Opponent preview: Louisville Cardinals
Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2024 9:58 pmOpponent preview: Can SMU prevent Louisville Cardinals from taking flight?
SMU has won only two previous meetings
Posted on 10/02/2024 by PonyFans.com
As the weeks click off the calendar, it seems the SMU Mustangs face bigger challenges every week.
After crushing TCU and Florida State in their last two games, the Ponies will go back on the road Saturday to take on the No. 22 Louisville Cardinals at L&N Stadium (capacity: 59,823) at 11 a.m. (Central time) in a game that can be seen on ESPN or heard on KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM. The Mustangs head to Louisville with a 4-1 record, while the Cardinals are 3-1. Each team won its first and only Atlantic Coast Conference game this season. UL is 9-1 at home under head coach Jeff Brohm — presenting an interesting subplot against an SMU team that has won six straight on the road — and has scored at least 30 points in nine of those 10 games.
Saturday’s matchup will be Louisville’s fourth home game in its first five, and the third meeting between the programs; SMU won both previous meetings, in 1983 and 1984. The Cardinals finish games strong; through four games, they have outscored their opponents in the fourth quarter by 57 points.
After rolling through Austin Peay, Jacksonville State and Georgia Tech in its first three games by an average score of 47.3-11, the Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season last week when they fell, 31-24, at Notre Dame in a game in which three first-half turnovers led to 10 points for the Fighting Irish (Louisville had entered the game as one of three teams in the country that had not yet turned the ball over prior to last week). Through four games, the Cardinals are a fairly balanced team, and one of just six teams in the country that rank among the nation’s top 20 in both total offense and total defense.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to work this week and picking up the pieces after a tough loss, and we’ve got a really good opponent coming in,” Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm said. “SMU is playing about as good as anybody in the country. They’ve got a lot of skill on offense, they’ve settled on a quarterback — (Kevin Jennings) is really good, he can run and throw — they’ve got a lot of speed at the skill positions, they’ve scored a lot of points here lately. The defense plays aggressive — they lead the nation in turnovers.
“So we’ll have our hands full. We’ll have to play really good football, we have to be very well-prepared, and come out and execute better. But that’s why you play the game. It will be a good test for us.”
Redshirt senior quarterback Tyler Shough, the massive (6-5, 225) transfer from Texas Tech, completed 24 of 41 passes for 264 yards, three touchdowns and his first interception of the season — an errant throw that ended his school-record streak of 86 pass attempts to start his Louisville career without throwing a pick. For the season, Shough has completed 76 of 117 passes (64.96%) for 1,114 yards, 11 touchdowns and the single interception. He has thrown at least two touchdown passes in each game this season, and is one of just four quarterbacks in the country with at least 10 scoring passes and just one interception.
Not only did the Cards serve up their first three interceptions of the season against Notre Dame, they also allowed a season-high three sacks. The Irish also were the first team to score on its first drive against the Louisville defense this season.
But things did improve over the course of last week’s game for the Redbirds: after allowing 24 points in the first half, they allowed just seven after the intermission.
No quarterback puts up big numbers without talented targets in the passing game, and that certainly is the case with Shough. The Louisville offense usually plays with a single running back and three wide receivers, and the Cardinal wideouts are big, fast and talented. Redshirt senior Ja’Corey Brooks (6-3, 195) leads the team with 22 receptions for 368 yards (16.73 per reception), and his four receiving touchdowns (including two against Notre Dame) have him tied for 21st in the country. Junior Chris Bell (6-2, 220) has nine receptions for 188 yards and a pair of scores — each of which covered more than 30 yards; his average of 20.89 yards per reception rank second in the ACC and 20th in the nation. Redshirt senior tight end Mark Redman (6-5, 255) resembles an extra offensive lineman and has just four receptions for 54 yards in four games … but two of them have ended up in the end zone.
The Cardinals’ starting receivers are very talented, but the offense, which is directed by offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm (the head coach’s brother), prioritizes spreading the ball around: at least eight Cards have caught a pass in all four games this season, including a season-high 15 who hauled in at least one in Louisville’s 62-0 laugher over Austin Peay.
Redshirt junior Donald Chaney (5-11, 220) is listed as the starting running back, but his 82 rushing yards are just fifth-best on the team after four games. He is joined in the backfield by a pair of dangerous youngsters: freshman Isaac Brown (5-9, 190), an ESPN Freshman Preseason All-America who leads the team with 29 carries and 245 yards (and a touchdown), and redshirt freshman Keyjuan Brown (5-10, 220), who is next with 24 carries for 149 yards. Keyjuan Brown and freshman Duke Watson (6-0, 180) lead the team with a pair of rushing touchdowns. Isaac Brown’s average of 8.5 yards per carry ranks 13th in the nation.
Brohm, in his second season leading the Cardinals after previous stints as the head coach at Purdue and Western Kentucky, has a reputation for commanding high-powered offenses, and this season is no different: Not only is his team outscoring its opponents, 41.5-16, but the Cardinals also are outgaining their foes by more than 200 yards per game: 475.5-271.5. The disparity reflects the balance of the offense: UL is outgaining its opponents 178.5-94.8 yards per game in rushing, and enjoys a 297-176.75 edge in average passing yards.
The offensive line is huge, averaging 6-6 and 309 across the front — numbers that get a sizeable boost from redshirt junior left tackle Monroe Mills (6-7, 315) and redshirt senior right tackle Jon Mendoza (6-9, 310). Redshirt junior center Pete Nygra is the “little guy” of the line, and “just” 6-4, 300.
The SMU defense has been justifiably celebrated for its 14 takeaways and four defensive touchdowns — both of which lead the nation. Even more impressive: the Mustangs are plus-63 in points off turnovers … and no other program in the country is better than plus-38.
But the Mustangs won’t be the only potent defense on the field Saturday. Louisville also has scored 28 points off turnovers and is tied for sixth in the nation with two defensive touchdowns, both of which were scored by redshirt senior backup defensive end Ramon Puryear.
The UL defense normally operates out of a 4-3 alignment and is particularly stout against the run. The Cards enter Saturday’s game allowing 94.8 yards per game on the ground — good for third in the ACC and 23rd in the nation. They held Notre Dame, which entered the game with the nation’s No. 18 rushing attack to 117 yards — 121 yards below its average.
The Louisville defense also is exceptional on third downs: while the Cardinals’ offense converse 44.9 percent of its third downs into first downs, the defense is allowing opponents to convert just 23.08 percent.
The defensive line is led by senior defensive end Ashton Gillotte (6-3, 275), whose sack against Austin Peay was the 23rd in his career, moving him into a tie for ninth. He earned second-team All-America honors last year, when he piled up 11 sacks (eighth in the country), and also is ninth in school history with 32.5 tackles for loss. He would need 14.5 more this season to catch former Cardinal Dewayne White, who holds the program record at 37.5. Redshirt senior defensive end Tramel Logan (6-4, 250) leads the UL defense with three sacks of the team’s 10 sacks; redshirt junior defensive tackle Jared Dawson (6-2, 305) and senior free safety Tamarion McDonald (6-2, 195) each have two.
The heart of the Louisville defense is the linebackers: sophomore middle linebacker Stanquan Clark (6-3, 230) leads the Cardinals with 22 tackles, including two takles for loss. Redshirt junior outside linebacker T.J. Quinn (6-1, 230), last year’s leading tackler with 92, is next with 21.
Redshirt junior cornerback Quincy Riley (6-0, 185) has one interception, but that number is deceiving. Opposing quarterbacks are realizing he has 14 interceptions in 46 career games at Middle Tennessee and Louisville, and are resistant to the idea of throwing in Riley’s direction. Riley was unavailable for the Notre Dame game, and Brohm said earlier this week that Riley’s availability for Saturday is not yet known.
Senior kicker Brock Travelstead (6-1, 205) is just 4-of-7 on field goals this season, but has a cannon of a leg, nailing a school-record 56-yarder (his first on three attempts from at least 50 yards) in Louisville’s loss to Notre Dame. Senior Brady Hodges (6-1, 200) is averaging 40.14 yards on seven punts this season, three of which he has deposited inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
“We’ll have our hands full every week, but it’s starting this week, right now, against one of the hottest teams in our conference, as far as scoring points and playing aggressive defense … getting turnovers,” Brohm said of SMU. “They’ve had two dominant wins the last two weeks against TCU and Florida State … that are very impressive when you watch it on video.
“Right now, (the Mustangs are) hot and they’ve got momentum. They’re trusting each other, they’re executing at a high level. Like I said, the quarterback … since settling on (Jennings), the offense has taken off. This is a young man who’s a 6-foot quarterback, but he can throw it — he’s got a great arm — he can run, he throws well on the move, he can escape the rush. You have to affect him, or he’s going to get it to those playmakers. He’s got plenty of speed at the playmaking positions, and I just think the last two weeks that they have played as good as anybody in our conference, by scoring points and being aggressive on defense … right now they’re gelling and playing at a high level.”
SMU has won only two previous meetings
Posted on 10/02/2024 by PonyFans.com
As the weeks click off the calendar, it seems the SMU Mustangs face bigger challenges every week.
After crushing TCU and Florida State in their last two games, the Ponies will go back on the road Saturday to take on the No. 22 Louisville Cardinals at L&N Stadium (capacity: 59,823) at 11 a.m. (Central time) in a game that can be seen on ESPN or heard on KTCK 96.7 FM/1310 AM. The Mustangs head to Louisville with a 4-1 record, while the Cardinals are 3-1. Each team won its first and only Atlantic Coast Conference game this season. UL is 9-1 at home under head coach Jeff Brohm — presenting an interesting subplot against an SMU team that has won six straight on the road — and has scored at least 30 points in nine of those 10 games.
Saturday’s matchup will be Louisville’s fourth home game in its first five, and the third meeting between the programs; SMU won both previous meetings, in 1983 and 1984. The Cardinals finish games strong; through four games, they have outscored their opponents in the fourth quarter by 57 points.
After rolling through Austin Peay, Jacksonville State and Georgia Tech in its first three games by an average score of 47.3-11, the Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season last week when they fell, 31-24, at Notre Dame in a game in which three first-half turnovers led to 10 points for the Fighting Irish (Louisville had entered the game as one of three teams in the country that had not yet turned the ball over prior to last week). Through four games, the Cardinals are a fairly balanced team, and one of just six teams in the country that rank among the nation’s top 20 in both total offense and total defense.
“We’re looking forward to getting back to work this week and picking up the pieces after a tough loss, and we’ve got a really good opponent coming in,” Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm said. “SMU is playing about as good as anybody in the country. They’ve got a lot of skill on offense, they’ve settled on a quarterback — (Kevin Jennings) is really good, he can run and throw — they’ve got a lot of speed at the skill positions, they’ve scored a lot of points here lately. The defense plays aggressive — they lead the nation in turnovers.
“So we’ll have our hands full. We’ll have to play really good football, we have to be very well-prepared, and come out and execute better. But that’s why you play the game. It will be a good test for us.”
Redshirt senior quarterback Tyler Shough, the massive (6-5, 225) transfer from Texas Tech, completed 24 of 41 passes for 264 yards, three touchdowns and his first interception of the season — an errant throw that ended his school-record streak of 86 pass attempts to start his Louisville career without throwing a pick. For the season, Shough has completed 76 of 117 passes (64.96%) for 1,114 yards, 11 touchdowns and the single interception. He has thrown at least two touchdown passes in each game this season, and is one of just four quarterbacks in the country with at least 10 scoring passes and just one interception.
Not only did the Cards serve up their first three interceptions of the season against Notre Dame, they also allowed a season-high three sacks. The Irish also were the first team to score on its first drive against the Louisville defense this season.
But things did improve over the course of last week’s game for the Redbirds: after allowing 24 points in the first half, they allowed just seven after the intermission.
No quarterback puts up big numbers without talented targets in the passing game, and that certainly is the case with Shough. The Louisville offense usually plays with a single running back and three wide receivers, and the Cardinal wideouts are big, fast and talented. Redshirt senior Ja’Corey Brooks (6-3, 195) leads the team with 22 receptions for 368 yards (16.73 per reception), and his four receiving touchdowns (including two against Notre Dame) have him tied for 21st in the country. Junior Chris Bell (6-2, 220) has nine receptions for 188 yards and a pair of scores — each of which covered more than 30 yards; his average of 20.89 yards per reception rank second in the ACC and 20th in the nation. Redshirt senior tight end Mark Redman (6-5, 255) resembles an extra offensive lineman and has just four receptions for 54 yards in four games … but two of them have ended up in the end zone.
The Cardinals’ starting receivers are very talented, but the offense, which is directed by offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm (the head coach’s brother), prioritizes spreading the ball around: at least eight Cards have caught a pass in all four games this season, including a season-high 15 who hauled in at least one in Louisville’s 62-0 laugher over Austin Peay.
Redshirt junior Donald Chaney (5-11, 220) is listed as the starting running back, but his 82 rushing yards are just fifth-best on the team after four games. He is joined in the backfield by a pair of dangerous youngsters: freshman Isaac Brown (5-9, 190), an ESPN Freshman Preseason All-America who leads the team with 29 carries and 245 yards (and a touchdown), and redshirt freshman Keyjuan Brown (5-10, 220), who is next with 24 carries for 149 yards. Keyjuan Brown and freshman Duke Watson (6-0, 180) lead the team with a pair of rushing touchdowns. Isaac Brown’s average of 8.5 yards per carry ranks 13th in the nation.
Brohm, in his second season leading the Cardinals after previous stints as the head coach at Purdue and Western Kentucky, has a reputation for commanding high-powered offenses, and this season is no different: Not only is his team outscoring its opponents, 41.5-16, but the Cardinals also are outgaining their foes by more than 200 yards per game: 475.5-271.5. The disparity reflects the balance of the offense: UL is outgaining its opponents 178.5-94.8 yards per game in rushing, and enjoys a 297-176.75 edge in average passing yards.
The offensive line is huge, averaging 6-6 and 309 across the front — numbers that get a sizeable boost from redshirt junior left tackle Monroe Mills (6-7, 315) and redshirt senior right tackle Jon Mendoza (6-9, 310). Redshirt junior center Pete Nygra is the “little guy” of the line, and “just” 6-4, 300.
The SMU defense has been justifiably celebrated for its 14 takeaways and four defensive touchdowns — both of which lead the nation. Even more impressive: the Mustangs are plus-63 in points off turnovers … and no other program in the country is better than plus-38.
But the Mustangs won’t be the only potent defense on the field Saturday. Louisville also has scored 28 points off turnovers and is tied for sixth in the nation with two defensive touchdowns, both of which were scored by redshirt senior backup defensive end Ramon Puryear.
The UL defense normally operates out of a 4-3 alignment and is particularly stout against the run. The Cards enter Saturday’s game allowing 94.8 yards per game on the ground — good for third in the ACC and 23rd in the nation. They held Notre Dame, which entered the game with the nation’s No. 18 rushing attack to 117 yards — 121 yards below its average.
The Louisville defense also is exceptional on third downs: while the Cardinals’ offense converse 44.9 percent of its third downs into first downs, the defense is allowing opponents to convert just 23.08 percent.
The defensive line is led by senior defensive end Ashton Gillotte (6-3, 275), whose sack against Austin Peay was the 23rd in his career, moving him into a tie for ninth. He earned second-team All-America honors last year, when he piled up 11 sacks (eighth in the country), and also is ninth in school history with 32.5 tackles for loss. He would need 14.5 more this season to catch former Cardinal Dewayne White, who holds the program record at 37.5. Redshirt senior defensive end Tramel Logan (6-4, 250) leads the UL defense with three sacks of the team’s 10 sacks; redshirt junior defensive tackle Jared Dawson (6-2, 305) and senior free safety Tamarion McDonald (6-2, 195) each have two.
The heart of the Louisville defense is the linebackers: sophomore middle linebacker Stanquan Clark (6-3, 230) leads the Cardinals with 22 tackles, including two takles for loss. Redshirt junior outside linebacker T.J. Quinn (6-1, 230), last year’s leading tackler with 92, is next with 21.
Redshirt junior cornerback Quincy Riley (6-0, 185) has one interception, but that number is deceiving. Opposing quarterbacks are realizing he has 14 interceptions in 46 career games at Middle Tennessee and Louisville, and are resistant to the idea of throwing in Riley’s direction. Riley was unavailable for the Notre Dame game, and Brohm said earlier this week that Riley’s availability for Saturday is not yet known.
Senior kicker Brock Travelstead (6-1, 205) is just 4-of-7 on field goals this season, but has a cannon of a leg, nailing a school-record 56-yarder (his first on three attempts from at least 50 yards) in Louisville’s loss to Notre Dame. Senior Brady Hodges (6-1, 200) is averaging 40.14 yards on seven punts this season, three of which he has deposited inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
“We’ll have our hands full every week, but it’s starting this week, right now, against one of the hottest teams in our conference, as far as scoring points and playing aggressive defense … getting turnovers,” Brohm said of SMU. “They’ve had two dominant wins the last two weeks against TCU and Florida State … that are very impressive when you watch it on video.
“Right now, (the Mustangs are) hot and they’ve got momentum. They’re trusting each other, they’re executing at a high level. Like I said, the quarterback … since settling on (Jennings), the offense has taken off. This is a young man who’s a 6-foot quarterback, but he can throw it — he’s got a great arm — he can run, he throws well on the move, he can escape the rush. You have to affect him, or he’s going to get it to those playmakers. He’s got plenty of speed at the playmaking positions, and I just think the last two weeks that they have played as good as anybody in our conference, by scoring points and being aggressive on defense … right now they’re gelling and playing at a high level.”