Final Thoughts and Observations on Louisville vs. Austin Peay

The Cardinals left no doubt against the Governors, racing past them for a blowout shutout win.

Aug 31, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive lineman Ramon Puryear (41) returns a fumble recovery against Austin Peay Governors offensive lineman Chinazo Obobi (55) during the second half at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Louisville defeated Austin Peay 62-0. / Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program kicked off their 2024 season with authority, racing past FCS foe Austin Peay to secure a commanding 62-0 shutout victory.

Before we close the book on the game and transition to the matchup vs. Jacksonville State, I wanted to provide some closing thoughts and observations from the game against the Governors:

• First of all, it was great to see that Louisville took Austin Peay as serious as they did if they had faced a Power Five opponent. 95 percent of me knew that the Cardinals were going to steamroll their way to victory, but the other five percent of me couldn't help but think of SMU and NC State's games from earlier in the weekend, and how they had fight to even win their games against overmatched opponents. Fortunately, Louisville put their foot on Austin Peay's throat all game long to remove all doubt of a win. It might not matter much in the grand scheme of things, but the small things matter.
• From a play calling standpoint, it's about what I expected: vanilla. You already have a clear talent advantage over Peay, so you don't want to get too exotic and have that on film for opponents to scout. There were a couple wrinkles I liked, such as the shovel pass to Jamari Johnson and the screen pass to Isaac Brown as a slot back, but other than that, it was pretty standard. I wouldn't expect Brohm and Co. to opne up the playbook untill ACC play gets here.
• Again, I do want to take into account the level of competition that was faced. But some of the throws Tyler Shough made in this game were incredibly impressive. For starters, he had a great command of the offense as a whole, while also knowing when to take calculated risks. His touchdown to Mark Redman in the corner of the end zone with a defender draped all over him was an incredibly high level throw. Not to mention on his touchdown pass to both Ja'Corey Brooks and his first one to Jadon Thompson, he had pressure in his face and he able to deliver an accurate and catchable ball. He also showcased a multitude of impressive off-platform throws, whether he was on the run or was throwing it with a sidearm arm slot. What was arguably the most impressive was the confidence he displayed considering he was coming off of a broken fibula. He didn't seem skittish and he didn't seem unsure, he was decisive with his throws. It's also no coincidence that Shough, who has playmaking capabilities with his legs, had no designed quarterback runs called up and didn't have any rushing attempts at all. Brohm and Co. are trying to keep the risk of re-injury as low as they can.
• Having Caullin Lacy out for an extended period of time certainly is a big blow, but for the time being, it seems that Louisville's crop of pass catchers will get the job done until he gets back. Brooks has certainly rounded back into his former five-star form, and I came away most impressed with his hand strength considering AP committed DPI on his touchdown. Add in the fact that he had double the targets as the next receiver, and the chemistry between him and Shough will be something to watch going forward. It was also great to see Thompson operating as his fullest capabilities after being limited by injuries last season. Considering he is not a true slot receiver, he more than held his own in that spot with Brooks and Bell on the boundaries.
• I operated with the mindset that Mark Redman and Jamari Johnson are going to be 1A and 1B at tight end this season, and based on the personnel decisions in this, that hasn't changed. Neither got a massive amount of run in this game, but they both seemed to be very comfortable within the system.
• I had a feeling that Louisville was going to run the ball a lot in this game, but seeing them execute it at the level they did was incredibly impressive. I try not to buy into the hype of true freshmen very often, but it's apparent that it's only a matter of time before Isaac Brown becomes a star. South Florida speed is no joke, and he's already insanely fast as a true freshman. Keyjuan Brown and his bruising nature was also super promising to see considering he seemed to be the odd man out of the main running back rotation, plus Duke Watson looked very good as well. About the only criticism I have of the running backs is that Donald Chaney Jr. needs to get better with catching the ball. I picked up on that in spring ball and fall camp, and he had a dropped screen in this game. Considering he and Maurice Turner will be the most relied upon backs when Louisville starts playing power competition, he has to get better here.
• It's an incredibly small sample size, against a very overmatched opponent, but I can't help but bring this up considering the trends on the offensive line last season. In real time, the O-line did a great at both both run blocking and pass protection, which is what I expected considering Austin Peay's two-deep on the defensive line had just two players above 270 pounds. From re-watching and looking at the advances analytics their pass protection was as good as it was in real time, but their run blocking was... just average. Again, very small sample size, but this was something I picked up on last season and bears monitoring once league play starts.
• The offense is likely going to get the majority of the headlines from this game, but if you ask me, Louisville's defense played an even better game than the offense did - and that's saying something considering the Cards put up 62 points. Louisville's defensive line and front seven as a whole was extremely disruptive at the point of attack, and it threw Austin Peay's game plan completely out of whack. No matter who was in the game, whether it was the starters or the third stringers, the defense was fighting to not give up a single inch until the final horn.
• Of course, stalwarts like Ashton Gillotte and T.J. Quinn excelled, but several newcomers or younger players stood out as well. Tamarion McDonald, a safety, came up in the box to make two sacks. Defensive end Tramel Logan, who didn't make it to campus until halfway through fall camp, also had two sacks. Linebacker T.J. Capers made a great read to snag an interception in his first ever game played. Defensive lineman Ramon Puryear notched a scoop-and-score.
• It's really hard to judge the play of the secondary in this game, but that's mainly because Louisville's front seven did such a good job of disrupting the pocket that Austin Peay's quarterbacks didn't have time at all to go through their reads on the majority of their plays. I suspect we won't see the full capabilities of this group of defensive backs until the game against Georgia Tech for this very reason. We know that Quincy Riley is already one of the best defensive backs in the nation, guys like McDonald, Corey Thornton, and D'Angelo Hutchinson looked good in coverage.
• I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the play of the special teams in this game. I was very critical of the performance from this unit last season, and one game into the season, it seems to be much better. Louisville got not one, but two blocked punts in this game (courtesy of Devin Neal and Dan Foster Jr.), and there really should have been a third. Brock Travelstead made both of his kicks and seemingly did it with confidence. Putting Isaac Brown at kick returner seems to be an easy decision given his speed, and Riley - based on both his work with special teams in fall camp and in this game - seems to be a natural return man. Hopefully he doesn't get hurt or nicked up doing it though.
• I'll close with this thought: Yes, it's just one game into the season. Yes, Louisville played a team that most programs at the FBS level would be able to handle with ease. But like I mentioned at the very beginning, seeing Louisville go out there and handle business by not letting up against Austin Peay is the best possible way they could have handled this game. Jacksonville State won't (shouldn't) provide much of a challenge either, but if the Cardinals have the same mindset here that they did against Austin Peay, it'll be another blowout win. Good teams take care of inferior competition.

(Photo of Ramon Puryear: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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