Nissan Stadium: A Friendly Venue for Louisville Football

When Louisville football kicks off its 115th season Sunday night vs No. 9 Ole Miss, it will be doing so in a venue that has been friendly to the Cards over the years. Since the 1999 opening of Nissan Stadium on the banks of the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville, the Cards are a perfect 4-0 in the stadium.

This is the last time that Louisville will be taking the field in the current Nissan Stadium that seats 69,000 and cost $290 million. In 2027, the Titans and Tennessee State, the full-time tenants of the stadium will make the move to a $2.1 billion dollar stadium in the adjacent lot that will seat 60,000.

Louisville first faced off with Middle Tennessee State on a Friday night in 2006 with backup quarterback Hunter Cantwell leading the Cards to a 44-17 victory over the Blue Raiders. Cantwell replaced starter Brian Brohm (current offensive coordinator) who hurt his thumb in a mid-September win over Miami.

The Cards amassed 526 yards in the game, holding MTSU to 250. Cantwell threw for 340 yards on 17/32 with three touchdowns. Mario Urrutia was on the receiving end of two them, compiling 134 yards on four receptions. Scott Kuhn caught the other TD from the air. Anthony Allen & Kolby Smith had scores on the ground.

Louisville Football defense celebrates at the 2015 Music City Bowl. | William Caudill

It would be the 2015 postseason before the Cards would return to Nashville for the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl, squaring off with the 8-4 Texas A&M Aggies and head coach Kevin Sumlin. Freshman quarterback and 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson would get the nod at starter after bringing the Cards back from a 17-point deficit in Lexington four weeks prior.

Jackson took full advantage of the opportunity, throwing for 227 yards and two scores, while rushing for 226 yards and two more scores. Jackson was named MVP for the 2.5-point underdog Cards following the 27-21 win. The Ville jumped out 20-7 in the first quarter & totaled 534 yards of offense on the night.

Louisville lost senior linebacker James Burgess on their first defensive play for a targeting call & the Cards held future two-time NFL defensive MVP and No. 1 pick to one sack.

The other two games came in 2019 against Western Kentucky in the regular season and a return to the Music City Bowl to face Mississippi State.

In game three of 2019, the Cards headed south to take on the Toppers without starting quarterback Jawon Pass, who injured his foot. Sophomore Malik Cunningham steered the offense to four first-half scoring drives, completing 7 of 10 passes for 114 yards and two scores. Evan Conley came in for a banged-up Cunningham in the third quarter and found Tutu Atwell for a 62-yard pass to put the Cards up 38-14.

In a game that had fans flocking towards club level and shaded seats to avoid the heat, Atwell pulled down five receptions for 145 yards and three scores. Javian Hawkins paced the ground game with 19 carriers for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Tutu Atwell touchdown vs WKU 2019 | William Caudill

2019 was Scott Satterfield’s first season of his Louisville tenure & he was named ACC Coach of the Year turning the Cards around from 2-10 in 2018 to 7-5 in 2019. The reward was a birth in the Music City Bowl vs the MSU Bulldogs & inevitably the eighth win for the Cards of the season, 38-28.

Cunningham would pick up where he left off in September, passing for 279 and two scores and rushing for an additional 81 yards, being named MVP. The Cards offense outgained the Bulldogs 510 to 366 yards & Hawkins rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown.

Louisville Defense in 2019 Music City Bowl | William Caudill

Jeff Brohm coached two Music City Bowls while at Purdue, losing to Auburn in 2018 and defeating Tennessee in 2021.

The Cards are roughly a touchdown underdog for the matchup with Ole Miss Sunday @ 7:30 on ABC.

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