On Sunday night, the Miami Hurricanes defeated the No. 6 and National Championship runner-up Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The story of the game wasn't about Carson Beck or the Miami Hurricanes, but about Notre Dame giving the ball to their two-star running backs just 16 times combined.
Entering the season, Louisville football fans have only heard about how good Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price are and that they are the best running back duo in the nation. Well, the Cardinals fans disagree and feel that their duo is better as Isaac Brown and Duke Watson are poised for another breakout season.
If Louisville wants to shock the ACC and return to the ACC Championship game, then Jeff Brohm must watch that game film and realize he has to give his running backs the ball more than 16 times if he wants to beat Miami and others.
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Notre Dame showed Louisville football what not to do
Notre Dame revealed to Louisville that they must not overthink it, and despite the hype around Miami and their new defense, they have to rely on their strengths, which is their run game. The Fighting Irish game plan got ripped apart by the fan base and the nation after the Irish's loss, and if the Cardinals want to avoid the same result, they have to realize Brown and Watson are their paths to victory.
The Cardinals' two running backs are a dominant one-two punch. It took Brown only six carries in game one to prove he is poised for a massive season, as he logged six carries for 126 yards and two touchdowns.
The path to a successful 2025 season is through this running back room, and Sunday proved it for Louisville. The Cardinals can't lose sight of what their strengths are and can't force Miller Moss to throw 40 times or more. If Louisville wants to beat Miami and Clemson, it must rely on its rushing attack and dominate the trenches.
Brown has to get the ball 15 times or more. Last year, Louisville was undefeated when he received the ball 15 times or more, and he averaged over 130 rushing yards and a touchdown in all five games. However, on the flip side, in Louisville's four losses last year, the star running back earned just 8.5 carries in the four games, proving the silver lining is to feed the ball to Brown more.
Notre Dame regrets giving Love and Price the ball just 16 times. At the end of the day, it is one of the reasons they lost the game. The Cardinals must learn from the Irish's mistakes and realize that their running back duo is nearly unstoppable and their path back to the ACC Championship game isn't through Moss, but is through Brown and Watson.
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