Louisville showcases defensive masterpiece in upset win over Miami

Louisville relied on its defense to complete the 24-21 upset over No. 2 Miami.
The Cards came into Hard Rock Stadium and secured a program-defining victory, the first on the road over a top-10 opponent.
Louisville came into this matchup with a 4-1 record after a heartbreaking defeat against Virginia. The Cardinals were able to regroup with the bye week before heading to the Sunshine State. Offensively, Louisville was expected to be one of the best in the country, but that has not been the case. Their defense has been the story of the season, allowing just 262 yards per game.
Right from kickoff, both Louisville and Miami had their offenses kicking in high gear. Louisville took a quick 14-0 lead, but Miami eventually made it a one-touchdown game heading to the second quarter. It took some time for the defenses to find their rhythm, but once they did, it was a full-on clinic.
Eventually, the Louisville defense out-dueled the Hurricanes. Timely turnovers and a mighty run stop were keys to the Cards pulling off this improbable upset.
Timely Turnovers
Miami quarterback Carson Beck had thrown three interceptions on the season coming into this game. That number has since grown after his four-interception performance against Louisville. No one could’ve predicted this type of offensive performance from the former Georgia QB.
Louisville consistently put pressure on Beck, forcing him to throw in uncomfortable situations. Even with Beck’s 271 passing yards and 71 percent completion percentage, the Cards’ defensive backs always had an eye on the senior quarterback.
To begin the second quarter, Louisville linebacker Antionio Watts got pulled deep into coverage. Beck saw an opportunity to expose this potential mistake, but Watts was able to jump the route and secure his third interception of the season. It was a spectacular play by the junior LB/S hybrid, whose versatility is meaningful to the Cardinals’ defense.
Soon after, Jabari Mack decided to get into the action with a pick of his own. Showcasing great body control and athleticism, Mack high-pointed a deep ball to secure Beck’s second interception of the quarter.
The Louisville defense kept fighting, but it didn’t come until the fourth quarter for them to get back into the turnover column. With less than eight minutes in the game, Louisville thought it secured its win over the Hurricanes with another interception, but a penalty negated the play. The flag was difficult to justify, but luckily for the Cards, the ball didn’t lie. Four plays later, Beck threw his third interception right into the arms of defensive back JoJo Evans, who also made the play earlier in the drive.
After a few costly mistakes from the Louisville side, including a fumble inside the 15-yard line, their lead had shrunk to only three. Miami had the ball inside Louisville territory with under a minute to go. All the Canes needed to do was run the ball to set up a field goal for overtime. Miami head coach Mario Cristobal decided to be aggressive, and it did not pay off. Beck’s pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage, leading to a beautiful diving catch from TJ Capers. The Miami native was able to cap off this historic night and send his home team out in misery.
Run defense
Louisville is known for its defensive front. Highlighted by Coastal Carolina transfer Clev Lubin, the Cards have had success stopping the run all season.
Miami running back Mark Fletcher came into this game with 428 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Tonight, he only managed to run for 18 yards on eight carries. As a team, the Hurricanes ran for 63 total yards on 24 carries, good for 2.6 yards per attempt.
Lubin, a future NFL draft pick, had 3 total tackles but made his biggest impact getting into the backfield, forcing broken plays. His edge-rushing counterparts, Rene Konga and Wesley Baily, combined for five tackles on the night.
On the interior defensive line, Jordan Guerad had five tackles while Denzel Lowry and Justin Beadles combined for a pair. These numbers don’t tell the full story, as the whole defensive line filled in gaps and made this running back room compete for every inch of yardage.
Linebacker TJ Quinn did his part, stopping the run. Totaling six tackles and a tackle for loss, Quinn showed why he is one of the best at the position in the ACC.
D’Angelo Hutchinson and Tayon Halloway both shot out of cannons on numerous amount of plays from the corner position. Attacking downhill with their hair on fire, these defensive backs made a real impact by containing the run.
Louisville needed a miracle to pull off the performance of a lifetime. When the offense continues to struggle, the defense steps up. It took a group effort from all position groups to take down Miami, but the defense made the plays necessary to secure the best win of the Jeff Brohm era.