Louisville football plays complete game vs. Duke to keep ACC championship game hopes alive

Jawhar Jordan spent the bye week rehabbing an injured hamstring after missing most of Louisville’s game against Pitt. The time off paid dividends for Jordan, who was electric in the No. 18 Cardinals’ 23-0 homecoming win over No. 21 Duke (5-3, 2-2 ACC) on Saturday at L&N Stadium.

Cardinals offensive lineman Bryan Hudson said it's "incredible" to watch Jordan perform at such a high level.

"Everyone knows Jawhar's a really special player and it's awesome being able to block for him and watch him make those plays," Hudson said. "And obviously, it's huge having him back."

The Cardinals (7-1, 4-1) joined an exclusive list of teams that have scored 21 or more points against Duke’s defense, which had allowed only 13.9 points per game this season and was missing cornerback Myles Jones. The other two teams are fourth-ranked Florida State (38) and 14th-ranked Notre Dame (21).

Jordan played a key role. He scored the Cardinals’ first two touchdowns and totaled a career-high 163 yards on 21 carries for his ninth career 100-yard rushing performance. The redshirt junior torched Duke’s defense with the help of a Louisville offensive line that opened holes up the middle. Jordan, whose status was uncertain leading up to the contest, also used his speed to beat defenders down the sideline and pick up timely first downs.

"I knew we had a great opponent coming up after Pitt and the bye week," Jordan said. "And "I told myself that no matter what, I was gonna go out there, put it all out there for the team and try my best to go out there and have a good game."

The Cardinals’ ability to run the ball opened the passing game, with quarterback Jack Plummer throwing for 117 yards. Finding a balance between running and passing was something U of L coach Jeff Brohm noted his squad lacked two weeks prior in the 38-21 loss at Pitt. Improving in that area allowed the Cardinals to avoid back-to-back losses and remain in the hunt for a spot in the ACC championship game with only three conference games left. Two of those games will be at home, where the Cardinals have yet to lose this season.

Duke found out the hard way as Louisville’s defense posted a shutout for the second time this season. Even though Duke had quarterback Riley Leonard, who was a game-time decision after reinjuring his ankle against Florida State last week, Louisville’s defense was dominant. The Blue Devils entered averaging 29.6 points and 371.6 yards per game but were limited to 202 yards against a Cardinals defense that ranks 26th nationally in total defense, 14th in rushing yards allowed (97.1 yards per game) and 38th in points allowed (20.6).

Defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte added to his sack total by getting to Leonard twice. The Cardinals recorded four sacks and six tackles for loss. Linebacker Gilbert Frierson added his first interception as a Cardinal during the third quarter. The Cardinals used that to add to their lead on Brock Travelstead’s 20-yard field goal, which gave Louisville a 20-0 advantage with 7:32 left in the quarter.

Louisville’s defense was able to stay fresh having only been on the field for 23:09, and the squad’s offense played for 35 minutes.

"I like the scheme of our defense," Brohm said. "I like all the different things we do: all the disguises all the stemming, all the shifts, all the rotations after the snap and I think it gave them (Duke) problems. When you can get a lead and make a team throw more than they would like to, it allows you to do that even more. So, that's what's important."

Louisville went  3-1 over what was considered its toughest month of the season and will be home for the next two weeks to host Virginia Tech at 3:30 p.m. next Saturday and Virginia five days later.

"We don't really look ahead, we don't count numbers, who's standing where," Plummer said. "We've just got to beat the next opponent on the schedule and that's all we're focusing on."

C.L. Brown: Jawhar Jordan paces U of L. Against Duke, he showed why he's Cards MVP

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: Jeff Brohm's team delivers in 23-0 win over Duke