 21-19.
Andre Woodson answered during the first drive of the second half, leading the Wildcats 78 yards. John Conner scored on a 7-yard slant.
Kentucky barely had a chance to celebrate regaining the lead. Louisville's Trent Guy took the kickoff 100 yards to put the Cardinals back on top.
Guy's third career TD return - first on a kickoff - was a makeup play for his mistake in the opening seconds that gave the Wildcats early momentum. He fumbled the opening kick, setting up a Kentucky field goal.
That and an interception by Lindley helped give Kentucky an early 13-0 lead.
"At no point in time was there panic on the sideline," Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe said.
Brooks said the victory was relief and he would be shocked if the Wildcats don't enter the Top 25 next week.
"We've had our heads slammed too many times in a row," he said. "I think now the rivalry is back."
other Louisville Cardinals NCAA college football DVDs
other Kentucky Wildcats NCAA college football DVDs
NFL football DVDs /
NCAA college football DVDs /
NBA basketball DVDs /
Major League Baseball DVDs /
NFL Europe DVDs /
XFL football DVDs /
Super Bowl DVDs /
NFL draft DVDs /
Canadian football CFL DVDs /
USFL football DVDs /
Arena football AFL DVDs /
World Leage WLAF football DVDs /
Japanese baseball DVDs /
NCAA college basketball DVDs /
NHL hockey DVDs /
Olympics hockey DVDs /
other DVDs /
contact
this site does not support or condone the sale of sports telecasts in any form