Louisville Football: 3 takeaways from Friday night loss to Georgia Tech

1. Louisville’s inability to stop the run proved costly on Friday night

It is no surprise that Georgia Tech loves to run the football. Under the leadership of Paul Johnson, now in his 11th season in Atlanta, the Yellow Jackets have always been a run-heavy option attack that eschews all but the rarest opportunities to pass the football.

Yet, even though Louisville knew exactly what was going to come at them on Friday night, they were still unable to do anything to stop the Yellow Jackets. That too was no surprise, given that the Cardinals entered the game allowing 168-plus rushing yards per game in September to finish the month ranked 83rd in the FBS.

It wasn’t just that Louisville allowed 542 rushing yards to the Yellow Jackets. With Georgia Tech averaging nearly 340 yards per game in September, they were bound to put up some numbers on the ground. But Louisville struggled to get any stops at all, as the Yellow Jackets churned off several big runs and scored on every single possession of the game.

Able to keep the chains moving and the clock running, Georgia Tech’s ground game cost Louisville much-needed possession. It sapped the defense and resulted in the incredible gap on the scoreboard that was impossible to surmount.