1. Can the offense score touchdowns without the big play?
In football, an “explosive play” is defined as a run of 10 or more yards or a pass of 20 or more yards. Much like the run game concerns, Louisville’s offense has leaned heavily on these big plays to find the end zone. Through two games, the Cardinals have scored 10 touchdowns — seven of which came on explosive plays. That’s an alarming percentage, suggesting that instead of stringing together methodical drives, the offense is living off home runs.
Some of those scores are expected against inferior competition — like Caullin Lacy’s 93-yard punt return against EKU or AJ Green’s fumble return against JMU. Those “free points” are bonuses. The issue is that Louisville has rarely shown the ability to move the ball down the field in small chunks. The Cards aren’t consistently piecing together 10-play, 75-yard drives; they’re striking quickly, relying on speed and broken plays rather than execution and efficiency.
That approach won’t hold up against ACC defenses. To close the gap on teams like Miami, Florida State, and even Clemson, Louisville must show they can win ugly. Sustaining long drives not only puts points on the board but also eats clock, controls tempo, and wears down opposing defenses. Fixing the run game and finding a third-down security blanket are part of that equation, but the bigger picture is this: the 2025 Cardinals can’t be a one-trick offense. If they want to contend for an ACC title, they’ll need to prove they can grind out touchdowns as well as explode for them.