'That was disappointing:' 3 takeaways from Louisville's ACC championship loss to Florida State
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As time ran out Saturday night at Bank of America Stadium, Louisville walked off the field as Florida State celebrated its 16th ACC championship.
Nevermind that it was the first time the Cardinals played in the conference title game. It was still a loss and it stung. Louisville had opportunities to swing the momentum its way but made costly mistakes in a 16-6 defeat by the Seminoles. It’s U of L’s second straight loss after winning 10 games for just the seventh time in program history.
Despite the mistakes, Cardinals coach Jeff Brohm didn’t think his team was overwhelmed by being on the biggest stage of the season.
“I thought they handled the moment well as far as they were jacked up, ready to play,” he said. “They had a good week of practice. It's not fun losing our last game as well, but we knew this was going to be very challenging. We were going to have to play well in order to win and I think we were right there in the game with numerous chances.”
Now, Louisville will turn its attention to bowl game preparation. It’s projected to go to the Orange Bowl with the Gator Bowl as the next option. The Cardinals’ destination will be made official Sunday.
Here are three takeaways from Louisville’s ACC championship loss to Florida State:
Offensive momentum killers
For as good as FSU’s defense is, Louisville had chances to score.
After a disastrous Seminole punt attempt, the Cardinals got the ball in the red zone at the 11-yard line in the fourth quarter. It was only one of three times they reached the red zone.
Down 10-6 at the time, quarterback Jack Plummer threw an incomplete pass on the first play. FSU linebacker Tatum Bethune intercepted the next pass after he got in front of Cardinals tight end Joey Gatewood in the end zone. Brohm said that was the moment “the wheels came off.” The Cardinals’ final three drives after went for -4, -5 and -6 yards, respectively, with a three-and-out and two turnovers on downs. They struggled to convert on third down, only doing so three times on 18 attempts.
Louisville’s opening drive ended in a three-and-out for only the fourth time this season. Its six points was the lowest since a 27-3 loss at Virginia on Sept. 22, 2018. Louisville only won two games that year with coach Bobby Petrino getting fired midseason.
“Once we had to kind of rely on the passing game a little too much, we couldn't execute very well, so that was disappointing,” Brohm said. “I have to figure out ways to fix that moving forward. I'm sure we'll have another tough game with the bowl game coming up.”
The Cardinals are projected to play Ohio State in the Orange Bowl. The Buckeyes’ defense is ranked third in the country and first in fewest passing yards allowed (147.4 yards per game).
Handling FSU's questionable quarterback status
Louisville linebacker T.J. Quinn said he found out in the middle of the week that FSU backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker might not play. As a result, the Cardinals’ defense multitasked in preparing for both Rodemaker and third-string freshman quarterback Brock Glenn.
“We knew that 11 (Glenn) might like to run a little bit and then they might do like a little bit more things with Tate,” Quinn said. “Obviously, it doesn't matter what the offense does. It just matters what we do as a defense. We too, have to execute.”
FSU opted to throw the ball to start the game and ended its first drive with a three-and-out. Cornerback Storm Duck had the first of the team's four sacks to end the drive. The Seminoles didn’t pick up a first down until a defensive pass interference was called in the second quarter.
Louisville’s defense kept Florida State in check for much of the game with the biggest hiccup being running back Lawrance Toafili’s 73-yard mad dash out of the wildcat offense early in the third quarter. It set up his two-yard touchdown, the only time either team reached the end zone on the night.
“Quite honestly, our adjustment to wildcat the first couple of times was not good,” Brohm said. “That part, I did not like. That's on us as coaches. But after that, we adjusted it to something more aggressive, and we stopped it every time.”
Florida State ended with 164 rushing yards and 219 total yards of offense.
“Our defense played really, really well the entire game,” Brohm said. “It gave us a chance, without question.”
Status of Thrash, Jordan for bowl game
Despite both having dealt with injuries for most of the season, wide receiver Jamari Thrash and running back Jawhar Jordan have been Louisville’s leading receiver and rusher all year. Both are redshirt juniors and participated in Senior Day on Nov. 25. As a result, they could come back to Louisville or enter the NFL Draft and not participate in Louisville’s bowl game. Both were asked about their statuses following the ACC championship.
Thrash, who accepted an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, said he’d play in the bowl game. Jordan said he hasn’t thought about his future yet but alluded to his participation in the bowl.
"I'm just worried about the next opportunity, which is the bowl game,” Jordan said. “So, that's where my head's at right now.”
Draft Tek listed Jordan at No. 29 among draft-eligible running backs with Thrash ranked 26th among draft-eligible wide receivers.
C.L. Brown column: Louisville failed to seize moment by failing to seize key moments vs. FSU
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: 3 takeaways from Louisville's first ACC title appearance.
