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Louisville football: 5 keys to defeating Florida State

By Will Reddington

LOUISVILLE, KY - SEPTEMBER 29: Jawon Pass #4 of the Louisville Cardinals throws a pass against the Florida State Seminoles in the first quarter of the game at Cardinal Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - SEPTEMBER 29: Jawon Pass #4 of the Louisville Cardinals throws a pass against the Florida State Seminoles in the first quarter of the game at Cardinal Stadium on September 29, 2018 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – SEPTEMBER 02: David Blough #11 of the Purdue Boilermakers is sacked by Trevon Young #91 and G.G. Robinson #94 of the Louisville Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – SEPTEMBER 02: David Blough #11 of the Purdue Boilermakers is sacked by Trevon Young #91 and G.G. Robinson #94 of the Louisville Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Put pressure on the quarterback

The Louisville defense from the line to the secondary has been great so far this season. After three weeks of play, the Cardinals find themselves ranked 29th in the nation in yards allowed per game, only giving up 285 total per contest. The third-down defense has stood out to me, they’re allowing conversions on just 33 percent of 3rd down plays, which currently ranks 44th in the NCAA.

Putting consistent pressure on Florida State quarterback James Blackman is a great place to start Saturday. This FSU offense allows three sacks a game, which ranks 90th amongst the NCAA.

Louisville as a defense is only sacking the quarterback one and a half times per game but has had as many as three sacks in one game. The matchup against a weakened Florida State offensive line is a great opportunity to improve that stat.

Florida State didn’t have turnover issues against Virginia, but they did in their first two matchups. Blackman threw two interceptions against UL-Monroe and FSU as a team fumbled the ball four times against Boise, losing two of those.

Putting pressure on Blackmon could disrupt the Seminoles’ offensive flow and game by hopefully, forcing turnovers. We saw what starting corners Chandler Jones and Anthony Johnson were made of last week with covering one-on-one, and if the front seven is able to create a consistent pass rush it could be a matter of time before one of them gets their hands on an interception.

Louisville’s defensive line has been working to rotate multiple players in an effort to find a consistent pass rush, something they could be close to finding against Florida State. Watch for guys like G.G. Robinson, Jared Goldwire, Amonte Caban, and linebackers Monty Montgomery, Rodjay Burns, and CJ Avery all to get into the backfield.

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