Louisville football secured its fifth straight win on Saturday after the Cardinals defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 16-14. Louisville’s offense was held to its fewest points this season, marking the third time it has scored 30 points or fewer and the first time it has scored under 20.
Louisville's ACC Championship dreams take a massive hit after Week 11 results
It wasn’t the prettiest game for Lincoln Kienholz and this offense, but the Cardinals defense stepped up big time and delivered a near-perfect performance, leading UofL to their seventh win of the season and keeping their ACC Championship hopes alive.
Louisville’s victory had some big-time performances, especially on the defensive end, and we are here to break down some of the Cardinals' biggest winners, but also one crushing loser.
3. Carson Hilbert
Louisville’s kicker came through for the Cardinals in their 16-14 win, as Carson Hilbert made three field goals that led UofL to victory. He went 3-of-4 on the night, including an extra point, and contributed 10 of Louisville’s 16 points.
Hilbert is the first Louisville kicker since Art Carmody in 2006 to make three or more field goals in consecutive games. Hilbert improves 14-of-18 on the year, including 8-of-8 inside 40 yards and 5-of-8 between 40-49.
2. Stanquan Clark
Stanquan Clark was all over the field on Saturday night, leading Louisville with 10 total tackles, plus one sack and two pass breakups. The star linebacker was huge for Louisville in their victory and is now just two tackles away from breaking his career best.
Clark leads Louisville with 74 tackles; his 1.5 sacks rank No. 6 on the team, and his four pass deflections rank No. 3. Clark has been one of the Cardinals' top playmakers on defense, and he was crucial to Louisville's big-time win.
1. Louisville's defense
I know we shone a light on the Cardinals' defensive star, but the whole defense really deserves a spotlight. The Cardinals' defense executed their plan perfectly, holding UNC to just 14 points, including zero points in the second and third quarters.
Entering the game, not many Cardinals fans would have thought Louisville would win if they scored only 16 points, but the Cards' defense held UNC to just 293 total yards, including 179 passing yards and just 114 rushing yards. They also forced two turnovers, including a game-sealing interception by Jabari Mack. This defense showed a lot of fight Saturday night and was easily one of their best games as a unit this season.
Loser: Louisville's ACC Championship hopes
Yes, the Cardinals' ACC Championship hopes are still alive, but after Wake Forest beat SMU, the Cards' ACC Title dreams are hanging on by a thread. With Wake Forest's win on Saturday, the Cardinals now have +2500 odds to reach Charlotte, and Wake Forest has a dominant -10000.
Louisville's path to the ACC Championship Game is much harder with Wake Forest's dominant win, as the Cards must win out, and they now need Wake Forest to lose out. Louisville needs Georgia Tech to upset Wake Forest this weekend, then needs Duke to beat the Demon Deacons as well in Week 13. As for the Cardinals, they must take care of business and defeat Pitt and Kentucky. Right now, Wake Forest is a dominant 20.5-point favorite on the road against Georgia Tech, putting the Cardinals' ACC Championship dreams on life support.
Add us as a preferred source on Google