Entering the 2025 season, Louisville football fans were hoping to see an increase in production from their star running back, Isaac Brown. The Cardinals' star running back was a Preseason All-American and was the talk of the city during the offseason, following a historic true freshman season.
Last year, Brown broke multiple program records, earning just 165 carries, which translates to 12.7 carries per game. He logged an impressive 1,173 rushing yards on 7.1 yards per carry, but fans were hoping all offseason that he would get more touches in 2025.
However, through the first five weeks of football, Louisville and college football fans are incredibly underwhelmed with how many touches the All-American is earning, but Max Chadwick and Pro Football Focus just revealed the main reason.
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PFF just exposed Louisville football's biggest flaw
Entering the Cardinals' showdown with Virginia, Brown has logged 33 carries for 268 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. He is averaging an astounding 8.1 yards per carry and 8.5 carries per game. However, he was sidelined against Bowling Green after just one carry for 18 yards, so let's say he had 32 carries for 250 yards.
Through Brown's three complete games, he is earning 10.6 carries per game, as he logged six carries vs Eastern Kentucky, 12 carries vs James Madison, and 14 carries vs Pitt. And while the fans are screaming for him to get more carries, PFF just revealed why he might not be getting as many carries as the fans would like.
"Isaac Brown, when he gets the football, has been phenomenal, but hasn't gotten the ball as much as I or probably Louisville fans want him to get this year," Chadwick stated on Pro Football Focus."Those offensive line struggles could be a reason why Louisville only runs the ball on 42 percent of its plays this year, even with a star running back in Isaac Brown; their run rate is 104th in the country."
To put into perspective how low Brown's carries are through five weeks of football, he was in talks with Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love and Penn State's Nick Singleton this offseason as the best running back. Love has earned 66 carries, and Singleton has earned 55 carries.
The Cardinals' offensive line is a concerning area for the Cardinals as their season progresses and their games get more challenging. The offensive line ranks 109th in the nation, and their run blocking ranks 121st according to PFF's rating system.
So, while fans want Brown to get the ball more, it might be more a matter of the fact that this offensive line has played so poorly that there isn't much he can do. In the last game against Pitt, he received the ball 14 times but was met in the backfield for the majority of the time, and as a result, he couldn't get anything going, only managing 20 yards on the ground. Before Saturday, when he averaged 1.4 yards per carry, the lowest yards per carry when earning 10 carries or more was when he averaged 5.5 yards per carry against Washington and Notre Dame.
Brown is a college football star, and he has shown flashes this year of his dominance. However, for him to have the season fans were expecting, the offensive line has to step up and play better.
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Louisville and Virginia will kick off next Saturday, October 4, from L&N Stadium at 3:30 p.m. local time.