Coming off of consecutive losses, this was a game Louisville had to win to have any hope of salvaging their season. Led by Isaac Brown and his 313 all-purpose yards, the Cardinals ran away from the Noles after trailing by 14 early.
What Changed the Game:
“Put all the bad stuff behind you and move on” – Marquise Davis postgame
Early in the second quarter, Florida State led 14-0 and posed another scoring threat near the Louisville goal line. On fourth down, Mike Norvell elected to go for it, needing three yards. The Louisville defense stepped up in a huge way.
After that moment, Louisville outscored Florida State 44-6. In the game, both Mason and Hunter said “if Louisville wins this one, that’s why”.
Immediately after the stop, Isaac Brown broke loose for a 97-yard touchdown, and the Cards seized momentum.
In the first quarter alone, Florida State amassed 130 total yards. For the remainder of the game, they accounted for just 232 more yards. Louisville’s rushing attack put up 397 yards on the night, 35 more than FSU’s entire offense.
For a full look at the flow of the game, our live blog is here:
Notable Cards:
Isaac Brown: Brown had perhaps what was the best game of his career. He rushed for 235 yards and 2 TDs on 17 carries. Following the FSU turnover on downs, Brown broke loose for a 97-yarder, which was the longest play from scrimmage in school history. At the beginning of the second half, Brown took the opening-kickoff 71 yards to set up a Lincoln Kienholz touchdown run to take the lead.
Kaleb Beasley: Beasley has had a really solid start to his Cardinal campaign. Friday, he picked up 7 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 PBU, and 1 INT. On the season, the Tennessee transfer has 4 interceptions and has emerged as one of the best defensive backs.
Takeaways:
Welcome Back, IB: All year-long, the Louisville backfield hasn’t had the production fans had hoped for. Isaac Brown had himself a day, running for 235 yards, including 97 and 68-yard rushing touchdowns. Last week, Brown rushed for 125 yards, which was his season high. Postgame, coach Brohm gave all credit to Brown as he’s been putting the work in during practice, and the results are starting to show.
Defense Recovers: After a bad start, the Louisville defense was able to have a productive day. They were able to contain Ashton Daniels and limit the dangerous Ousmane Kromah to 88 yards. The defense combined for 4 sacks and 8 TFLs. Last week, NC State QB CJ Bailey threw for a career-high 373 yards. Friday, FSU QB Ashton Daniels was held to only 209 yards passing.
Run the Dang Ball: There was a clear change of emphasis on the offensive side of the ball. Lincoln Kienholz only threw the ball 15 times. Louisville rushed 43 times for nearly 400 yards, outgaining the Noles by 244 yards on the ground. The ground game certainly wasn’t broken today, so the Cards stuck with it. Post-game, coach Brohm stated this was the first time in 14 years he didn’t call his own plays, giving the duties to offensive coordinator Brian Brohm. He stated the changes on both sides of the ball seemed to work and will be sticking around this year.
Final Thoughts:
Louisville absolutely needed this game. A loss would’ve sent them to 2-4, and the season could have taken an even deeper nosedive. The boo birds were out early in the game when Louisville was trailing, and things were threatening to get ugly. Instead, the Cardinals were able to come back from an early deficit and win by 24. Despite the previous woes, they did not give in when hit with adversity. Head coach Jeff Brohm said: “It’s credit to our guys. Things can look as bleak as they did and they stuck together and believed in themselves and their teammates.” Louisville now sits at 3-3 and looks to carry this momentum into their matchup next week at Syracuse.
