Lamar Jackson, Louisville blow out Kentucky after first-quarter scuffle

Things got heated early in Saturday’s Louisville-Kentucky game in Lexington, and Lamar Jackson was directly involved.

Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, took off and ran toward the UK end zone in the first quarter but was stopped a few yards short of the goal line. As Jackson got up, he and Kentucky corner Lonnie Johnson talked a bit of trash to each other before linebacker Jordan Jones, No. 34, got in his face a bit and bumped him, prompting a shove from Jackson. From there, another Louisville player, Malik Williams, came into the picture and pushed Jones to the ground while a few other Kentucky guys joined the mix.

Jones and Jackson got into it before other players broke up the fracas.

The two sides were given offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, so the result of the play stood as it occurred.

Two plays later, Louisville scored and retook a 14-7 lead. By the time halftime rolled around, the Cardinals led the Wildcats 31-10. And when the dust settled, Louisville emerged with a blowout 44-17 win.

Jackson finished the game with 216 yards passing and two touchdown to go with 156 yards on the ground. This pretty much explains it:

The win gives Louisville an 8-4 record heading into a bowl game. Kentucky drops to 7-5.

The win was a bit of revenge for Louisville since Kentucky pulled out an upset 41-38 win over the Cardinals last year. That loss broke a five-game winning streak in the series for UL. Now, the Cardinals will look to start a new streak.

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Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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