Three keys to pulling off the upset over No. 2 Miami
Louisville is set to face its toughest battle of the season in primetime fashion. The Cards head to No. 2 Miami for a Friday night showdown on ESPN. With both teams well rested coming off a bye, betting services aren’t giving Louisville much of a chance to pull off the upset.
The Hurricanes sit at 5-0 while the Cards are 4-1 after their overtime loss to Virginia. Veteran Canes quarterback Carson Beck and defensive lineman Rueben Bain have had an impressive start to the season. Miami is as talented a team as Louisville has played under Jeff Brohm.
Louisville will need to bring its best brand of football if it wants to compete with a national championship contender. The Cards need to be prepared to enter a hostile Hard Rock stadium if they want to pull off the upset.
Here are three keys to beating Miami.
Winning on the offensive line
The biggest key to this game will be how well the Louisville offensive line matches up against the Miami defensive front. The Cards’ o-line has received a lot of criticism due to their lack of a run game and blocking struggles. Miami’s defensive line is a different breed. With multiple projected NFL players, Louisville will need to clean up its play immensely if it wants to compete in the trenches.
Coach Brohm has been doing all he can in preparation for the challenge.
“We’ve talked to some coaches at Florida, and they said this front was better than ones they’ve seen in the SEC in the last three or four years,” said Brohm in his weekly availability.
The Hurricanes have given up 13.6 points per game, ranking top 10 in the country. Bain could be the first pick in this upcoming NFL draft and has been wreaking havoc. Louisville only ran for 106 yards last season in its loss to Miami, but that’s far better than the previous two conference games, where the offense hasn’t passed 60 yards on the ground. This trend will need to change, and Brohm understands the importance.
“We need to play better up front, and I think we are capable of that. We’ve got to be more physical, we got to know our assignments better, come off the ball and strike, play confidently, block blitzes to a certain degree,” said Brohm
Limiting mistakes
Louisville could easily be undefeated if it weren’t for its glaring mistakes. The Cards had two turnovers last game that led to 14 points for UVA. This was the difference that could’ve changed the outcome of the game.
Miller Moss has struggled with forcing throws, leading to turnovers. His four interceptions have been noteworthy and need to be cut down if Louisville has a chance this Friday.
“On offense, we’ve got to clean a lot of things up and make sure we aren’t giving the other team points. So you can’t make silly turnovers and silly mistakes, which we’ve had,” said Brohm.
Controlling your own destiny is key. The Cards don’t have room for error, gifting the ball away to the Hurricanes.
Brohm magic
Whenever the lights are bright and all odds are against him, Jeff Brohm has a good track record.
Last year, the Cards went into Death Valley and defeated a top-15 Clemson team, and two years ago, he was able to get it done against a top-10 Notre Dame squad. Year in and year out, Brohm has always competed with the best teams in the country. At Purdue, he shocked the college football world a few times, and he’s doing it again here in Louisville.
His offensive mastermind is on full display when the whole country is watching. With an extra week of preparation for this battle, Brohm will be able to expose every weakness Miami might have and conquer this football powerhouse.
“Sometimes you have to have an aggressive approach on all three segments, and that plan has to work.”
Cutting down mistakes, winning the battle in the trenches, and trusting Brohm to call a brilliant game, the Cards control their own destiny in knocking off No. 2 Miami.
