Louisville football is looking for a major bounce-back performance this week after dropping a 30-27 overtime loss to Virginia. However, bouncing back will be easier said than done this week as the Cardinals have to go to Miami to take on the No.2 Hurricanes.
Louisville enters the heavily anticipated matchup 4-1 overall and 1-1 in the ACC. Since the Cardinals already dropped a conference game to Virginia, Miami is a must-win game if the Cardinals want to keep their ACC championship hopes alive.
It might seem like all the odds are against them, but Louisville is no stranger to big-time upsets. Just last year, the Cardinals took down at the time No.11 Clemson 33-21 in their ninth game of the season. To pull off another upset, Louisville will have to contain some of Miami’s biggest playmakers to make sure they don’t put the game out of reach.
These are three Miami players the Cardinals must contain to have a shot at an upset.
3. Rueben Bain Jr., DL
It’s rare to see a defensive lineman leading your team in tackles, but that’s exactly what Bain Jr. is doing. The junior has 26 total tackles with 12 of those being solo. He also has two sacks so far this season and has forced one fumble.
He hasn’t just interrupted the run game, but the passing game as well, as he has one pass deflection and even one interception so far this season. Bain Jr. will be a handful for the Cardinals’ offensive line, and he must be contained if they want their offense to be productive right out of the gate.
2. C.J. Daniels, WR
Daniels has seemed to find the end zone in all the moments Miami has needed him most. He is coming off a stellar performance against at the time No. 18 Florida State, where he had five receptions for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Daniels is leading the Hurricanes in touchdown receptions this year with five and has also accumulated 23 receptions for 269 yards.
Daniels will be someone Beck looks for early to get an early lead. The Louisville secondary will have its hands full, but with the Cardinal defense already having six interceptions on the year, they have a shot to keep Daniels out of the game.
1. Carson Beck, QB
The tenured quarterback for Miami knows how to make big plays and has shown that this season. Beck has thrown for 1,213 yards on the season and has done so efficiently as he has completed 73.4 percent of his throws. Beck has also thrown for 11 touchdowns so far this season and has only thrown three interceptions.
Beck is no stranger to big games, as he played for an SEC championship in both 2023 and 2024 for the Georgia Bulldogs and even won it in 2024. The Cardinal defense will have to rattle him early if they want to throw him off his game. This won’t be easy, though as Beck has only been sacked four times this season. Beck has to be the number one priority for the Cardinals to stop, or else they could be in for a long night.