Three takeaways: Louisville uses all phases against Bowling Green
The Cardinals were back in action this afternoon after an early bye week. It was a great opportunity for Louisville to get off to a fast start, because that’s the exact opposite of what happened against James Madison.
Although the 40-17 victory over BGSU was still a blowout win, this team has a lot to clean up on both sides of the ball if they’re gonna contend for an ACC championship.
Granted, head coach Jeff Brohm’s offense was a little dinged up today without his star running back tandem, Isaac Brown and Duke Watson. Nonetheless, this team is 0-3 against the spread to open the year. Louisville is in dire need of a statement win, and that’s something we just haven’t seen yet.
Here’s what Coach Jeff Brohm had to say about his team’s performance this afternoon.
”On offense, we made some plays, but once again, some penalties and things drove us back, and we gotta clean those up. It’s never gonna be perfect, but we gotta find a way to be a little bit cleaner, a little bit sharper so we can score points consistently and find a way to create some big plays,” – said Brohm.
Here are three main takeaways from the win over Bowling Green.
1. Louisville’s defense and special teams won this game
Outside of the fourth quarter, the Cardinals’ defense was formidable. The front seven can generate pressure effectively, led by Coastal Carolina transfer Clev Lubin, who’s had an immediate impact for Ron English’s unit.
Louisville continues to struggle with stopping quarterback runs, but if they can clean that up, the unit could be as good as it was a few seasons ago in Brohm’s first season. Special teams showed up big in the second half, and it was much needed because the offense struggled to score touchdowns in the third quarter. Caullin Lacy also had a punt return touchdown for 75 yards that got the ball rolling for Louisville.
Louisville kickers were 4/4, including Nick Keller’s 57-yard second-half field goal, the longest in school history.
2. Miller Moss has solid day, but can still progress
It’s been a tough evaluation job for Miller Moss in these first few games. We all knew James Madison was a very solid football team that could certainly come in and upset you if you’re not ready to play. Moss didn’t have his best game by any means against JMU, and it’s not ideal behind an offensive line that has surrendered pressures in their last two games.
The good thing about Moss has been his ability to take care of the football, and that’s a huge aspect of running an offense. Today was a little bit crisper from Moss in terms of cashing in on easy completions, which is a good sign. However, periodically, his timing still seems a bit off, and they’ll have to keep rounding that out week to week, because it could become a problem come ACC play.
3. Caullin Lacy should be even MORE involved
When the news broke that Caullin Lacy was returning to Louisville after being banged up for the majority of the season a year ago, every Louisville fan was thrilled.
This kid is what you call a home run hitter. When he gets a little bit of room in space, it’s almost a touchdown or at minimum a big play. Brohm needs to dial up more plays that are designed to do just that, because when Brown and Watson are healthy, that gives you dynamic weapons through the air and on the ground. When he touches the ball, good things usually tend to happen.
There were some things to like and some things that need a little work, but as a smart man once said, “a win is a win”. Louisville needs to amplify the good that we’ve seen in the first two games and limit its mistakes, because next week is a big test on the road against a solid Pitt team that always plays the Cardinals tough.
This will be Louisville’s first real test of the season, and if they work on the things that have been limiting their ability to put an elite performance on display, they’ll be ready for a win in Pittsburgh.
