Big Red Louie
Fansided

Louisville Football’s Pulse vs. James Madison

By Robert Caudill

LOUISVILLE, KY - OCTOBER 29: Jaelin Carter #88 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrates with teammates during the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Cardinal Stadium on October 29, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - OCTOBER 29: Jaelin Carter #88 of the Louisville Cardinals celebrates with teammates during the game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Cardinal Stadium on October 29, 2022 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Louisville plays a formerly ranked James Madison tonight with rainy conditions. Sportsbooks have Louisville favored by 7 in tonight’s game. The Cardinals look to extend their three game winning streak tonight against the Dukes.

Let’s take a dive into the pulse of the fanbase.

During last week’s game, Louisville had a season defining win against Wake Forest, 48-21. Louisville forced eight turnovers against the Demon Deacons, which was the turning point for the 27 point win.  This made fans forget the questionable calls that were made against Louisville in the first half of the game.

Fans may have had hope to win this game, but they did not expect a dominant win like last Saturday. The win injected so much needed hope into the fan base that now leads them to believe the Cardinals can take home the win against the Dukes.

This belief of winning against James Madison comes with some support based off of statistics. Louisville has jumped in Football Outsiders DFEI ranking from 29th to 13th in one week. Football Outsiders DFEI rating shows the scoring advantage a team’s defense would have on a neutral field against an average opponent.

This week’s DFEI ranking of 13 is higher than notable programs such as Kentucky and Notre Dame. DTO is a statistic that shows the percentage of opponent offensive drives that end with an interception or fumble and Louisville currently ranks 1st in this.

On the offensive side of the ball, fans will recognize the athleticism that Malik Cunningham brings to the table is outmatched against defenses that are not in the traditional power five conferences. For example, against South Florida earlier this year, Malik threw for 186 yards and rushed for 113 yards. James Madison is currently transitioning into Division I football as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, so even with their experienced players and notable transfers, this will be something to note while watching the game tonight.

James Madison was not on most people’s radar in the beginning of the year, but the team is no slouch. Referring to the Football Outsiders statistic DFEI again, James Madison currently ranks 32nd. This DFEI rating puts James Madison in front of notable schools like Tennessee and Utah.

The Dukes return their starting quarterback, Todd Centeio, against Louisville tonight. The team has lost two straight and did not have Centeio in their most recent loss against Marshall, which needs to be considered going into the game tonight. Centeio is the engine for the JMU offense.

While Louisville fans are coming off a high from their win over Wake Forest, the excitement needs to be kept in perspective. James Madison is not a team to forget about and will want to get their season back on track tonight. Rainy conditions lend help to their defense, who have been able to stop the run against teams this year.

The prediction tonight will be a close one, in which Louisville prevails 21-17.

Home/Louisville Football