Louisville Overcomes Slow Start, Mounts Rally to Knock Off James Madison

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program might have ran into their first early adversity of the young season, but in the end, they were able to handle the uptick in competition on a short turnaround.

Hosting James Madison for a primetime weeknight showdown at L&N Stadium, the Cardinals overcame a shaky first half by making just enough plays in the second half, taking down the Dukes 28-14 on Friday night.

For the majority of the night, Louisville's offense seems to be stuck in first gear. Six days removed from putting up 542 yards against EKU, the Cardinals (2-0, 0-0 ACC) could only muster 264 against the Dukes (1-1, 0-0 Sun Belt).

For as bad as they were offensively, the reason that UofL was able to claim victory over JMU was due to their efforts on defense. The Dukes were held to just 263 yards on the night, with the Cardinals forcing a pair of turnovers.

Louisville collected seven tackles for loss and six sacks on the night, including a strip sack by defensive end Clev Lubin that led to a crucial recovery-for-touchdown by fellow edge A.J. Green. Cornerback Jabari Mack also snagged an interception, and linebacker T.J. Quinn finished with a game-high 11 tackles.

This was a defense that had to make plays against JMU's two quarterback system. Alonza Barnett III went 15-of-25 for just 102 yards and a touchdown, while Matthew Sluka was held to 3-of-5 for 35 yards and a pick, although he added 83 yards and a score on the ground. The Dukes were also held to 126 rushing yards.

As far as Louisville's own quarterback, Miller Moss wasn't allowed much time to operate due to shaky offensive line play. He would up finishing 13-of-23 for 151 yards and a touchdown to wide receiver Chris Bell. Bell finished with a team-high four receptions for 83 yards.

Superstar running back Isaac Brown, due to the aforementioned offensive line struggles, collected just 24 yards over his first 11 carries. However, his 12th and final carry on the night was good for a 78-yard touchdown to put the game to bed. He finished the night with 104 yards on the ground, and Louisville as a whole ran for 113.

From an offensive standpoint, it was hard for Louisville to have a worse opening quarter than they had against James Madison. With their first three drives consisting of a three-and-out, a turnover-on-downs and a strip sack fumble, the Cardinals mustered just 27 yards of offense in the first period.

Their offense got marginally better in the second quarter, but UofL still couldn't finish drives. They only mustered 22- and 38-yard field goals from Cooper Ranvier on their two offensive drives in the quarter, generating just 71 yards during this period and 98 for the half.

Had it not been for their defense, the Dukes might have run away with the game before halftime. While JMU did score the game's first touchdown - a three-yard reception from tight end Lacota Dippre in the first quarter - it proved to be their only score before halftime, and they were still held to just 65 yards in the first half overall. In what could have been a multi-score lead for James Madison, Louisville trailed just 7-6 at the half.

After the offensive slog that was the first half, naturally, both teams scored touchdowns on their first drives of the second half.

James Madison put Louisville on the ropes, orchestrating a nine-play drive that resulted in an eight-yard score by Sluka with his legs. The home team immediately responded with the night's rare explosive play, as Bell hauled in a 64-yard score. Moss then showed off his legs, tying the game on the two-point conversion.

The two teams traded a pair of punts each over the rest of the third quarter, but on the first drive of the fourth, Louisville finally seized the lead.

With James Madison backed up in their own territory, Barnett drifted into the end zone after dropping back to pass. Lubin lunged in for a strip-sack, and Green picked the ball up for the go-ahead touchdown.

A few drives later, with their defense still giving them some breathing room, Louisville finally landed the knockout punch. After getting bottled up all night, Brown finally broke off his big run with 3:31 left in the game. Mack then picked off Sluka on the ensuing JMU drive to officially ice the game.

Next up, Louisville heads into their first bye week of the season. They'll be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 20 against Bowling Green at a to-be-determined time.

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