How Good is Miami Compared to Louisville Football?
By Caleb Hall
How good are the Miami Hurricanes compared against Louisville?
The Miami Hurricanes seem to be one of the most streaky teams in college football, so a late season,12:00 PM kickoff should be a very weird game. The Hurricanes looked like a decent team to start the season, but since starting 4-0 they have lost 4 of their last 6 games. Louisville is looking to keep a 3 game winning streak going, but going on the road will be a tough task.
Here is Miami’s Schedule for the season so far:
vs. Miami OH: Win, 38-3
vs #23 Texas A&M: Win, 48-33
vs Bethune: Win, 48-7
@ Temple: Win, 41-7
vs Georgia Tech: Loss, 23-20
At #12 North Carolina: Loss, 41-31
vs Clemson: Win, 28-20
vs Virginia: Win, 29-26
At NC State: Loss, 20-6
At #4 Florida St: Loss, 27-20
The Hurricanes have not seem to have beat teams of good quality this season, their best wins are against Texas A&M and Clemson. Say what you want about how good or bad those teams are, but A&M fired their head coach, and Clemson is having their worst season in a longtime. They also have struggled in ACC play, as they have a 2-4 conference record. After losing by 14 and only scoring 6 points against NC State I thought that Miami would limp to the finish line of the season. However, they played #4 Florida State in a one possession game, I know it is a rivalry game but playing a playoff team down to the wire on the road is very impressive.
If that didn’t sell you on Miami being a very streaky team, then the loss to Georgia Tech should seal that for you. They lost to a Georgia Tech team that has been very middling this year, but the way they lost is what stands out.
Miami had the ball with under 30 seconds to go, and instead of kneeling it, head coach Mario Cristobal decided to run the ball for some absurd reason. They paid dearly for it, as the ball carrier fumbled and Georgia Tech recorved, threw the ball downfield and won the game with a touchdown, with only 1 second left to play.
That is the most embarrassing thing an ACC team has done all season. Even more so than Pitt’s entire season so far.
Cristobal has had another less than stellar year for Miami, and if it is a close game I fully expect him to find a way to throw the game away.
Here is how Miami stacks up against Louisville stats wise:
Miami Offense:
Yds/Game: 418.3 (38th FBS, 5th ACC)
Rush Yds/Game: 172.0 (49th FBS, 8th ACC)
Pass Yds/Game: 246.3 (42nd FBS, 3rd ACC)
Pts/Game: 30.9 (43rd FBS, 5th ACC)
Miami Defense:
Yds/Game: 289.3 (19th FBS, 3rd ACC)
Rush Yds/Game: 86.0 (7th FBS, 1st ACC)
Pass Yds/Game: 203.3 (52nd FBS, 9th ACC)
Pts/Game: 20.7 (34th FBS, 5th ACC)
Miami Key Players:
Tyler Van Dyke (QB): 2,086 total passing yards, 66.7% completion rate, 16 TDs to 12 interceptions.
Henry Parrish Jr. (RB): 480 total rushing yards, 6.09 yards per carry, 4 rushing TDs.
Jacolby George (WR): 707 total receiving yards, 15.37 yards per catch, 7 TD catches.
Louisville Offense:
Yds/Game: 425.6 (34th FBS, 4th ACC)
Rush Yds/Game: 189.3 (27th FBS, 4th ACC)
Pass Yds/Game: 236.3 (52nd FBS, 5th ACC)
Pts/Game: 32.7 (32nd FBS, 3rd ACC)
Louisville Defense:
Yds/Game: 283.0 (15th FBS, 2nd ACC)
Rush Yds/Game: 91.9 (10th FBS, 2nd ACC)
Pass Yds/Game: 191.1 (39th FBS, 6th ACC)
Pts/Game: 17.1 (13th FBS, 1st ACC)
Louisville Key Players:
Jack Plummer (QB): 2,402 total passing yards, 65.5%, 16 TDs to 9 interceptions.
Jawhar Jordan (RB): 976 total rushing yards, 6.92 yards per carry, 11 rushing TDs.
Isaac Guerendo (RB): 492 total rushing yards, 6.39 yards per carry, 7 rushing TDs.
Jamari Thrash (WR): 734 total receiving yards, 14.98 yards per catch, 6 TD catches.
How do Miami and Louisville Matchup?
Miami and Louisville seem to have the same type of strengths and weaknesses, although the Cardinals do excel quite a bit more than the Hurricanes. Miami and Louisville are both very good at stopping the run and both have very stout defenses. While both teams also have some known quarterback struggles. However, Louisville does have the better rushing attack and overall defense, while Miami has a better passing game.
The Cardinals have the advantage in this game, especially with Jeff Brohm being a much better head coach than Mario Cristobal. Louisville has the ACC championship and a possible CFB Playoff berth on the line. The Cardinals need to do everything they can to win this game, and it is games like these that define a good season from a great season.