Can Will Levis be a running threat against the Cards again?

Will Levis' running ability could help determine if UK beats Louisville or not. (Vicky Graff Photo)

One big reason — or maybe the biggest reason — that Kentucky routed Louisville 52-21 last year was quarterback Will Levis’s running.

He ran for four touchdowns and a career-best 113 yards, including scoring runs of 29 and seven yards on UK’s first two possessions. He added another five-yard scoring run in the second quarter and a short scoring run in the third period. Levis also completed 14 of 18 passes for 149 yards.

That Levis has not played for UK this season. He’s been a  non-factor in the running game either because coaches did not want to risk injury or he has been injured — or maybe both. However, he did cut loose and run five times for 26 yards against Georgia last week and even that limited running gave UK’s offense a new look going into Saturday’s home game with Louisville.

“I think you look at Will, it’s the healthiest he’s been in a while. He felt better,” Stoops said Monday. “Just the threat — and just his comfort level of just getting off schedule, you know what I mean? Buying a little time, scrambling.”

“He scrambled on the 99-yard drive, pulled it down and just took that lane right away. Maybe he was hesitant before just because he wasn’t at 100 percent.”

Louisville actually comes into the game with more momentum than UK. The Cats played well in a 16-6 loss to No. 1 Georgia last week but have lost five of their last seven games. Louisville is 7-4 and coming off a win over then No. 24 North Carolina State. The Cardinals also have one of the nation’s best defenses in pressuring the quarterback which makes Levis’ running ability a huge asset if he’s able to be mobile again.

“Just making those decisions is important and it’s a threat to a defense and that got that drive started. We go on for 99 yards, but that’s a piece of it. In the game we lost (to Vanderbilt), the quarterback pulling it down and scrambling for a first down is frustrating. It hurts,” Stoops said.

Louisville has a mobile quarterback in Malik Cunningham, but he’s been injured and did not play in the win over North Carolina State when Brock Domann took over.

“Both of their quarterbacks are playing really well — Brock and Malik. But Malik always has that threat.  It’s not only the designed runs, but it’s also just getting off schedule and creating plays, whether it be in the pass game or in the run game,” Stoops said.

“But Will having that ability and showing it once or twice definitely helped us.”

Stoops said preparing for two quarterbacks is “not much” of a challenge.

“We have to prepare for Malik. And they do the same with Brock, as far as some of the quarterback run game — designed. Just with the zone-read keeps and things with the gun runs, you have to be prepared for,” the UK coach said.

“Obviously, I think, Malik is a dynamic runner. We understand that. And that’s more off-schedule stuff — pulling down, scrambling, pass-game lanes, all that kind of stuff. But preparing for both, we have to do that. We have that built in all the time. We face enough of it where we have to be prepared for that.”