Know Your Opponent: Week 3 Louisville Cardinals

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Head Coach: Jeff Brohm

Overall: 1st season with Louisville (2-0), 68-44 overall at WKU, Purdue and Louisville

Bowl Appearances at Louisville: Zero

2022 Record: 8-5 (4-4)

Mascot: Louie the Cardinal Bird

Colors: Red and Black

Outfitter: Adidas

National Titles: Zero

Conference Titles: 8 (2 Missouri Valley, 3 Conference USA, 3 Big East)

Heisman Winners: One (Lamar Jackson)

Last Week: 56-0 over Murray State

Statistical Leaders

Passing: Jack Plummer – 34-53 (64.2%) for 494 yards, 4 TDs and 3 INTs

Rushing: Jawhar Jordan – 14 carries for 231 yards (16.5 yards per carry) with 3 TDs

Receiving: Jamari Thrash – 10 catches for 170 yards with three TDs

Tackles: TJ Quinn – 12 tackles

Stat of the Week: The Indiana Hoosiers and Louisville Cardinals have not met on the gridiron since 1986 and this Saturday clash will be only the third time the programs have played. Indiana leads the series 2-0 all-time with both victories being Bill Mallory’s Hoosiers over Howard Schnellenberger’s Louisville Cardinals in 1985 and 1986.

Cardinals Talking Points

1. Skill Talent Galore

The Indiana defense played well against the skill group of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Actually, it’s unlikely anyone does as well as IU did against Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka for the rest of this season. However, Louisville is going to present a Jeff Brohm offense that has some terrific skill position weapons and the IU defense will have its hands full. Running back Jawhar Jordan has been on a tear, averaging 16.5 yards per carry with three touchdowns. Transfer wide receiver Jamari Thrash has looked spectacular through two games and Kevin Coleman and Jimmy Calloway have played well when targeted. The Cardinals thrive on explosive plays. In just two games (against Georgia Tech and Murray State), they have scoring plays of: 20, 74 and 72 yards. Both Thrash and Jordan are “home run hitters” that can score on any play they touch the ball. The Hoosiers will have to do an excellent job of tackling in open space limiting big plays.

2. What to Make of Louisville’s Defense?

The Louisville Cardinals have played four halves of football. The first half against Georgia Tech was not pretty but the second half of that game plus the two halves against Murray State were pretty darn good. The Cardinals held Murray State to 166 yards and the Yellow Jackets only had six points in the second half after scoring 28 points in the first 30 minutes of the season opener. One thing that has carried over to both games: Louisville has only one sack in each contest. Through two games, a person can make a reasonable argument that this is a very good defense. Another person could also make a strong argument this defense lacks difference makers upfront and is vulnerable.

3. Jeff Brohm…Again

Jeff Brohm is not a secret to Indiana fans and Tom Allen will have no problem knowing what to expect. Brohm spent 2017 through 2022 at Purdue and went 4-1 against Tom Allen’s Hoosiers. The two schools did not play the Old Oaken Bucket game during the 2020 season, a game IU would have been heavily favored in. Nonetheless, Allen’s defenses have notably struggled against Jeff Brohm’s offenses. Despite some rough weather conditions, Purdue score 31, 28, 41, 44 and 30 points in the five games between the two coaches. This Indiana defense is led by new coordinator Matt Guerreri and a host of newcomers that have energized the unit. This is still a Tom Allen team though and Jeff Brohm likely has confidence he can put his offense in positions to succeed against Indiana.