Louisville football: Predicting statistical over/under’s for 2020

Defense – 25 points per game allowed

Jacob – Push (25 points per game) 

Louisville football’s defense has a lot going in their favor, including returning a defensive coordinator for consecutive seasons for the first time since 2016 as well as the fact that they’ll return eight starters and upwards of 10 contributors from last season’s defense.

Louisville improved significantly in 2019 but still struggled, allowing 33.40 points per game and a total of 434 points allowed which ranked tied for 109th in the country. The fact that-that type of production was “improvement” shows how far they had to go following the 2018 season.

The team gets back eight of their top 10 leading tacklers from a season ago, headlined by inside linebackers CJ Avery and Dorian Etheridge and secondary members Chandler Jones and Russ Yeast.

It was a weird offseason but once again the practice time that Louisville has gotten should be a huge advantage for them. They’ll work in a ton of new pieces which should give them the needed depth and will add in a number of difference makers in the pass rush, including Yaya Diaby and Ja’Darien Boykin, which should make them much more dangerous.

I think Louisville’s biggest jump this season will come defensively, which is why I think they’ll hit the 25 points per game mark.

Presley – Over (More than 25 ppg allowed)

Last season, Louisville allowed 33 points per game. Though that is tremendously improved from the season prior to Satterfield’s arrival, the Cardinals allowing a more than a touchdown less per game seems highly unlikely.

I think we could see a defense that is much better situationally in 2020, but to expect them to move from near the bottom of the power five defensively to what would have ranked the Cardinals in the top 50 nationally in points allowed feels a bit premature.