Louisville football has never won at Miami. How Jeff Brohm plans to change that Saturday
For all the film study Louisville coach Jeff Brohm has done and will do ahead of the Cardinals' game against Miami on Saturday, one stat stands out the most to him: 0-6-1.
It’s ninth-ranked Louisville’s all-time record when playing in the Hurricanes’ football stadium.
The Cardinals’ 2004 team had the best chance of getting a win at Hard Rock Stadium, but Miami’s 20 fourth-quarter points ruined the opportunity in the Hurricanes’ 41-38 victory. With the inaugural Howard Schnellenberger Trophy and a trip to the ACC championship game on the line, Louisville will look to make history with its first win at Miami at noon Saturday.
U of L has been dominant at home, but the Cardinals have struggled on the road. They’re 1-1 in true road games, beating N.C. State, 13-10, but falling to Pitt, 38-21. In both games, the Cardinals’ offense was held to fewer than 100 rushing yards. The Wolfpack has the 14th-best rushing defense in the country and gave up only 20 rushing yards. The Panthers, whose rushing defense ranks 83rd, allowed 80 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Despite the offense’s inability to run the ball on the road, Louisville defensive coordinator Ron English believes that “defense and special teams have to travel” to have success.
“What I mean by that is you’ve got to play well on special teams, and you got to play well on defense to win these road games,” English said. “The road games that we won, we've done that. The road game that we didn't win, we did not play good on defense. We did not play with any energy or enthusiasm.”
The Cardinals’ defense limited the Panthers to 88 rushing yards but allowed 200 passing yards. On special teams, kicker/punter Brock Travelstead averaged 43 yards on three punts, with only one landing inside the 20-yard line. Pitt punter Caleb Junko placed two punts inside the 20 and averaged 39.1 yards per punt. Panthers kicker Ben Sauls averaged 64.3 yards per kickoff with six touchbacks.
In the win over N.C. State, Louisville limited the Wolfpack to 201 total yards of offense, which included 112 passing yards. The Wolfpack’s special teams also pinned Louisville inside the 20 on two drives. N.C. State averaged 40.8 yards per punt to U of L’s 29.7.
Miami is averaging 42.3 yards per punt in addition to 25.3 yards per kickoff return. The Hurricanes’ defense is allowing 18.7 points per game at home, which included a 48-33 win over Texas A&M during Week 2. They also have the sixth-best rushing defense nationally, giving up 86 yards per game. Miami's passing defense ranks 66th, with 226.5 yards allowed per game.
“When you watch these guys on film, they might be the most talented team we've seen to date on the defensive side of the ball,” Brohm said. “They're big up front, they're athletic, they're good at the linebacker position, they run and make plays. Their secondary has good size and speed, looks the part, plays fast. So, this team has talent, without question.”
Cardinals safety Devin Neal echoed English’s sentiments, saying energy will be key in the Cardinals’ quest to make history at Hard Rock Stadium.
“Whenever we're on the field, we're all we got,” Neal said. “We've got to cheer for one another. We've got to, (in) all three phases, be rooting for one another, be locked in. Whenever we make a great play, we all celebrate. ... Everybody feeds off of that energy, just builds momentum and just carries on through all three phases. I just feel like just having the energy and the execution will take care of itself as well.”
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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: Louisville football will clinch ACC championship game spot with win
