Cardinals fans had many emotions and mixed feelings in an underwhelming yet satisfying performance from the Louisville Cardinals. In Louisville’s first big test, in the Friday night primetime slot, the Cardinals defeated the James Madison Dukes 28 - 14. The Dukes put up quite a fight and gave the Cardinals plenty of teachable moments to work on as the season progresses.
Louisville made the plays it needed to, especially on defense, to keep the Cards consistently in the game. Ultimately, a win is a win and that’s all that matters. However, as the opponents get increasingly more challenging, there are a few things the Cardinals will need to work on and improve upon with tonight’s performance.
5 big observations from the Louisville football win over James Madison
1. Isaac Brown continues to shine
For 3 quarters, Isaac Brown was stuffed, stopped, and a non-factor for the Louisville offense. However, that all changed late in the 4th quarter, when Brown finally realized who he was and what he could accomplish. His 78-yard touchdown run provided the nail in the coffin for the Cardinals' win and let all Cardinals fans breathe a sigh of relief.
Remarkably, Brown once again finished with over 100 yards rushing after a sluggish performance tonight. He continues to play up to the key moments and be the spark that the Cardinal offense needs at the correct times. His play through moments like these show that voters made the right call by naming him to all of the preseason award watchlists and All-American honors.
Related: It only took Isaac Brown 5 minutes to show Louisville something must change