Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Miami

Here are the more significant storylines to follow ahead of Louisville football's matchup at Miami.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After having to mount a comeback against Virginia last week, the Louisville football program is heading down south, traveling to Miami for their final true road game of the 2023 season with a berth to the ACC Championship on the line.

Here are some of the more notable storylines heading into Thursday's game:

Injury Report

With as banged up as Louisville is, they certainly needed a couple extra days of rest after facing Virginia last Thursday. That being said, they still might be shorthanded against Miami.

In regards to starting cornerback Jarvis Brownlee, who had to miss the last game due to a nagging foot injury, head coach Jeff Brohm said that they were "trying hard to get him back this week," but that he was "not optimistic" about it.

Miami is certainly dealing with an impactful injury as well. In the last game vs. Florida State, quarterback Emory Williams, who took over after Tyler Van Dyke was benched, suffered a fractured left arm and is now out for the season. Two others to monitor are running backs Henry Parrish Jr. and Ajay Allen, who both sat out against the Seminoles.

Louisville Focused on "Win and In," Not Concerned with Other ACC Championship Game-Clinching Scenarios

At this point, Louisville is all but assured to reach the ACC Championship Game. According to the Sagarin ratings, they have a 95.9 percent chance to face Florida State in Charlotte, N.C., with VT coming in at 2.9 percent and 1.2 percent.

Even with just two weeks left in the regular season, there are a lot of different scenarios in which Louisville can officially punch their ticket. While Brohm and the Cardinals are aware of them, they also haven't gotten too wrapped up in them.

"I think probably everybody's looked at the internet, and looked at the scenarios," Brohm said. "When I've tried to look at it, I can't figure it out. I only thing I know is that if we win, good things will happen. So that's what we got to do, we gotta go with the game. To go to Miami and find a way to win on their home field would be a huge accomplishment, if we can get that done, in itself."

While there are avenues in which Louisville can not win this weekend at Miami and still make the conference championship, they still very much control their own destiny. The Cardinals are very much in "win and in" mode, as a victory over the Canes in their final conference game of the season will officially punch their ticket to Charlotte.

"The most important scenario is if we win, then we will definitely help our cause," Brohm said. "I think at this point in the season, you always treat is as, "if you want to advance, you got to win." I just think that's going to be important that we do, and play your best football at the end of the year." 

Cards, Canes to Compete for Schnellenberger Trophy

A berth in the ACC Championship isn't the only thing that's on the line in Louisville's upcoming matchup at Miami.

Saturday's contest will mark the first instance in which the two programs will compete for the Schnellenberger Trophy. The trophy is named after former Cardinals and Canes head coach Howard Schnellenberger, and are the actual western dress boots worn by Schnellenberger, which have now been bronzed.

“Well of course, I love Coach Schnellenberger and Beverlee and their family," head coach Jeff Brohm said. "They've done not only a lot for me, but really for this program here and at the University of Miami. You know, Coach Schnellenberger was a real football guy that could talk the talk and walk the walk and took on every challenge ahead of him full speed ahead with no fear, and his players and teams responded."

Schnellenberger inherited a Louisville program that had gone just 24-41-1 over the previous six years, and took them to unprecedented heights. From 1985 to 1994, he went 54-56-2 as the head coach of the Cardinals, including a 10-1-1 campaign in 1990. That season was capped off with a 34-7 win over Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl, and their first appearance in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll at No. 14.

Before his tenure in Louisville, he spent five years at Miami from 1979 to 1983, also lifting the Hurricanes to new heights. He went 41-16 during his time in South Beach, which included The U's first ever national championship in 1983, upsetting top-ranked Nebraska, 31-30, in the Orange Bowl.

Both head coaches in Saturday's matchup were directly impacted by Schnellenberger. Brohm played under him while at Louisville, while Mario Cristobal was recruited by him before choosing to play at Miami.

“I love Coach Schnellenberger,” Cristobal said this past summer. “I was recruited by him. My brother was recruited by him. He spent many, many days and nights at the house recruiting us. I more fond of the pipe than the boots, quite honestly. I think it’s the right type of honor to honor Coach Schnellenberger, what he did for the University of Miami, what he has done for the University of Louisville, what he represents in terms of football.”

Struggling QB Tyler Van Dyke Returning to Starting for Miami

With Emory Williams suffering a season-ending injury last weekend, Miami will go back to Tyler Van Dyke as their starting quarterback against Louisville. However, it has been an up-and-down season for Van Dyke.

Early in the season, the former ACC Rookie of the Year looked like he was in line for a dominant 2023 season. In Miami's non-conference slate, he completed 74.7 percent of his passes for 1,042 yards and 11 touchdowns to just one interception.

But he has not looked like the same quarterback since. In ACC play, Van Dyke has completed 61.6 percent of his passes, but thrown just five touchdowns to 11 interceptions. After struggling mightily against Virginia and NC State, Cristobal benched Van Dyke in favor of Williams for Miami's game against FSU.

"You're not going to play your best every game. It's all about how you respond," Van Dyke said earlier this week.

While he has not played his best football this season, Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm knows what Van Dyke is capable of. In his ACC Rookie of the Year season in 2021, he completed 62.3 percent of his passes for 2,931 yards and 25 touchdowns to only six interceptions.

“I think with Van Dyke, he has a lot of experience playing a lot of football," Brohm said. "Without question, he's a passer, likes to throw the ball, and they have some good skill. If he has a chance to get open, he can put it on and make plays. He's throwing for 16 touchdowns, but he has thrown some interceptions, so we have to find a way to create some interceptions and turnovers and make him feel uncomfortable. But, if you give him time and you give him space, he's played a lot of football and he can deliver the ball, so that'll be the challenge."

Louisville Aiming to Improve Road Efficiency vs. Talented Miami Squad

One of the biggest factors of this game that is playing against the Cardinals is not just the team they are facing, but where it is being played. With 10 games in the books, it's a big enough sample size to show that Louisville is a very different team when playing away from L&N Stadium.

At home, Louisville has been flat-out dominant. They're a perfect 6-0 at L&N Stadium, have an average margin of victory of 26.3, and have out-gained their opponents on average by 189.9. Aside from their last game against Virginia where they had to mount a fourth quarter comeback, the Cardinals have been the dominant team from start to finish in every other home game.

Away from L&N Stadium, things have been a lot more competitive. The Cardinals are 3-1 in road/neutral matchups this season, but have actually been out-scored by an average margin of 0.5 points, although this is skewed heavily by the loss at Pitt. In these four games, they've also only out-gained their opponent by an average mark of 74.5 yards.

"I think that we faced some good opponents on the road and every game is competitive, every advantage you have to try to take," head coach Jeff Brohm said. "When you're at home and the crowds on your side and the noise levels on your side, it's an advantage."

But while Miami has left a lot to be desired this season, currently sitting at 6-4, they are still an extremely talented team that must be taken seriously. According to 247Sports' Team Talent Composite, Miami is the 12th-most talented team in college football, and the second-most talented team behind Notre Dame at 11th that Louisville will face all season. Their 92.6 overall team grade from Pro Football Focus is the 12th-highest grade in the FBS, and is a higher grade than 16 of the teams currently in the AP Top 25.

"We can't really get caught up in their record," safety Devin Neal said. "Looking at them, they're good team. They're fast and physical, of course we know that."

Efforts Against The Run Fueling Miami's Defense

While Miami's offense has been inconsistent at times this season, their defense has been dominating for more of the year. The Hurricanes allow only 312.5 yards per games, which comes in at 20th in the FBS, while their 20.7 points allowed per game is 34th. Most of this has been due to a stifling presence when it comes to stopping the run.

“When you watch these guys on film, they might be the most talented team that we've seen to date on the defensive side of the ball," Brohm said. "They're big up front, they're athletic, they’re good at the linebacker position, they run and make plays. The secondary has good size and speed and looks the part and play plays fast. This team is talented, without question."

Miami is allowing only 86.0 rushing yards per game this season, which leads the ACC and is No. 6 in the FBS. The Canes have allowed triple-digit rushing yards just three times this season, and have held teams to under 60 rushing yards five times.

The only team to have any sort of success rushing the ball against them is North Carolina, who ran for 235 yards. That game represented 27.3 percent of the total rushing yards (860) that Miami has given up this season.

(Photo via the Atlantic Coast Conference)

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