Following their 2nd (and remaining) bye week in 3 weeks, the Miami Hurricanes return to motion with a tricky sport towards an opponent who would love nothing greater than to damage their season: the Louisville Cardinals.
Louisville Offense vs Miami Protection
Louisville coach Brian Brohm is a dynamic play caller, whose offenses are sometimes among the many finest within the nation. Brohm’s Cardinals have been thirteenth in complete offense in 2024, averaging 449.2 yards per sport, fifth nationally with 6.85 yards per play, and tied for seventh nationally, with 36.4 factors per sport. There are extra numbers to associate with this, however I’m positive you get the purpose. Louisville’s offense is fairly elite, regardless of the way you slice it.
Main that offense this 12 months will likely be QB Miller Moss. A switch from USC, Moss is a veteran alternative for final 12 months’s starter (and NFL draft decide) Tyler Shough.
Moss burst onto the scene with a large bowl sport in 2023 — towards Louisville, sarcastically — when he threw for 372 yards and 6 TDs towards the Cardinals in a 42-28 USC win. That efficiency, one which got here after 3 years of ready his flip, propelled Moss into the beginning job for the Trojans in 2024.
Whereas Moss was capable of put up some first rate numbers in his first full 12 months as a starter (2,555 yards on 64.4% passing with 18 TDs and 9 INTs), USC struggled to a 4-5 file, dropping shut video games to Michigan, Minnesota, Penn State, Maryland, and Washington all by a landing or much less. After the Washington loss, Moss was benched in favor of UNLV switch Jayden Maiava, and that mainly ended his time with the Trojans. Moss strikes east to Louisville to observe the redemptive arc of Tyler Shough, who had struggled via an injury-riddled profession earlier than a powerful 12 months in Louisville led to him being picked within the NFL draft.
The Louisville run sport is led by standout sophomore Isaac Brown. A South Florida native, Brown has electrical game-breaking pace, which makes him a menace to attain any time he touches the ball. Brown had a large freshman 12 months for the Cardinals, totaling practically 1200 yards and 11 TDs on greater than 7 yards a carry. He offers the steadiness to the Cardinals offense, and will likely be somebody Miami might want to comprise to win this sport.
Becoming a member of Brown within the backfield are fellow sophomores Duke Watson and Keyjuan Brown, who mixed for 850 yards and 10 TDs. That trio, led by Brown, will energy Louisville’s run sport once more in 2025.
The Cardinals have a bevvy of move catchers who they are going to look to for manufacturing. Chris Bell is the main returning receiver, and gifted (and productive) transfers Caullin Lacy (South Alabama), Dacari Collins (NC State), Bobby Golden (Akron), and Treyshun Hurry (San Jose State) add depth and expertise to the group.
As you’ll anticipate with a group this explosive and productive on offense, the OL is each deep and gifted. That would be the case for Louisville once more in 2025, as they return 3 starters, and add 2 veteran transfers to play the opposite 2 spots.
Louisville Protection vs Miami Offense
Whereas Louisville’s offense was spectacular, their protection was merely common. That is the place Miami might want to take benefit to place factors on the board once more in a sport that, at the least on paper, figures to be one other excessive scoring affair.
With 8 returning starters, and a number of other transfers with deliver a wealth of expertise with them, Louisville appears to be like to shore issues up a bit on this aspect of the ball in complimentary assist of their offense.
Up entrance, Louisville has first rate measurement, with 5 rotation gamers listed at 295lbs or extra. They don’t have the largest DL on this planet nevertheless, so Miami can lean on them within the run sport (similar as we noticed within the late phases of the 2024 matchup between these groups).
Linebacker is a power of the Cardinals protection, with high tacklers TJ Quinn and Stanquan Clark main the best way. This group will likely be key in Louisville’s efforts to neutralize the Miami run sport, and brief to intermediate passing sport as properly.
Within the secondary, Louisville has a very good mixture of measurement and pace throughout the board, however (like Miami), practically all the group are transfers. The Cardinals misplaced 5 main contributors within the secondary from a 12 months in the past, led by 2nd group All-ACC CB Quincy Riley, however herald 6 switch (4 who have been full time starters at their earlier faculties) to rebuild the group. We noticed Miami carve up the Louisville secondary final 12 months below the path of Cam Ward, and I’ll have an interest to see how this new group of DBs matches up with the revamped Canes passing sport when its time.
Early Prediction
Together with Notre Dame, Florida, and SMU (and to a lesser/rivalry-extent FSU), this is likely one of the marquee video games on Miami’s schedule this season.
Heading into final 12 months’s sport, Miami was anyplace from a 4.5 to five.5 pt favourite, relying on the e book you prefer. I might anticipate one thing comparable or smaller, heading into this 12 months’s sport.
Each Miami and Louisville have designs on the ACC Championship sport, and this sport will likely be a significant component in each groups’ path. I anticipate a excessive scoring, offensive sport, with turnovers or a key defensive cease figuring out the winner.
I’ll admit, my Miami fandom (and alum standing, earlier than Louisville folks discover this and attempt to hit me with “you didn’t even go there”) make me lean Miami for the winner. However the group might want to deliver their A sport for that to be the case once more in 2025.