Louisville football and Eastern Kentucky are kicking off from L&N Stadium, and the Cardinals open up as dominant 38.5-point favorites. Eastern Kentucky has some solid players on its roster, including star running back Brayden Latham. The Colonels' running back is their top returning player on offense and has received high praise from his head coach, Walt Wells.
Last season, he was the backup to Joshua Carter, who ran for over 1,200 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, and this season, he has the expectations of taking over Carter's position. While Latham ran for 662 yards on 147 carries last season, he must know he is in for a rude awakening tomorrow against the Cardinals.
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Louisville football will shut Brayden Latham down Week 1
This Cardinals defense will be led by elite transfer Clev Lubin on the defensive line and Stanquan Clark and TJ Quinn in the linebacker position. Quinn and Clark return to the Cardinals after leading Louisville in tackles last season, combining for 158 tackles in 2024.
Clark, Lubin, and Quinn are all powerful tacklers who can limit the opposing teams' rushing attacks, and with the Colonels' inexperience and weak offensive line, these three and the defense as a whole are poised to shut down Eastern Kentucky's star running back.
The Colonels lost four of their five starting offensive linemen from 2024, making this front line extremely inexperienced and weak for the Week 1 showdown against Louisville. The Cardinals' defensive line is going to erupt Eastern Kentucky's backfield and limit Latham all game long, just like they did to Austin Peay a year ago.
Lubin will lead the group for Louisville's defensive line, coming off a monster season where he finished No. 15 in the nation with 9.5 sacks and added 12.5 tackles for loss. He should have a Louisville debut to remember, and Latham will pay the price.
The Cardinals' defense has dominated their FCS opponents lately, winning 25 straight games against an FCS team, including the last two matchups, which resulted in a combined score of 111-14. Louisville held Austin Peay's rushing attack last year to just 34 rushing yards on 34 carries. Lathem and the Colonels can expect similar results on Saturday, as this Cardinals defensive line and unit have been the talk of fall camp and are exceeding all expectations heading into Week 1.
The Cardinals' defense is hungry, and they have a lot to prove after the 2024 season. If the Louisville football defense plays the way it should and dominates the trenches, then Lathem is in for a very long Saturday night.
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Louisville and Eastern Kentucky are scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. local time on Saturday, August 30, from L&N Stadium. The matchup will be broadcast on ACCN.