Shorthanded Louisville Overcomes Early Clunkiness to Blow Out Bowling Green

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Even with being dealt a bevy of injury-related setbacks, the Louisville football program still found a way to come out on top in decisive fashion.

Taking on Bowling Green on the other side of their first bye week of the young 2025 season, the Cardinals continued their undefeated start to the year, earning a 40-17 win over the Falcons on Saturday at L&N Stadium.

Head coach Jeff Brohm has now gone 3-0 in each of his first three years as the head coach of his alma mater. Louisville (3-0, 0-0 ACC) not only does that for the first time in program history, but have won their first three games of the current season by a combined score of 119-48.

Louisville entered the game without their three top offensive playmakers at full strength due to injuries. Star running back Isaac Brown logged only an 18-yard run, standout wide receiver Chris Bell was limited but still had four catches for 51 yards, while backup running back Duke Watson was unable to play at all. It was also the first game without standout linebacker Stanquan Clark following surgery to fix a broken right ankle.

That being said, the rest of the Cardinals' cast of characters on offense were able to get the job done against Bowling Green (2-2, 0-0 MAC), while their defense and special teams continued their red-hot start to the year.

Third-string running back Keyjuan Brown had a career day, rushing for 84 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Walk-on running back Braxton Jennings also had his first career touchdown in garbage time, helping UofL rush for 126 yards as part of a 452-yard offensive effort.

Slot receiver Caullin Lacy hauled in nine catches for 110 yards to lead the team in both categories, while fellow wideout Dacari Collins had four receptions for 84 yards. Quarterback Miller Moss didn't throw for any touchdowns, but still had an efficient day, going 24-of-33 for 329 yards.

While the Cardinals' offense had their issues, their defense is what won the day. They held the Falcons to 321 yards overall, which included a 12-for-22 and 131-yard effort from quarterback Drew Pyne. STAR Antonio Watts and safety D'Angelo Hutchinson both snagged interceptions, which were the first turnovers of the year for BGSU, with the latter leading the team in tackles with seven. Clev Lubin also added a pair of pass breakups from his defensive end spot.

Additionally, Louisville's special teams unit was responsible for 18 points not including extra-point attempts. Cooper Ranvier went 3-for-3 on field goal tries, Nick Keller connected on a program-record 57-yard attempt, while Lacy added his second punt return touchdown of the season. By game's end, Lacy amassed 281 all-purpose yards, which was the seventh-highest single-game mark in program history.

Louisville didn't exactly have a hot start to the afternoon. Following a three-and-out on their first offensive drive, Bowling Green's second drive was extended after a muffed punt by Lacy. Fortunately for the Cardinals, this only resulted in a 49-yard field goal by the Falcons for the first score of the day.

From here on out, it was all Cards, as they went on to score 33 unanswered points.

UofL was able to find a little bit of footing on their next two drives out, leaning on mainly on big plays from Collins, a ground-and-pound effort from Keyjuan, and some untimely penalties from BGSU. Louisville was able to find the end zone, with Brown punching it in on two- and one-yard runs.

Louisville mustered just 34 yards on their final two drives of the half, but defense and special teams led the way in the second quarter. Bowling Green's four drives in this period resulted in two punts, and interceptions from Antonio Watts and D'Angelo Hutchinson. Additionally, Lacy's 75-yard punt return touchdown early in the second quarter gave the Cardinals a 21-3 lead at the break.

Louisville's offense struggled to finish in the second half, having to settle for field goals on their first four drives after halftime. However, they were successful on all four kicks, with Ranvier connecting on 24-, 40-, and 48-yard tries, with Keller also adding in his program record kick.

While the Cardinals' offense was far from efficient after halftime, their defensive counterparts played with their hair on fire after the break. They forced the Falcons to go three-and-out on their first three drives of the second half, collecting just nine yards during this span. It wasn't until their fourth drive of the half that Bowling Green was able get anything going, scoring a touchdown on a 75-yard QB keeper by backup Lucian Anderson III.

That touchdown by BGSU was answered by a methodical drive by Louisville's backup offense, which was capped off by a three-yard scoring run by Jennings. Pyne was able to throw a 38-yard touchdown with 4:16 left in the game, but UofL was able to run out the clock on the ensuing drive and clinch the victory.

Next up, Louisville hits the road for the first time this season, and will kick off ACC play against Pitt. Kickoff against the Panthers is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27 at 12:00 p.m. EST.

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