It felt like the end of the first half, and I think a lot of Louisville’s offensive mistakes were a product of execution on the field.

There were two big plays in the second half. In real overtaking situations, multiple routes were executed for the win.

I think the offensive game plan could have been pretty successful, but it wasn’t executed well.

The most disappointing thing about this game was the player’s inability to control their emotions.

Kentucky’s approach since Mark Stoops arrived has been to screw up games as much as possible with cheap shots and the like.

I know, you know, Kentucky fans know, Kirby Smart knows.

But from the jump, Louisville took Kentucky’s bait and actively participated in the fight they started.

Chris Bell, come on. For the second year in a row against England, your emotions got the better of you.

If you look at the final stats, Louisville’s two best offensive players in this game, QB Jack Plummer and RB Jauhar Jordan, honestly didn’t have a bad game and did just enough to keep Louisville in the game.

For the most part, Plummer made good decisions on throws and was active early in the run game, and his fourth down throw to Ahmari Huggins-Bruce was the best of his college career.

Jordan’s yards per carry average didn’t improve much in this game, but he helped Louisville score consistently.

However, their two second-half setbacks could not have been in vain.

In the blink of an eye, a three-point lead (momentum was beginning to shift in Kentucky’s favor) turned into a 10-point deficit, with the Wildcats firmly in control.

While they put Louisville in position to push for a win, they also put the Cardinals in a dangerous position that will play a big role in the final outcome.

Much like the last game against Miami, I liked how both Brohm and Plummer focused on spreading the ball around.

Jamari Thrash was the clear #1 WR despite a wrist injury, but UK’s defense was strained as he was primarily involved in the passing game.

Huggins-Bruce and Joey Gatewood had big moments. Jordan and Isaac Gerendo were solid options at tailback.

There were a few drops, but not many complaints from the pass-catching group.

However, there were a few routes up the middle that ended up being a yard or two short of the line for the win and should have been broken.

More on the ground.The offensive line… good.

Kentucky’s defense has gotten stronger in recent years, so winning the offense has always been difficult.

He gave up two sacks and four tackles for loss, but it sure seemed like there were more.

Tough ground games were hard to come by and Plummer seemed to get bullied easily. It wasn’t a total loss.

Now it’s time to talk about defense. I’m not just talking about what happened in this game.

Midway through the season, opponents found it very difficult to move the ball in the air or on the ground.

But something was different after the Virginia game.

I don’t know if it’s a result of a bad game plan or a lack of execution, but the defense has been poor over the last three games.

Poor situational tackles against the run and wide coverage on breakaways have now become almost the norm, which is not where the unit wants to be going into next week’s game against a top-four opponent.

Based on a great start to the game from our defensive line, I thought we were headed for a much more consistent performance than we have had in recent games.

But after stuffing the series with relative ease and holding quarterback Devin Leary steady in the first half, he didn’t play much of a role in the second half.

Running back Ray Davis was able to find more holes on the line and Leary was more comfortable.

Ashton Gillott and Cam Wilson talked early but settled down in the second half.

I understand it hurts to take Stephen Herron out, but it shouldn’t have forced Louisville to try to get behind in the second half.

One of the reasons the front seven has been so successful on offense is because the linebacker corps (and sometimes some defensive backs) are great at tackling the football and finishing ball carriers with good open field or team plays.

In the second half, some of the tackling and attempts to catch the ball were poor.

Bad form, approaches, bad cuts and caught on blocks. It didn’t just happen in games.

For some reason, this has been a recurring theme on defense over the past three games.

Benjamin Perry was actually the only player in this area who had a good game in finishing or flying the ball.In addition to the decline in the passing ability of the defense, there has also been a *huge* regression in the passing ability of the secondary.

There were too many instances where Kentucky players (wide receivers or running backs) got out of control or Louisville quarterbacks played with poor form or fundamentals.

I’m not sure what the main reason is, but Ron English and Steve Ellis need to adjust the game plan to make it easier for the players to understand and work with, and the players themselves need to be more involved.

I’m not advocating for the firing of Carl Maslowski. But at least there should be a matchup between him and Brohm this season.

Louisville’s special teams effort has fallen off a cliff in recent weeks.

The starting and blocking games have already been that way this season, with quarterback Brock Threlstead regressing and Louisville giving up a punt return for a touchdown against Kentucky at the worst possible time.

I’ll close with this thought: Yes, the Kentucky loss hurts and hurts overall fan sentiment about Brohm’s first season.

But there is still the possibility of a special season.

There’s an ACC Championship in Louisville and also a possible New Year’s Six Bowl.

A loss to the Wildcats won’t hurt the season.

But at the same time, Louisville has a lot of work to do if they don’t win one of their final two games and enter the offseason with some momentum.