For much of the 2024 season, Miami looked like the team to beat in the ACC, and to Louisville’s credit, the Cardinals almost did. In Week 8, the Hurricanes pulled out a 52-45 shootout win in Louisville.
Cam Ward, the eventual No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns, but Tyler Shough, the third QB to come off the board this past spring, nearly outdid him with 342 passing yards and four touchdowns of his own. Now, both teams have new quarterbacks and potentially new identities for the 2025 season as they prepare for a showdown in Week 8.
Miami is still one of the top dogs in the ACC, so Week 8 could be Jeff Brohm’s first chance to prove that in Year 3, his Cardinals are ready to take the next step to ACC title and College Football Playoff contention.
Last season was a shootout. This year, it’s the star of Miami’s defense who could be the biggest problem for Louisville.
Louisville’s transfer tackles will have their hands full with Rueben Bain Jr.
With Monroe Mills and Jonathan Mendoza both gone, Brohm had to go into the transfer portal for solutions at both tackle spots. Now, heading into fall camp, the likely starters are Mississippi State transfer Makylan Pounders at left tackle and Purdue transfer Mahamane Moussa on the right side.
Both Pounders and Moussa are experienced starters, though Moussa played at left guard for the Boilermakers last season. Still, attrition at the bookends of the offensive line introduces a significant amount of uncertainty, especially when you’re also breaking in a new quarterback. Up until Week 8, there shouldn’t be any particularly nightmarish matchups for Pounders and Moussa, but Bain will absolutely test them.
At 6-foot-3, 275 pounds, Bain has the versatility to move up and down the defensive line, sliding into the three technique on passing downs and playing the edge on early downs. But if he identifies a weakness along the Louisville line, especially if it's at one of the two tackle spots, a veteran play like Bain may have the freedom to pick his matchup and dominate the entire game.
As a sophomore last year, Bain finished third to Tyler Baron and Simeon Barrow Jr. in total pressures and sacks for Miami. His 14.6 percent pass rush win rate fell just shy of Baron’s team-leading mark, and could improve with increased opportunity in 2025, because Bain will be the clear focal point of the pass rush with both Baron and Barrow in the NFL.
Even after Mario Cristobal completely overhauled his secondary, if Louisville can block, the Cardinals can score points on the Hurricanes. If not, it could be a long day for Miller Moss in Week 8.