LEXINGTON – The hope of an eight-win season and another victory against Louisville went unfulfilled for Kentucky.

The Wildcats lacked offense and discipline with no answers to stop Louisville star quarterback Lamar Jackson in a 44-17 beatdown Saturday at Kroger Field.

The Cardinals (8-4) got revenge to reclaim the Governor’s Cup after the Wildcats pulled off the 41-38 upset last season in Louisville.

This year, the reigning Heisman trophy winner Jackson was unstoppable and outgained Kentucky’s offense all on his own. Jackson accounted for 372 yards and two scores as the Cardinals outgained Kentucky 562-338.

Benny Snell Jr.’s career-high 211 yards on the ground was the lone highlight for the Wildcats (7-5), who failed to reach an eighth victory that’s been absent in Lexington since 1984.

“We did not play very good, we did not coach very good and we certainly did not play with the discipline and the character that this team has,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “That’s not acceptable. That’s not OK, and I was very disappointed in that, and that needs to be addressed and improved.

“The game also kind of speaks for itself. They really beat us in every phase from the start to the finish and there are certainly things we all could do better.”

Beyond Snell, who broke the school record for the most rushing touchdowns in a single season with 18, Kentucky’s offense never found any traction against Georgia or Louisville to close the season. Kentucky had just 265 yards on offense before its garbage time touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter that went for 73 yards on nine plays.

In last week’s 42-13 loss at Georgia, the Wildcats had just 262 yards on offense. Quarterback Stephen Johnson went without a completion until about five minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Kentucky’s defense wasn’t any better.

Louisville scored on seven straight drives (5 TDs, 3 FGs), and ran out the clock on the eighth and final possession. The Cardinals completed the game without a punt for the first time since 2007 and finished without a turnover for the second consecutive contest.

Louisville used a rate of 11.4 yards per play to lead 31-10 at halftime and finished averaging 8.8 yards per play. The Cardinals scored 13 unanswered in the second half with Jackson leading a seven-play, 99-yard scoring drive to go up 44-10, forcing a major exodus of the 56,186 in attendance early in the fourth quarter.

“Lamar Jackson is a heck of a player, and we knew that,” Kentucky linebacker Courtney Love said. “We knew he was a special player. I think he deserves to win the Heisman again. He showed it today. He was resilient, tough. They executed when we didn’t and that showed up a lot.”

Frustrations for the Wildcats flared early when benches cleared in a scuffle near the end zone between Jackson and linebacker Jordan Jones. Those two along with cornerback Lonnie Johnson and Cardinals running back Malik Williams received unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

“I wouldn’t say that we were too emotional,” Love said. “Guys got frustrated, I got frustrated and we have to just stay composed.”

Kentucky hasn’t won at home in the series since 2009, which now falls back to even at 15-15, although Louisville has won six of the last seven games.

“Not a very good feeling from the opening possession through the end of the game,” Stoops said. “Not a very good effort on any of our parts. I thought our team really, all year, had pretty disciplined focus and habits throughout the year, and I didn’t do a good enough job preparing ourselves for this game and this rivalry.”{&end}