Three reasons to be optimistic about Louisville football’s defense

Louisville linebackers remain impressive

While there is certainly area for improvement across the defense as a whole, Louisville football’s linebacking unit remains extremely impressive.

Cardinals linebackers accounted for 5 of the top 6 in individual tackle statistics, and were a big reason that the Miami ground game was never able to really get going.

CJ Avery led the team with 10 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a pass defended.

Dorian Etheridge tallied 8 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Monty Montgomery had 5 tackles and a tackle for a loss.

Nick Okeke, who saw an uptick in playing time on Saturday, accounted for five total tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.

Rodjay Burns tallied three solo tackles and a QB hurry.

Louisville’s depth at linebacker quietly remains a strength of the 2020 squad and features a number of playmaker who specialize in making individual hustle plays.

Avery and Etheridge, Louisville’s two senior middle linebackers, were all over the place on Saturday. Miami only found success when running plays away from the middle of the field.