College football 2020: Ranking the 3 worst losses from Week 3

3. No. 18 Louisville loses in game of the week to No. 17 Miami

For most of the week, the Cardinals were favored going into the game with the Hurricanes in the first ranked battle of the season. As the game kicked off, however, the Hurricanes turned into the favorites by 1.5 points. The Cardinals were not able to stop the high-powered offense of the Hurricanes led by quarterback D’Eriq King and running back Cam’Ron Harris.

The Hurricanes were out-gained in total yards 485-516 and first downs 29-19 by Louisville. The Hurricanes were able to find some efficiency with their offense as the Cardinals were only 4-for-14 on third-down conversions. The key difference-maker was the Hurricane defense’s ability to force three major turnovers.

The Cardinals were able to rush for 209 yards and a touchdown on 49 carries. Miami’s defense was able to crash into the backfield often as they accounted for 10 tackles for loss and three sacks. The last two possessions for Louisville resulted in an interception and a fumble which gave the Hurricanes the 20-6 lead before halftime.

The Cardinals could not contain King’s ability to pass the ball at an efficient as he threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns on 18 completions (out of 30 passing attempts). Harris’ long runs were a huge problem for the Cardinals’ experience as he rushed for 134 yards and one touchdown on nine carries.

With the tough loss to Miami, the Cardinals slip to the 24th overall spot while Miami is sitting at No. 12 and in a great position to compete for the ACC title. The Cardinals have a highly-talented offense and defense but they will have to fix their key structural problems just as avoiding big plays from opposing offenses and avoiding turnovers.