Louisville football: Three takeaways from win against WKU

This Cardinal defense is tenacious 

The biggest issue to me personally when it came to Louisville football last season was undoubtedly the effort or lack thereof. The 2019 Louisville defense under Bryan Brown and Cort Dennison embodies change and looks to be the exact opposite of last season.

After shutting out EKU in week two, they were going to see a more talented offense in week three, but they were not phased. The UofL defense allowed just 43 rushing yards in the entire contest, forcing WKU to find their minimal level of success through the air. It also marked the first time of the season that running back Gaej Walker was held under 100 yards rushing.

Outside of one blown coverage, resulting in a 77-yard WKU touchdown straight down the middle of the field. The passing defense was also tremendous. If you take that play away, the Cardinals allowed only 168 yards passing for the entire game.

These defensive backs were fierce. Between Khane Pass, Chandler Jones, and Anthony Johnson, these guys can cover and what stands out the most to me, they can tackle.

Chandler Jones found himself on the outside of the field in solo tackling situations often on Saturday and rose to the challenge. His pad level is always lower than his opponent and he just seems to find a way to bring guys down.

Anthony Johnson made his way to five solo tackles on Saturday and had a huge fumble recovery when the game was still somewhat in reach for the Tops. He’s a guy who just seems to find his way to the ball.

Watching the defense play this way is something that I personally didn’t expect this early in the season. They look like they expect to beat everyone and the physicality has been more than impressive.

Things only get tougher from here as the opponents will only get faster and stronger. This Cardinal defense, however, appears to be up to the challenge.