Louisville football: 3 biggest storylines heading to Miami matchup

Can Louisville execute efficiently against a top 25 team?

Is what people will ask when mentioning Louisville football’s impressive 35-21 win over Western Kentucky.

Despite its finish as a top 25 defense in 2019 and return of nearly every one from a bowl winning team, a win over a C-USA team isn’t going to convince anybody that you’re the real deal. That’s why a matchup against another ranked team, especially one that rolled in last year’s matchup, will give Louisville the perfect opportunity to prove they are legit.

There’s so much to be excited about when it comes to Louisville football’s performance over Western Kentucky, even though the Cards weren’t able to push the lead out as far as you may have liked. Aside from special teams issues (more on this coming), the offense and defense looked capable of beating a lot of really good teams.

Louisville will have their first opportunity at taking a shot at a big name in the ACC, when the Miami Hurricanes come to town at 1-0 following a 31-14 win over UAB. We all remember what happened last season when the Cards traveled to Miami and you can bet your bottom dollar that the returning players who were on the field are going to want revenge.

None more so than the defense that gave up 52 points to a below average offense and made now Garden City Community College quarterback Jarren Williams (YES THE DUDE IS A JUCO TRANSFER) look like a Heisman Trophy caliber quarterback.

Louisville gave up six passing touchdowns, 449 yards of total offense, two possessions of scoring on the first play, and five plays of 20-plus yards including 41, 46, 67 yard plays to an offense that finished averaging 367 yards per game which was third worst in the ACC.

The Cardinal defense passed the eye test against Western Kentucky, as they allowed only 119 rushing yards and 129 yards passing. Louisville proved that they were capable of stopping the run, holding star running back Gaej Walker to just 19 yards (although he did score a touchdown) and quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome to a 68 yards on 17 rushes. Louisville’s speed was overwhelming and no matter what WKU tried to do (outside of the goal line), the Cards made the plays.

Now they’ll have to prove they can do that against a dynamic rushing team in Miami, who sits as the third best rushing offense the NCAA after week one. Houston graduate transfer D’Eriq King looked the part, at least running the ball, totaling 83 yards rushing and one touchdown while new starting running back Cam’Ron Harris torched the Blazers defense to the tune of 134 yards and two touchdowns.

Louisville’s offense dominated the Miami defense last season, and looked even more dangerous against Western Kentucky on Saturday, which is a scary sight to behold. They’ll face a strong test, especially the offensive line against against Quincy Roche, which should give us an idea of just how good they can be this season.

Saturday is a big deal.