Jeff Brohm took over at Louisville football this offseason following the sudden departure of Scott Satterfield who decided to lead Cincinnati in 2023.
And in Week 1, the new-look Cardinals impressed, coming back from a healthy deficit in the second half to pick up a big conference victory. The Cardinals were down 28-13 at halftime but ended up winning their first game over Georgia Tech, 39-34.
It seems as if Louisville has an explosive offense, but it’s the defense that should be a cause for some concern, surrendering over 300 yards passing to Haynes King.
Will Louisville bounce back defensively in Week 2? Let’s get bold.
3. Louisville rushes for over 250 yards
If there’s one thing that Jeff Brohm brings over from Purdue, it’s his willingness to trust the run game. That’s just a Big Ten mentality shining through.
And trust it he did in Week 1 with 227 rushing yards on 6.7 yards per carry against Georgia Tech. It was just an incredible performance from a team that may have been more inclined to pass under Scott Satterfield, but it was nice to see a more balanced attack in Brohm’s first game.
The Cardinals will have a nice encore performance against a team that shouldn’t be able to hold up much more than a wet paper bag against this offense.
I think Louisville continues to trust the run and doesn’t give too much away before ACC play resumes, rushing for over 250 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, led by over 150 from Jawhar Jordan.
2. Jamari Thrash accounts for over 100 receiving yards
Murray State only allowed 99 receiving yards and picked off a pass against Presbyterian in the opener, but the Racers didn’t see a wideout quite like Jamari Thrash in that contest.
On Thursday night, Thrash is going to do just that to the untested Murray State secondary, accounting for more receiving yards by himself than the Racers gave up total in Week 1. He’s going to finish with eight more catches for 115 yards and a touchdown, pushing his season totals over 200 yards receiving and 15 catches for three scores.
There aren’t many more exciting receivers in the ACC this season and I think that we’re going to see the Georgia State transfer have a monster campaign. He’ll pad some stats against Murray State.
This will be the sixth 100-plus yard game of Thrash’s career and it’ll set up what will be a nice season for one of the most underrated transfer additions in the nation.
1. The defense bounces back, doesn’t give up a touchdown
Allowing 34 points to a rebuilding Georgia Tech team didn’t exactly instill confidence in Louisville fans during a Week 1 win, but Mark Hagen and Ron English’s defense will bounce back in a big way against Murray State in Week 2.
The Racers actually put up 41 points on Presbyterian while rushing for 231 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries. They were able to move the ball well against Presbyterian and account for 484 total yards to go along with those 41 points. It was an offensive resurgence after a forgettable 2022 season.
And Louisville allowed 488 total yards and 34 points to a team that couldn’t muster any offense last season.
This seems like a recipe for disaster for Louisville’s defense.
But Louisville will step up and figure it out. The Cardinals won’t allow a single touchdown to the Racers although they may give up a good chunk of rushing yards. I see a resounding Louisville win to kick off Week 2, 49-9.