Pregame Notes:
Good evening Card Nation. Coach Jeff Brohm and the Cards look to right the ship against the Villanova Wildcats. Hopefully, this is a get right game for Isaac and Keyjuan Brown. Villanova is going to present a new set of challenges for the Cards defense. They tend to use a no-huddle offense, but they aren’t in any hurry at all. Louisville needs to stay focused, trust their eyes, and play with discipline.
1st Quarter:
Louisville appeared to headed for a 3-&-out, before a roughing the passer penalty prolonged the Cards drive. Louisville continued to run Isaac Brown, but elected to pass in the red zone. Lincoln Kienholz missed Jaleel Skinner twice on what would’ve been a touchdown if they connected on either pass attempt. Villanova methodically marched down the field, with their no-huddle offense (but they bled the clock under 8 every time before snapping the ball). An errant throw kept Villanova from taking a 7-3 lead as the Cards turned the receiver loose up the seam. Nova tied the game at 3 with a 35-yard kick. Kienholz and the offense only needed 4 plays to take the ball 72 yards and take a 10-3 lead, thanks to a 19-yard TD run by Kienholz. The Louisville defense forced a 3-&-out after Villanova punted on 4th-&-1. After 3 unsuccessful tries to get Skinner the ball, Coach Brohm dialed up the same play from a different formation and Skinner took the pass from Kienholz and went 69 yards for the score. The Cards took a 17-3 with less than a minute remaining in the quarter. Louisville led 17-3 heading into the 2nd quarter.
2nd Quarter:
Villanova scored on 65-yard catch-and-run up the sideline on the first play of the quarter. Louisville’s lead stood at 17-10 just briefly. The quick strike offense of the Cards only needed two plays this time to go 80 yards in less than 80 seconds, thanks to a 61-yard Kienholz to McCoy special for a touchdown. The Cards went back up 2 touchdowns, 24-10. After the Cards forced a punt, a running into the punter call allowed Villanova a chance to pin the Cards even deeper in their own Terri. It was a sloppy quarter for Louisville with the penalties. A running in the kicker, illegal hands to the face, two unsportsmanlike penalties, and illegal formation were all in the quarter. Louisville needs to be more disciplined. A Kienholz keeper from 4 yards out, pushed the Louisville lead to 21 (31-10). Louisville led going into intermission.
Halftime Stats:
T.O.P: 14:09
Passing Yards: 276
Rushing Yards: 124
Sacks:
T.Os:
3rd Quarter:
Louisville’s defense came out and forced a quick 3-&-out, but the Cards offense didn’t capitalize and had to punt the ball right back to Villanova. On Louisville’s second drive, Braxton Jennings had a 15-yard touchdown run that capped it off. The score put the Cards up 38-10. Another penalty on 3rd down by the Louisville defense, This time it gave Villanova a first down. Villanova was able to get points out of it, and made a small dent in the Louisville lead at 38-13. The Cards marched down the field and added another touchdown to their score. Louisville heads into the final quarter with a 45-13 lead.
4th Quarter:
The first play of the quarter resulted in the first sack of the game (and season). It was Tyler Thompson with the strip sack and it was recovered by the Cards. The book is closed on Lincoln Kienholz with 332 passing yards and 4 total touchdowns (2 passing, 2 running). Braxton Jennings caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Devin Wydner to put the Cards up 52-13. The Louisville defense continued to work on tightening their pass defense and clogging up running lanes, as they forced another punt from Villanova. Wydner remained the quarterback and maneuvered the Cards down the field. This drive was capped by Davis finding his way into the end zone for the second time. The Cards lead the Wildcats 59-13. Briggs Cherry entered the game and he connects with fellow freshman and Louisville native Marlon Harbin for his first completion at Louisville. The Cards get in the win column with a 59-13 victory over Villanova.
Final Stats:
Passing Yards: 375 (2 TDs)
Rushing Yards: 260 (5 TDs)
Post Game Notes:
The Cards improve to 1-1. Lincoln Kienholz is the only Louisville player to have over 300 yards in his first two starts in a Louisville uniform. The offensive line looked good in pass protection. However, Isaac Brown is still struggling to find the holes created by this offensive line to make the big plays we’ve become accustomed to seeing him make. That needs to get fixed before SMU comes in the building next Saturday. The receivers are as good as advertised, even down to the local freshman Marlon Harbin. Tre Richardson was 2 yards from joining Lawayne McCoy with 100 yards receiving. The defense finally got a sack. It took the 7 quarters, but Villanova did a lot of screens, misdirections, and other designed play calls to get Louisville’s defense thinking and reacting instead of just playing. The penalties have to stop, especially the easy lay up penalties. They are eventually going to hurt us again if we don’t tighten up that issue. Next up for Louisville is the clash with ACC foe, SMU. The game will be at L&N at 3:30 pm.
