The 2025 Louisville Cardinals began their season in dominant fashion, overwhelming Eastern Kentucky 51-17 in a game that was all but decided by halftime. Miller Moss looked sharp in his first start under Jeff Brohm, new receiver Caullin Lacy made an instant impact, and Isaac and Keyjaun Brown reminded everyone why the running back room is the heartbeat of this team. The Cardinals looked fast, physical, and full of potential, but a few sloppy moments made it clear that there’s still work to do.
That work becomes more urgent this Friday night when Louisville football faces James Madison. The Dukes are not Eastern Kentucky—they are a proven program coming off an 11-2 season and led the nation in turnover margin a year ago. They also bring a balanced offense and a disciplined style of play that makes them dangerous underdogs. Louisville is favored by nearly two touchdowns (-12.5), but anyone who follows college football knows that early-season upsets often happen when talented favorites leave the door open.
For Louisville, there are three areas that matter most if the Cardinals want to avoid a nightmare scenario in Week 2. If Brohm’s team can stay sharp in these three areas, the matchup should play out as expected. But if not, Cardinal Stadium could be in for a tense Friday night.
3 crucial keys for Louisville to avoid an upset
3. Penalties
Louisville’s most obvious issue in Week 1 was discipline. The Cardinals committed 12 penalties against Eastern Kentucky, tied for the fifth-most of any team in the country. Several of them came at moments when the offense was moving efficiently, killing drives that looked destined to end in touchdowns. Holding calls, personal fouls, and false starts gave EKU chances they did not earn on their own. That type of sloppiness is the kind of thing that can flip the momentum of a game.
This is not an isolated problem either. Last season, Louisville ranked just 86th in the country in penalties per game, averaging 6.2. They totaled 81 across the season, and too many of them came at critical points in tight games. The 2024 loss at Stanford stands out, as a late penalty helped set up the Cardinal’s game-winning field goal. Those moments show why penalties can be just as damaging as turnovers, even if they don’t show up on the stat sheet as often.
James Madison, by contrast, prides itself on playing clean football. The Dukes were flagged just six times in their opener against Weber State and were consistently one of the least penalized teams in the Sun Belt before joining the higher level of FBS competition. For Louisville, reducing mistakes is about more than just efficiency—it’s about not giving JMU free possessions or field position. If the Cardinals can bring that number down from 12 to something closer to 5 or 6, they should be able to control the pace and avoid frustration.
Related: Louisville fans say Jeff Brohm has one glaring problem to fix after Week 1 win