Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Boston College Eagles

Boston College Eagles (1-2, 0-1 ACC) at Louisville Cardinals (3-0, 1-0 ACC)

- Kickoff: Saturday, September 23 at 3:30 p.m. EST
- Location: L&N Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
- Weather Conditions: Sunny. High 82F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
- How To Watch: ACC Network
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Louisville -14.0
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 8-7
- Last Meeting: Boston College won 34-33 on Oct. 1, 2022 (Alumni Stadium - Chestnut Hill, Mass.)

Game Notes

Louisville

The University of Louisville football team returns home to L&N Stadium to open the conference portion of its home schedule against Boston College Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The game will be televised on the ACC Network with Jorge Sedano, Orlando Franklin and Marilyn Payne calling the action.
The Cardinals moved to 3-0 for the first time since 2016 with a 21-14 over Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday. Louisville improved to 2-0 during the non-conference portion of its schedule and have won six of its last seven non-league games after the 21-14 win over the Hoosiers.
The Jeff Brohm is the fourth Louisville head football coach to begin his UofL career 3-0, joining Tom King, Frank Camp, and Bobby Petrino.
The Cardinals will look to go 4-0 and 2-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference for first time since 2016 when they opened the year with four wins before falling at Clemson. The Cards are attempting to go 2-0 in the ACC for only the second time since joining the league in 2014. In 2016, the Cards opened with league wins over Syracuse and Florida State.
After driving down and missing a field goal on its first drive, the Cardinals scored touchdowns on three-straight possessions, totaled 232 yards on just 22 plays. UofL averaged 10.6 yards per play on those three consecutive touchdown drives.
Louisville scored 21 points in the first half and totaled 302 yards of total offense but were held scoreless and totaled just 120 yards in the second half.
Louisville was held scoreless in the second half in the win over Indiana, improving to just 32-182-11 when failing to score in the second half.
Clinging to a 21-14 lead after stopping the Hoosiers on the one-yard line, the Cards closed the game with a nine-play, 43-yard drive to kill the final 4:38 off the clock
WR Jamari Thrash had four receptions for 159 yards, including an 85-yard touchdown. Thrash’s 85-yard touchdown reception was the eighth longest TD catch in program history.
RB Jawhar Jordan rushed for 113 yards on 18 carries, including a 25-yard touchdown, to go with nine yards on two receptions.
Jordan logged his sixth career 100-yard rushing game, all coming in the last eight games. He leads the Cardinals with 344 yards and four touchdowns on just 32 carries while averaging a hefty 10.8 yards a carry.
Quarterback Jack Plummer was 13-for-23 for 238 yards and one touchdown in the win and also carried eight times for 42 yards. He picked up 32 yards on the final drive when the Cardinals ran out the final 4:38 in the game.
Making his second-straight start at Louisville, safety Cam’Ron Kelly spearheaded a Louisville defense that limited Indiana to just 58 yards on the ground. Kelly tied his career high with 12 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss and his first interception as a member of the Cardinals. The other starting safety, Devin Neal recorded eight tackles and 2.0 tackles for loss.
Leading 21-14 with 4:39 on the clock, linebackers T.J. Quinn and Stanquan Clark stopped Indiana running back Josh Henderson on fourth and goal from the one-yard line to secure the win.
The Hoosiers were limited to 357 yards of total offense, including 58 yards on the ground. Louisville shut down the IU rushing offense, limiting them to just an average of 2.1 yards per carry.
Louisville brings the ninth-ranked offense into Saturday’s game, going over 400 yards in each of the first three games of the season. Louisville is averaging 528.7 yards of total offense after recording 422 yards in the win over Indiana. The Cardinals rank 10th in the country with an average of 7.74 yards per play and are one of only two teams with four plays of over 70 or more yards this season.
Known for his potent passing attacks, head coach Jeff Brohm is bringing a potent running attack to the Derby City. The Cards rushed for 184 yards against Indiana —the third-straight game rushing over 180 yards. Louisville is averaging 251.7 yards on the ground and are fourth in the country with a 6.5 per carry average.
Louisville ranks 13th nationally with seven rushes of over 20 yards and is the only program in the country with two runs of over 70 yards
Louisville held its second consecutive opponent to less than 100 yards rushing after limiting Indiana to just 58 yards on 27 carries. It’s the first time since the first two games (Purdue and North Carolina) that the Cards held consecutive opponents to less than 100 yards rushing in a game. The Cardinals are allowing 109.0 yards on the ground.
Louisville has forced six turnovers this season, recording a miscue in four-straight games dating back to last season. The Cards are tied for 45th nationally with three interceptions through the first three contests.
Despite being out-scored 14-0 in the second half versus Indiana, the Cards have held a 54-20 advantage in the second half and hold a 30-6 lead in the fourth quarter. The Cards are also out-scoring opponents 20-0 in the first quarter this season. Louisville has scored in the first quarter in all three games.
After leading the nation in sacks last season, the Cards are ranked 126th in sacks with an average of just 0.67 per game. Dez Tell and Ashton Gillotte have recorded one sack apiece through the first three games of the season.
Linebacker T.J. Quinn and safety Devin Neal lead the team with 17 tackles.

Boston College

Boston College visits Louisville for its first road game of the season when the Eagles take the field at 3:30 p.m.
The game marks the latest road-opener for BC since a 2015 week-five game at Duke on Oct. 3.
The series started in 1986 with a 41-7 BC win. The Eagles’ first trip to Louisville was a 17-10 defeat in 1990. BC last won at Louisville in 2017, 45-42, when AJ Dillon ran for four touchdowns and 272 yards.
Alex Broome had his breakout game as a true freshman against Louisville in 2022, a 34-33 BC win, with 83 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Following a week-three loss to FSU, BC is 7-12 all-time in ACC openers. The Eagles are 6-12 in road ACC openers.
All three BC games this season have been decided by three points or fewer. BC is the only team in FBS with every game decided by three points or less and one of three teams (FIU, UTSA) with all games decided by one possession.
Graduate transfer wide receiver Ryan O’Keefe enters the week with 1999 career receptions. He caught 184 passes at UCF and has 15 receptions through three games at BC.
Last week vs. FSU, Boston College came from 21 points down in the third quarter to get within two points with 5:19 left in the game.
The BC comeback began with a touchdown late in the third quarter on the ground by Kye Robichaux, but the Eagles missed the ensuing PAT.
In the fourth, BC turned the ball over on downs in the red zone, but a scoop-and-score by the defense a series later by nickel Khari Johnson got the Eagles in the end zone. BC late opted to go for it on fourth down and forgo a field goal down nine and was rewarded with a Thomas Castellanos rushing touchdown.
Castellanos passed for 305 yards and rushed for 95, producing one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.
Boston College’s 457 yards of total offense were the most since a 505-yard performance at Georgia Tech in 2021.
Thomas Castellanos passed for 305 yards and ran for 95 in BC’s week-three game against No. 3 FSU. He became just the 22nd quarterback since 1996 to have gone over 300 and 95 in a game against an AP-ranked Top-25 opponents.
Castellanos’ 644 yards passing through three games are the third most by a BC quarterback since 1981. He is one of three BC quarterbacks in that time span with 600-plys passing yards and five-or-more touchdown passes in his first three games.
Castellanos’ 231 rushing yards lead the team and are just 91 yards away from cracking the top-5 by a BC quarterback in a season.
Transfer running back Kye Robichaux began the season fourth on the depth chart, but injuries thrust him into a feature role in week-two against Holy Cross. He produced a 94- yard game on 19 carries with a touchdown.
At the start of the 2022 season, BC had just four career starts among its active offensive linemen. A year later, the Eagles offensive front boasts 135 starts with the return of guard Christian Mahogany and the insertion of transfers Kyle Hergel (Texas State) and Logan Taylor (Virginia)
» Behind a five-man All-ACC offensive line in 2021, Pat Garwo became the 19th running back in BC history to record a 1,000- yard season. After earning the starting job in week three of that season, he went on to record the 24th 1,000-yard season by a BC running back with 1,045 yards. Garwo rushed for 44 yards in week one to lift his career total to 1,687 yards and move into 25th all-time in BC history.
George Takacs, in year two as a graduate transfer from Notre Dame, remains the veteran presence of the tight end group. His 256 receiving yards are the most of any returner on the team as he hauled in 26 catches.
Sixth-year Vinny DePalma is coming off an 87-tackle season, which led the Eagles, in 2022.
Kam Arnold was third on the team last season with 75 tackles to go with two interceptions.
Donovan Ezeiruaku, a Preseason All-ACC pick, finished fourth in the league in sacks (8/5) and tackles for loss (14.5) in 2022. His sack total was the most by an Eagle since 2018.
The Eagles re-insert Shitta Sillah to the defensive line after he suffered a season-ending injury in week one of 2022. Sillah has nine career starts, including the opener a year ago, nine TFLs and 4.5 sacks.
Cornerback Elijah Jones is BC’s most experienced player with 51 career games and 32 starts. He posted a career-high 31 solo tackles last year with two interceptions and 13 PBUs; tied for the most in the ACC.

Depth Charts

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

Comparison

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

Uniform Report

Louisville will be wearing red script helmets with red jerseys and white pants, while Boston College has yet to announce their uniform combination.

New lids for the kids. #GoCards x #ForTheVille pic.twitter.com/SHxZIiXCL5
— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) September 22, 2023

Additional Coverage

(Photo via Bob DeChiara - USA TODAY Sports)

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