The Louisville Cardinals are looking to build on back-to-back strong seasons in 2023 and 2024. Last fall, the offense carried the load, highlighted by a historic win over Clemson and standout performances from quarterback Tyler Shough and breakout running back Isaac Brown.
With Shough now in the NFL, Miller Moss steps in at quarterback with big shoes to fill. But quarterback play isn’t the only area Louisville must address in 2025. If Jeff Brohm wants to return to the ACC Championship Game, the defense has to take a major step forward.
Last season was a down year for the Cardinals defensively. They surrendered too many points, failed to create negative plays, and struggled to force turnovers. Here are five key stats Louisville must improve this season to reach its full potential.
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5 crucial stats Louisville football must improve in 2025
1. Points Allowed
In 2024, Louisville gave up 24.1 points per game overall, and an alarming 27.5 points per game in ACC play. In their three conference losses, opponents averaged 41.3 points. By comparison, the 2023 defense allowed just 21.3 points per game — only 18 per game in ACC play.
If Louisville wants to reach another ACC title game — or even push for a College Football Playoff berth — they need to resemble that 2023 unit. Red zone stops will be especially critical for co-defensive coordinators Ron English and Mark Hagen.
The late-season stretch — hosting Clemson, traveling to SMU, and closing at home against Kentucky — could define the year. Giving up 27 points a night in that span would be a recipe for disaster.
2. Sacks
Louisville’s pass rush also slipped in 2024. Despite recording the same number of sacks as in 2023, the Cards fell to ninth in the ACC after ranking third the year before. The difference? Other teams improved while Louisville stayed stagnant.
In today’s ACC, being middle-of-the-pack in sacks won’t cut it. Pressure disrupts rhythm, forces mistakes, and flips momentum. If English and Hagen want their defense to set the tone, they need to unleash downhill pressure from Week 1.
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3. Interceptions
Turnovers were another weak spot. Louisville’s defense finished 12th out of 17 ACC teams with just 10 interceptions in 2024. That’s a sharp drop from 2023, when they picked off 13 passes and ranked fourth in the league.
Sudden-change plays are game-changers, and this roster has too much talent to finish in the bottom tier of the conference. In 2025, the secondary has to be more aggressive and embrace a “ball-hawk” mentality.
4. Fumbles Forced
Louisville forced just seven fumbles in both 2023 and 2024, finishing in the middle of the conference each season. While some argue fumble recoveries come down to luck, consistently finishing near the bottom suggests otherwise.
Big plays like strips and recoveries swing momentum and give an already explosive offense more opportunities. The Cards need to put a bigger emphasis on ripping at the ball and forcing chaos.
5. Red Zone Defense
Perhaps the biggest drop-off came inside the 20. In 2023, Louisville led the ACC in red zone defense, allowing just 23 scores (19 touchdowns) on 34 drives, including seven turnovers. In 2024, they plummeted to 10th, giving up points on 29 of 35 trips and forcing only four turnovers.
The difference was glaring. Stops inside the red zone kept Louisville in games in 2023, while failures in 2024 swung momentum the other way. This fall, look for the staff to experiment with tighter man coverage and pressure looks near the goal line. Whether through scheme or sheer execution, the Cardinals must find ways to prevent easy scores.
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