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Louisville Football: 3 keys to beat Duke’s Defense

By Caleb Hall

Oct 14, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) out runs the tackles of Duke Blue Devils safety Corbin McCarthy (26) and defensive end Marquies Price (91) during the second half at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Louisville defeated Duke 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) out runs the tackles of Duke Blue Devils safety Corbin McCarthy (26) and defensive end Marquies Price (91) during the second half at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Louisville defeated Duke 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Louisville running back Keyjuan Brown (22) celebrated after scoring a touchdown against the Murray State defense. The Cardinals defeated Murray State 56-0 in Jeff Brohm’s home coaching debut on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023.
Louisville running back Keyjuan Brown (22) celebrated after scoring a touchdown against the Murray State defense. The Cardinals defeated Murray State 56-0 in Jeff Brohm’s home coaching debut on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023. /

Louisville needs to have more offensive consistency to beat the best scoring defense in the ACC this saturday

The #18 Louisville Cardinals will face the #20 Duke Blue Devils this weekend, and the offense needs to get back on track after a lackluster performance against Pitt. Duke has the 5th best scoring defense in the entirety of college football, by just allowing 13.9 points per game. The Cardinals will need to be on point this week, and if they come out playing how they did in the 2nd half against Pitt, they will not win this football game.

The Cardinals need Jack Plummer to have a good game and not force turnovers like he did against Pitt. Jawhar Jordan could also potentially be out for saturday’s matchup, and if he is, Plummer will have to do even more to make sure Louisville succeeds on the offensive side of the ball.

Everything will be on the line for the offense this weekend, especially against this stout Duke Defense.

Louisville needs to follow these 3 keys to beat an impressive Duke defense.

No. 3: Not turning the ball over, especially in clutch situations

Louisville cannot turn the ball over against Duke, and if they do, they are in for a long night. The Cardinals turned the ball over 3 times against Pitt 2 weeks ago, and 14 of Pitt’s points came from Louisville’s turnovers. Jack Plummer has to be more careful when he throws the ball. On several throws throughout the season Plummer is overthrowing, underthrowing, or just making rash decisions that are not good for the offense. Plummer has been good for Louisville this season for the most part, it’s just that when he makes mistakes that are in noticeable clutch situations. If Plummer can make the decision to throw the ball away instead of trying to thread the needle, then it will lead to the Cardinals not giving the ball away.

As long as Plummer can make smarter decisions and not try to force anything, the Cardinals should be in good shape. It’s just when he decides to force it or make something happen when it isn’t there, is when it gets bad for Louisville.

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