CINCINNATI -- Brian Brohm and a maligned defense kept
Louisville's season from going down the drain.
Brohm threw three touchdown passes and made a gutsy,
game-turning 51-yard completion Saturday night, rallying Louisville
to a 28-24 victory over No. 15 Cincinnati that showed the Cardinals
aren't done yet.
"It was a great job by our players," coach Steve Kragthorpe
said. "People were really down on them. They said some bad things
about them."
Brohm changed the conversation with a nearly flawless
performance. The senior quarterback with the pro-style touch made
the big plays and avoided interceptions against a defense that led
the nation in coaxing them.
"He's a Heisman Trophy candidate for a reason," Cincinnati
safety Haruki Nakamura said. "He makes big plays in big games. He
led his team really well."
Brohm's daring 51-yard completion to Harry Douglas set up the
go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, completing a comeback
that might have saved Louisville's season.
Louisville (4-3, 1-1 Big East) brought the Keg of Nails, a
quirky keepsake that has spent most of the last 10 years in
Kentucky. The Cardinals have won the last five games against
Cincinnati and nine of the last 10, proof that the rivals are
separated by more than just 105 miles of interstate.
The Bearcats' best start since 1954 ended against the one team
they still can't beat.
Cincinnati (6-1, 1-1) led the nation in turnover margin, but got
the worst of it. The Bearcats fumbled twice inside the Louisville
20-yard line, and one of the nation's most porous defenses held
them to a field goal after a first-and-goal from the 2 in the
fourth quarter.
"Our defense was tired of the criticism," safety Richard
Raglin said. "We had a point to prove. We didn't play a perfect
game, but we played well enough to win. We can build on this."
The defense also stopped Cincinnati on a gamble that turned the
game.
Quarterback Ben Mauk came up about 4 inches short on a
fourth-and-1 sneak in the fourth quarter, giving Louisville good
field position.
"That's something I do and will continue to do," coach Brian
Kelly said.
Brohm made the Bearcats pay on the next play with the 51-yard
completion to Douglas, who snatched the ball from cornerback
DeAngelo Smith at the 3-yard line.
"On Harry's catch, they had it pretty well covered, but I just
threw it up there and thought, 'Harry, make a play," Brohm said.
Anthony Allen's touchdown run on the next play made it 28-21 and
put the game in the hands of a defense that had given up 38 points
in four games so far. It held up this time, finishing it off with
an interception.
Mauk was 26-of-45 for 324 yards with three touchdowns, but the
Bearcats couldn't overcome their two fumbles and the interception
on Mauk's final, desperate throw from his own end zone.
"Louisville's got a great defense," said Mauk, who saw its
best side. "It's not like you're just playing against air out
there. I made some bad decisions. I'm going to have to play better
if we're going to continue to win."
Brohm was 28-of-38 for 350 yards, and also had a huge run.
Louisville took a gamble of its own in the closing minutes, going
for it on fourth-and-1 from its own 29-yard line. Brohm got the
yard with a few inches to spare, and Louisville was able to run
precious minutes off the clock.
The Cardinals' prolific offense was buoyed by the return of
Douglas, who missed the previous two games with a leg injury. He
had seven catches for 118 yards.
With that, Louisville stopped its free fall from No. 9 in the
country to also-ran. Another loss would have been the Cardinals'
third in a row -- they hadn't done that since 1997 -- and practically
ended their hopes of the Big East title they were a favorite to
win.
When Kentucky upset No. 1 LSU in triple overtime earlier
Saturday evening, ending its 13-game winning streak, the Bearcats
assumed the nation's longest winning streak with nine straight.
Another team from Kentucky ended that one, too.