Keys: How can Louisville end its losing streak against SMU?
Louisville enters this week as the underdog for the first time since upsetting No. 2 Miami on the road. Since that game, the Cards have gone .500 and are riding a two-game losing streak.
The Cards were riding high at No. 15 in the college football playoff ranking, but have since fallen out of consideration. Sitting at 7-3, Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm is left scratching his head at what went wrong in the past two weeks. Suffering an overtime loss to California and a one-point heartbreaker to Clemson, the Cards are now playing for bragging rights.
SMU holds the same record as Louisville but is in higher spirits. Winning five out of their last six, including an upset over No. 10 Miami, the Mustangs are ready to take on the Cards. Coming off a bye week, SMU has only lost one home game all season.
Defending the pass game
Junior quarterback Kevin Jennings leads this powerful SMU offense. The Texas native has thrown for 2,810 yards and 21 touchdowns this season, both good for top-15 in the country. SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee is known for throwing the ball, as Jennings averaged 39.5 passing attempts over the last four games.
The Mustangs have the 39th-ranked offense, averaging 32.2 points per game. With their rush game ranked outside of the top-100 for yards per game, Louisville will expect a full-on air attack. Last week, the Cards did a great job limiting Clemson QB Cade Klubnik to 187 passing yards and no touchdowns, good for a 32.6 QBR. Last season, SMU took down Louisville 34-27 with Jennings throwing for 281 yards on a 77.8 percent completion rate. His solid game in the air was paired with 113 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Louisville gives up 188 passing yards per game, best in the ACC. Jennings had the Cards’ number last year, but Coach Brohm is looking to change the narrative. Defensive backs D’Angelo Hutchinson, Jojo Evans, and Tayon Holloway will need to be prepared for a long game of chasing receivers.
“A good quarterback (Kevin Jennings) who’s athletic and can run around. He gave us some problems last year. Their tempo and ability to go fast gave us problems. It was not our best game on defense last year,” Louisville’s Jeff Brohm said Monday.
Run game staying consistent
Louisville hasn’t had much quarterback help this season. Miller Moss has thrown for two touchdowns and three interceptions since his heroic performance against Miami. Fortunately for the Cards, their run game continues to be a bright spot. With star running back Isaac Brown hurt, Louisville has relied on Keyjuan Brown and, as of late, Duke Watson. In their last game against Clemson, a top-25 run defense in the country, Louisville managed to gain 171 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Brown led the charge with 135 yards of his own.
SMU is a similar challenge. The Mustangs give up 102.1 rushing yards per game, second best in the ACC. Defensive end Isaiah Smith has eight sacks on the year, while his counterpart, Cameron Robertson, has tallied five sacks. Defensive tackles Terry Webb and Jeffrey M’Ba are responsible for filling the interior, combining for 11 sacks on the year.
The Louisville offensive line has a tough battle ahead. With the pass game stagnant, the Cardinals will need to rely on their consistent run game, opening gaps in the line.
Playing like there is nothing to lose
MGM has Louisville at +50,000 odds to sneak into the College Football Playoffs. This season-long goal is virtually gone, and the Cards are now playing for pride and a better bowl bid.
This mindset is a great opportunity for Brohm to do what he does best: create chaos. Louisville has pulled off some unforgettable upsets since Brohm took over a few years ago. During those games, the play-calling was wild and extreme. In the Cards’ win over No. 2 Miami earlier this season, Louisville pulled off a fake field goal and numerous trick plays, including three quarterbacks on the field at once. Coach Brohm is at his best when he is creative, thinking outside the box, as if there is nothing to lose.
“Every week we are going to prepare to win the game, and whatever gives us the best chance to win, that’s what we are going to do. We have no other goal than beating SMU. We’ll have packages for all our quarterbacks… We’ll hopefully have some creativity to do some different things,” Brohm added.
Louisville has to get past SMU before taking on in-state rival Kentucky. Coach Brohm and his Cards will need to control the offensive battle and take some risks if they want to leave with their eighth win of the season.
