Jamari Thrash, Louisville defense carry Cards to Aflac Kickoff Game win

After giving up 28 points in the second quarter, the Louisville defense showed up and transfer wide receiver Jamari Thrash showed out to lead the Cardinals to a 39-34 win over Georgia Tech in the 2023 Aflac Kickoff Game.

In a game that featured the official debuts of two head coaches, there wasn’t a lot on the line for Louisville or Georgia Tech other than a good start to the season, some recruiting publicity, and a chance to get an early-season conference win.

That said, this looked like a crucial late-season game that had all the earmarks of two teams fighting for more than just respect.

During the first half, Louisville looked the part of a team that had suffered four straight losing seasons and was trying to regain footing as a formidable program in the ACC. Nothing was working for the Cardinals — third down conversions, the running game, mental errors, red zone — it was all forgettable.

It’s safe to say that head coach Jeff Brohm lit a fire under his team, and made sure that “execution” was on the minds of his players coming into the third quarter because Louisville looked like a completely different team.

The Cardinals’ defense began stonewalling Georgia Tech, plugging up running holes, linebackers sticking with their assignments, and not letting Yellow Jacket quarterback Haynes King beat them with his legs as he did in the first half.

Georgia Tech scored zero points, had only one first down, no third down conversions, and only 21 total yards of offense in the 3rd quarter. The Louisville defensive line, which led the nation in sacks last season, was starting to get home and keeping King off-balance.

Jamari Thrash had a huge coming-out party in his Louisville debut

But the real hero of the night for Louisville may have been a newcomer to the team. Wide receiver Jamari Thrash, who transferred in from Georgia State this season, became Jack Plummer’s favorite target and frustrated the Yellow Jacket secondary with every catch and run.

Thrash finished the night with seven catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns. While that might not sound like the most eye-popping stat line, Thrash didn’t catch his first pass of the night until there were 22 seconds left in the second quarter.

His second half was straight fire, making defenders miss and keeping drives going at crucial times.

Thrash was the leading receiver in the Sun Belt conference last year, and he’s obviously letting his coach know that he’s prepared to take over as WR1 for Louisville this season.

This was far from a perfect game for Louisville, but it clearly had Jeff Brohm’s stamp on it. A physical battle, a quick-strike offense, and a refusal to give up at any point.

The Cardinals are still rebuilding, but they could potentially make a lot of ACC teams nervous this year.

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