MEETING INFO:

When: Saturday, Oct. 31, 3:15 p.m.

Where: L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium

Watch: ACC Network

Meeting History: Louisville is 0-1 all-time versus Stanford

Last Meeting: (11/16/2024) Louisville 35, Stanford 38

The Cardinals are coming off a bye week and sit at 4-3 on the year and 3-2 in ACC play. They ride on consecutive wins versus Florida State and Syracuse to put them over .500 overall and in conference play.

Stanford enters 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the ACC. The Cardinal also enter with consecutive wins and some momentum, after beating Elon by 27 and NC State by 3.

A Look at Louisville:

Head Coach Jeff Brohm made some mid-season changes, and so far they’ve paid off. Since handing off play calling duties to Brian Brohm and sending Mark Ivey to the booth to call plays for the defense, the Cardinals are 2-0. Brohm reiterated that those changes will remain for Saturday versus Stanford.

Despite mostly playing well versus Florida State, Louisville didn’t dominate on the road in Syracuse. The Cards turned the ball over twice, committed 10 penalties for 90 yards, allowed close to 500 yards of offense, and came away with the eight-point win. Louisville spotted ‘Cuse a ten-point lead early before the offense got into a rhythm, scoring touchdowns on their last 4 drives of the first half. Then, in the second half, the offense lost all momentum. The Cardinals punted 5 times and only scored once.

It was quite the opposite performance for the defense, however. They allowed 23 first half points to the Orange, but managed to get things under control in the second, only allowing a field goal. Louisville forced 5 Syracuse turnovers, 2 of which were turnovers on downs. After allowing nearly 300 yards in the first half, the defense gave up just near 165 yards the rest of the way.

A Look at Stanford:

Despite being 11th in the ACC, Stanford ranks statistically as a bottom team in the conference.

On the offensive side, the Cardinal rank last in the ACC, and 125th nationally, in scoring offense (19.9 PPG) and 95th in yards per game (361.5). However, don’t write off the Stanford offense just yet.

The Cardinal are led by senior Michigan transfer quarterback Davis Warren, who has been very impressive. Warren has 1,933 yards through the air, as well as 11 TDs to only 2 INTs. As a starter at Michigan in 2024, he only threw for 1199 yards with 7 TDs and 9 INTs. His best game of the season came in a 34-27 win over Georgia Tech, where the California native threw for just under 400 yards with 4 touchdowns. Warren is coming off a 300-yard, 4-touchdown performance against NC State and can keep his hot hand going against a struggling defense.

In the backfield is junior Micah Ford, who is having a career year. Ford missed some time due to injury last year, but finished with over 600 yards and 4 touchdowns. Currently, he’s surpassed both marks, recording 679 yards and 8 touchdowns on the season. He is coming off consecutive 100-yard games and had a 179-yard, 4-score performance versus Elon.

Senior WR Caden High leads the group in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. The Atlanta native has 30 grabs, 440 yards, and 4 TDs in 7 games played. High has been able to build a nice rapport with Warren and averages around 63 yards per game, with 2 performances over 100 yards. Yale transfer Nico Brown is another target of Warren’s and had a 2-touchdown game versus NC State. The former FCS First Team All-American, who led the FCS with 108.5 receiving yards per game, is a reliable option in the passing game.

Defensively, Stanford ranks last in the ACC in points per game allowed (35.5) and yards per game allowed (442.8). The Cardinal rank 132nd and 133rd nationally in both categories. In games against ACC opponents, plus Notre Dame, Stanford has given up an average of 42 points in each game.

The defense is returning much of their production from last year and only had one incoming transfer. They return their three leading tacklers, most notably linebacker Matt Rose, who tallied 106 last season and currently has 38. Senior safety Jay Green is tied for first on the team with 49 tackles with junior linebacker Sam Mattingly. Jahsiah Galvan finished last season with 50 tackles, two forced fumbles and through six games this season has 38 tackles, 10 of which came against Georgia Tech.

Keys for the Cardinals:

• Foot on the Gas: The Stanford defense is one of the worst Louisville will face all season, and if the Cards’ offense can’t be on a roll for four quarters Saturday, then they may not find their groove the rest of the year. With the plethora of playmakers on the offensive side, Louisville should have a big day. It would be a major concern if after the bye week the Cardinals still have issues getting the offense clicking.

• Shutdown Warren: Stanford’s offense is very volatile. One week they’ll go from scoring 7 to scoring 35, and that success has to do with Davis Warren. Against Syracuse, Louisville allowed third-string QB Malachi Nelson to throw for over 300 yards, the third instance this season of giving up at least 300 yards in the air. Davis Warren is more than capable of picking the defense apart, so they’ll need to get into a groove earlier than later.

Game Prediction:

Louisville 41, Stanford 24