It's rare, but certainly not unheard of to hear about a pregame scuffle between opposing players on the gridiron. Add the elements of a Saturday season-ending matchup between instate rivals Louisville and Kentucky, and you've got a surefire recipe for high tempers.

But a head coach getting in on the action? Now that's something a bit more surprising.

Louisville's Bobby Petrino is no stranger to controversy, and he added to his legacy by shoving a Kentucky assistant prior to the showdown of rivals.

Shoving match

The incident seemed to be a reaction to several Kentucky players stomping on the school's midfield logo. Louisville players and coaches confronted them and there was some pushing and words exchanged.

Petrino grabbed Dan Berezowitz, who is the Wildcats assistant coach, and seemed to also push him.

"The No. 1 thing we needed to do was get (the players) separated," Petrino said. "I just watched it get escalated."

Louisville comes out on top

There was another reason why tensions were so inflamed: Kentucky had to win in order to earn bowl eligibility for the season.

But the Cardinals added insult to injury by winning 44-40 in the shootout. Petrino is now 5-0 as Louisville coach against the Wildcats, giving him the clear last laugh.

Louisville pulled ahead with a 21-point second quarter to lead by one at halftime. That folded into a frantic fourth quarter where the teams scored a combined 33 points.

The star of the game for the Cardinals was DeVante Parker, who almost single-handedly put the Wildcats away with a 180-yard, three-touchdown performance.

Meanwhile, Kentucky's leading rusher Stanley Williams added 126 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.