Rivalry Week Tuesday links

--Kragthorpe using humor (or some distant cousin of humor) to deflect questions kind of rubs me the wrong way, but I do appreciate his admittance of struggling to get over the '07 Kentucky loss.

"I wake up every night thinking about it," Kragthorpe said Monday during his weekly press conference. "It sticks in your craw, no doubt. ... I think that one will be one that will take me to my grave at some point in time. And I'll remember it while I'm in the grave."

--More notes from the presser:

Tim Dougherty is still sidelined with a hip flexor injury, meaning Chris Philpott - who was held out of the season opener for undisclosed reasons (reportedly a failed test) - or Ryan Payne - who hit three of four field goals against Indiana State - will handle the kicking duties.

Defensive tackles L.T. Walker and Joe Townsend are ready to go after missing the opener, as are nose tackles Tyler Jessen and Tim High.

Kragthorpe stated multiple times that Randall Cobb "played quarterback in high school," which is odd not because he didn't, but because he's probably far more well known for playing quarterback at Kentucky last year.

Kragthorpe calls almost all the Kentucky players by their first names. It's one of those things that I'd like if he'd won 11 games in each of the past two seasons, but can't stand because he's won 11 games in the past two seasons combined.

Chaz Thompson referred to Randall Cobb as "Ronald"...WEAR IT.

--Mark Story, who has had some success spelling Louisville's players' names correctly recently, offers up a fairly informative Governor's Cup quiz.

1 According to the Glantz-Culver Line, Kentucky is a 13-point favorite this Saturday against Louisville. Can you name the last time UK was picked to beat U of L in the odds that run in the Herald-Leader?

A.) 2000 B.) 2003

C.) 2007 D.) 2008

Answer: B. UK has not been the favorite against U of L since the Cats were a 51/2-point pick in Rich Brooks' first game in 2003. The Cardinals won 40-24.

Extra credit: Name the last year Kentucky beat Louisville as the pre-game favorite?

Extra credit answer: UK has not beaten Louisville as the favorite since 1998, when as an 11-point pick it smashed U of L 68-34.

--UK defensive tackle Ricky Lumpkin feels Louisville's pain.

Once upon a time, Lumpkin was recruited into a UK program that was struggling to beat its in-state rival. Now that the Wildcats have taken two in a row, Lumpkin feels UofL's pain.

"I understand how they feel, especially their freshmen," said Lumpkin, who added that he often coincidentally wears an opponent's colors during game week. "They're hearing how they used to beat us like that, and now it's the opposite way around. There's no telling what they're going to do. They could come in here blazing and trying to get the win."

Thank you, Ricky. Thank you for your mercy.

--There has been less trash talk leading up to this game than any U of L/UK basketball or football game I can recall. Kentucky fans are optimistic but cautious while Louisville fans seem to all know their team is going to get smashed. It's making for a pretty boring week.

--News has broken this morning that former Central High standout and UK freshman linebacker Ridge Wilson will be charged with 4th degree assault after being accused of punching a female in the face on UK’s campus. Wilson was expected to see some playing time on defense and heavy time on special teams against Louisville.

--Injury updates on the Kentucky side, via The Kernel:

Senior fullback John Conner is still listed as questionable for this weekend’s game, Brooks said at his Monday news conference. Conner sprained an ankle in a preseason scrimmage and missed the season opener.

Junior wide receiver Kyrus Lanxter is considered doubtful for the Louisville game after pulling a hamstring in a one-on-one drill in practice on Wednesday.

Sophomore linebacker Danny Trevathan is expected to play against Louisville with a cast on his arm. He played against Miami of Ohio with the same injury and had a pin inserted in the arm after the season opener.

"It’s a pain tolerance thing," Brooks said.

--Louisville's performance is one of the most important in what is a big weekend for the Big East conference.