5 reasons why Louisville football underachieved against Duke

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Oct 14, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals linebacker Stacy Thomas (32) tackles Duke Blue Devils running back Jela Duncan (25) during the second quarter at Papa John /

4. Duke’s defense

Louisville football fans learned tonight why Duke leads the ACC in sacks. They got pressure on Lamar Jackson all evening and forced Jackson into many under-throws throughout the evening. The pressure forced Jackson to not step into his throws, which cause the passes to be thrown short.

The Cardinals still ran gained a total of 460 yards, but they really couldn’t get going against the Blue Devils. A large reason for that had to do with Duke’s defense playing an incredible football game on defense. They didn’t break on the read-option, which really limited the Cards’ big plays that turn into touchdown drives.

Also, in the red-zone, Duke was able to force Louisville to kick field goals and turn the football over. Each of those things forced a low-scoring contest between the Cardinals and the Blue Devils.

Next: Number Three

Kudos to Duke’s defense, they were stout.

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