Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Indiana Hoosiers

Louisville Cardinals (2-0, 1-0 ACC) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (1-1, 0-1 Big Ten)

- Kickoff: Saturday, September 16 at 12:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind.
- Weather Conditions: Partly cloudy skies. High 79F. Winds light and variable.
- How To Watch: Big Ten Network
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Louisville -10.0
- All-Time Series: Indiana leads 2-0
- Last Meeting: Indiana won 21-0 on Sept. 13, 1986 (Memorial Stadium - Bloomington, Ind.)

Game Notes

Louisville

The University of Louisville football team plays its second neutral site game of the season when it travels to Indianapolis to face Indiana in Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 16. The noon kickoff will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
The Cardinals play at their second neutral site in only their third game of the season, a first in program history that the Cards will play two neutral site regular season games. It’s also the Cards’ first Saturday game of the season.
Louisville is 16-15-1 all-time in neutral-site contests after a 39-34 win over Georgia Tech to open the season.
Louisville will play a Big Ten opponent this weekend for the first time since defeating Jeff Brohm’s Purdue team 35-28 in Lucas Oil Stadium to the open up the 2017 season. The Cards are 12-20-1 all-time against teams from the Big Ten.
The Cardinals opened its home schedule in impressive fashion with a 56-0 win over Murray State on Thursday night. The Cardinals moved to 2-0 on the season for the first time since the 2017 season when it began the year at 4-0.
The Louisville defense recorded its first shutout since blanking Syracuse 30-0 during the 2020 season. It also marked the first shutout in a home opener since a 28-0 win over Kentucky in 2004. The Cardinals held the Racers to 166 yards of total offense and forced three turnovers.
Louisville records 690 yards of total offense while holding Murray State to 166 yards. The 690 yards is Louisville’s 9th highest total in a game, and the most since the Cards posted 687 against Duke in 2021. The 524-yard margin in total offense is the second highest in a game, trailing only the 596-yard margin vs. Murray State on Sept. 30, 2017.
The Cardinals couldn’t be more balanced in the win over Murray State, registering 344 yards rushing and 346 yards passing in the 56-0 win. It marked only the 10th time in school history that the Cards recorded a 300-300 game and the first since a 62-22 win over Duke in 2021. Louisville rushed for 384 yards and passed for another 303 yards in the conference win.
Louisville has totaled 1,164 yards of total offense in the first two games of the season, an average of 582.0 yards per game. It’s the best two-game total to open the season since 2016 when Louisville averaged 754.0 yards per game.
RB Jawhar Jordan rushed for 135 yards on seven carries, scoring on runs of 72 yards and one yard. Jordan logged his fifth career 100-yard rushing game, all coming in the last seven games. Jordan is the first Louisville player since Javian Hawkins in 2020 to have rushing touchdowns of 70+ yards in back-to-back games. Jordan’s 19.3-yards-per-carry average vs. Murray State is the sixth highest in UofL history for a player with a 100-yard game.
Wide receiver Jamari Thrash continued his fast start with three receptions for 82 yards and a 73-yard touchdown reception. The Georgia State transfer has four touchdowns (3 receiving) in his first two games and is averaging 17.0 yards per reception.
Quarterback Jack Plummer was an efficient 16-of-22 for 247 yards and a touchdown in the win, and completed the longest pass for a touchdown when he connected with Thrash for a 73-yard touchdown.
Safety Devin Neal is the first Louisville player to recover a fumble and intercept a pass in the same game since Kei’Trel Clark did it vs. Syracuse on Nov. 20, 2020. The Cardinals held the Racers to 166 yards of total offense, the lowest total by an opponent since Cincinnati was limited to 138 yards in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl last season.
The Cardinals saw nine quarterbacks on the field in the win over Murray State, a program record. Five different quarterbacks also completed a pass in the game, which was also the most in school history. Prior to this season, four quarterbacks had completed a pass in an entire season only four times – in 1955, 1983, 2014, and 2018.
Louisville rushed for six touchdowns in a game for the first time since rushing for seven touchdowns versus both Syracuse and Florida State in back-to-back games in Sept. 2016. Louisville has seven rushing scores in the first two contests this year.
After serving in a special teams role last season, linebacker T.J. Quinn leads the team with 12 tackles and one fumble recovery.
Louisville has already forced five turnovers through the first two games, recording three fumbles and a pair of interceptions. Ramon Puryear and Devin Neal have each recorded interceptions this year.

Indiana

The Hoosiers are 2-0 all-time against the Cardinals, with the last meeting coming in 1986, a 21-0 victory for Indiana. The two teams also met during the 1985 campaign, with both games played at Memorial Stadium.
Saturday's game at Lucas Oil Stadium will mark the 26th game played in a professional football stadium in Indiana's program history. The first came at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan, New York City against Fordham in 1939.
In all, Indiana has played in 11 professional football stadiums, with its most played in professional football venue the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis.
The Week 3 matchup with Louisville is the fifth overall game played by Indiana at a home of the Indianapolis Colts. Along with the three games at Lucas Oil Stadium (2011, 2019 & 2023), IU played a pair of games at the Hoosiers/RCA Dome (1984 & 2000).
Against Indiana State on Sept. 8, a 41-7 win, the Indiana football program accomplished some things it hadn't done in a while and put some numbers among the program's top 10 in school history.

Allowed just 93 yards of total offense, which are the second fewest yards allowed by an Indiana defense since at least 1996. The fewest yards of total offense allowed by a Hoosier defense is 75 yards versus Rutgers in 2019.
The 21 passing yards allowed are the third fewest allowed by Indiana since at least 1996. IU allowed zero passing yards against Charleston Southern in 2017 and one yard to Rutgers in 2019.
Held Indiana State to just eight first downs in the game, its fewest in a game since it allowed six to Rutgers in 2019. It is the fifth time since at least 1996 that Indiana allowed eight-or-fewer first downs in a game.
The offense gained 33 first downs tied for No. 10 all-time in a single game in program history and were the most since 35 at Western Kentucky in 2021.
With 558 yards of total offense, it marked the eighth time under head coach Tom Allen the offense gained at least 500 yards of total offense and the first since Western Kentucky in 2021.
The 340 yards (116 rushing; 224 passing) of total offense in the first half are the most in a half since it gained 351 yards (100 rushing; 251 passing) at Rutgers in 2016.
Five Indiana rushing touchdowns were the most by an IU team since it had six against Maryland in 2016. The five rushing touchdowns are the most by a Allen coached team.
Indiana converted 12 of the 16 third down attempts in the game, its most in a single game since 2013. Indiana converted 16 of 18 attempts that season against Purdue. IU also converted 12 third down conversions at Cincinnati in 2022.

Indiana's defense has been up to the task so far in 2023 with just two offensive touchdowns allowed in two games played. Ohio State scored both touchdowns and kicked three field goals, while Indiana State's only score came on a defensive touchdown.
With 2.0 tackles for loss in each of the first two games of the season, redshirt senior Andre Carter's 4.0 TFLs are the most by a Hoosier in the first two games of a season since 2004 when Kyle Killion posted 5.5 tackles for loss.
Sophomore Jaylin Lucas produced the first multi-touchdown game of his career in Week 2 versus Indiana State with a pair of rushing scores. He now has six career touchdowns with 4 rushing and two kickoff return scores.
Lucas' two career kickoff returns sit No. 2 on the career kickoff return touchdowns charts at Indiana. The only true freshman in the FBS with multiple kickoff return touchdowns in 2022, Lucas needs 122 kickoff return yards to enter the top-15 all-time at IU.
Redshirt freshman Tayven Jackson made his first career start versus Indiana State and accounted for 245 yards of total offense and led five of Indiana's seven scoring drives, which included a 93-yard scoring drive in the third quarter.
The Hoosier roster features 24 transfer scholarship student-athletes for the 2023 season and a total of 36 scholarship newcomers, which is among the most in the FBS. The eight returning starters are among a handful of FBS programs with single-digit returning starters entering 2023.
Of the 24 scholarship transfer student-athletes made their Indiana debut on the season. 18 of those appeared in the season opener and eight have made at least one start.
Head coach Tom Allen won his 31st career game over Indiana State in Week 2 and is just two wins shy of joining the top five winningest coaches in program history. Of the 31 wins, 12 have come in one possession games, including a 4-1 mark in overtime.

Depth Charts

Here are the depth charts for both teams ahead of their matchup: Louisville vs. Indiana

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Hoosiers, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of the Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Indiana

Uniform Report

Louisville will be wearing all white, while Indiana has yet to announce their uniform combination.

Icy for Indy 😮‍💨❄️#GoCards x #ForTheVille pic.twitter.com/CRX7TqWwXT
— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) September 12, 2023

Additional Coverage

(Photo of Keyjuan Brown: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter