No. 22 Louisville hosts Jacksonville State ahead of bye and ACC opener

Updated Sep. 5, 2024 2:11 p.m. ET

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville's opening-game shellacking of Austin Peay convinced enough poll voters to move the Cardinals from the cusp of the AP Top 25 to inside at No. 22.

Good as that performance appeared, coach Jeff Brohm wants to make sure there's more where that came from in Saturday's next non-conference matchup against Jacksonville State (0-1). If Louisville succeeds, the next step is holding that edge during an earlier-than-usual bye before starting Atlantic Coast Conference play against No. 23 Georgia Tech — which handed preseason No. 10 Florida State the first of consecutive defeats.

“It’s always important to keep doing what you’re supposed to do and play well, do the small things correctly, challenge yourself and play your best,” Brohm said Monday. “For the most part I thought we did that for four quarters, and now we've got to find a way to do that again.”

Louisville started quickly against Austin Peay and stayed on the gas in all phases during the 62-0 rout. The Cardinals led 38-0 by halftime behind four touchdowns from new quarterback Tyler Shough and outgained the Governors 571-106 for their sixth-largest yardage margin in school history.

Granted, Louisville routed a lower-tier Football Championship Subdivision opponent that introduced a new coach along with a lot of new faces. But the Govs were also coming off a 9-3 finish and playoff appearance in 2023, reminding Louisville not to overlook them.

Jacksonville State has similar credentials that merit the same approach in this inaugural meeting.

The Gamecocks went 9-4 and won the New Orleans Bowl, a first for a school in its inaugural FBS season, and were among four Conference USA teams to reach the postseason. They dropped their opener 55-27 to Coastal Carolina on Aug. 29 but are expected to challenge defending Conference USA champ Liberty, the preseason favorite. This is also the same program that upset FSU three years ago with a game-ending touchdown.

For now, Jax State coach Rich Rodriguez just aims to move beyond a disappointing start.

“I don’t want to say that’s typical first game stuff because we shouldn’t have had that in any game,” Rodriguez said, "but at the same time, we’ve got to get better and I know we can play better than what we did in the opening game.”

Strong first impression

Tyler Shough's TD total ended up matching Browning Nagle for the best starting debut by a Louisville QB. The Texas Tech transfer completed 18 of 24 passes for 232 yards and four touchdowns in just one half before Harrison Bailey and Pierce Clarkson took over and the Cardinals rushed for two other scores. Shough directed six scoring drives with five TDs on seven possessions, setting the tone for one of Louisville's most efficient games in recent memory.

Quarterback options

Jax State’s depth chart lists seniors Logan Smothers and Tyler Huff and sophomore Zion Turner as “or” choices at quarterback, and Rodriguez wasn’t sure who will start. Huff passed for 173 yards with a TD and two interceptions while Smothers threw for 61 yards, and the coach hopes for one from that group to stand out.

Sharing the wealth

Louisville passed for 278 yards with 15 receivers catching at least one pass. Senior receiver Jadon Thompson caught two TDs and junior Ja'Corey Brooks one with seven receptions for 83 yards. The ground game added 293 yards, with freshman Isaac Brown carrying five times for 123 yards with a 77-yard score. Duke Watson ran for 86 yards and Keyjuan Brown 65 along with short TD runs by both as the Cardinals averaged 10.5 yards per carry.

Mr. 3,000

Jax State running back Tre Stewart rushed for 62 yards in last week’s loss to surpass 3,000 in his career. The senior gained 2,994 yards with 24 touchdowns over the past three seasons at Division II Limestone, including a career-best 320 with three TDs against UVA Wise on Sept. 24, 2022.

Relentless pressure

Louisville is among four teams tied for second in the FBS after posting seven sacks against APSU, including two each by Tamarion McDonald and Tramel Logan. The Cardinals also registered 14.5 tackles for loss — tying for fourth in the FBS — matching their highest total since 2017 against Kent State.

“We have a lot of experience and a lot of depth," said defensive lineman Ramon Puryear, who returned a fumble for a 22-yard TD. “We have guys that are versatile, that can play inside or outside. I’d say that’s a big part of it."

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