Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. NC State
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Following a dominating performance against Boston College to secure their best start to a season since 2016, the Louisville football program is set for their first true road game of the season, heading to Raleigh, N.C. for a weeknight showdown against NC State.
Here are some of the more notable storylines heading into Friday's game:
Louisville Preparing for 'Hostile Environment in First Road Game
The Cardinals are off to their first 4-0 start since Lamar Jackson's Heisman Trophy campaign in 2016, but that unblemished record is going to get put to the test against NC State. Jeff Brohm knows that Louisville will be in for a tough test when the two team square off.
"We're excited to get on to the next challenge, and it will be a challenge," he said. "I think we're gonna go into a really hostile environment that we haven't seen yet this year. North Carolina State's been able to win a lot of football games here in their recent past."
But on top of having to face an opponent that will be Louisville's toughest this season, Carter-Finley Stadium - which seats 56,919 - has one of the most underrated home advantages in the ACC. It will also be Louisville's first true road game following a pair of home games and neutral site matchups.
While the Cardinals have yet to experience a true hostile road environment so far this season, Brohm is confident that his team will be able to withstand it.
"I think our team will be prepared for it," he said. "We work a lot on silent counts, noise level and that's what you kind of deal with. The noise, and being able to not allow that to distract you from what you have to get done on both sides of the ball. When you play in that type of environment, the other team gets momentum and the crowd gets loud, you've got to be able to block that out and still be able to play hard, stay concentrated and focused on what you have to do.
Old Faces, New Places for Brennan Armstrong and Robert Anae
Over the offseason, NC State made two key additions on the offensive side of the ball. They were able to land former Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong, then hired Robert Anae away from Syracuse to be their offensive coordinator. It was a reunion of sorts, as Anae was Armstrong's OC with the Cavaliers when the latter threw for 4,449 yards and 31 touchdowns.
"You're talking about a veteran offensive coordinator that has been there and done that. He does a very, very good job and he's been with this quarterback before," Brohm said. "I think they're able to give you some different looks, have some balance. You know, they have a couple of different protection schemes they use to take advantage of teams that want to play aggressive on them."
However, Armstrong, and NC State's offense as a whole, hasn't been as prolific as many expected it to be up to this point. So far, Armstrong has completed 60.0 percent of his passes for only 859 yards, five touchdown and four interceptions.
Armstrong is also the Wolfpack's leading rusher at 225 yards, and their leading receiver - KC Conception - only has 238 yards and two scores in four games, most of which came in their last game at Virginia. In fact, the Wolfpack have just the No. 78 offense in college football at 381.3 yards per game.
That being said, Brohm knows the capabilities that NC State has with Armstrong and Anae at their disposal, and is preparing for anything and everything that they can throw (pun intended) at Louisville.
"They're able to get the ball to their playmakers, he always has a little creativity to what he's doing, and I just think when you have a veteran quarterback who is able to handle that, it will allow you to try to game plan against what he's seen to this point and try to create some big plays," Brohm said. "So I just think veteran coordinator, veteran quarterback equals we have to be very prepared for them."
Jawhar Jordan Off To Red-Hot Start
Through four games of the season, the Cardinals have the No. 5 total offense in the FBS at 542.0 yards per game, and the No. 9 scoring offense at 43.0 points per game. Arguably the biggest factor going into Louisville's early offensive success has been the efforts of running back Jawhar Jordan.
"Jawhar's done a really good job," Brohm said. "He's very humble. He works really hard. He's got speed, shiftiness in the hole, and he's got really good hands."
So far, Jordan has collected 478 rushing yards and is averaging 119.5 per game. Both marks are good for eighth nationally, as is his six rushing touchdowns on the season. In fact, he currently leads the Power Five in yards per carry at a whopping 9.56 yards per touch, and is No. 1 in football amongst players with at least 50 carries.
Also catching six passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, he is currently third in the nation in yards from scrimmaged per game at 152.8. Add in his 63 yards on a pair of kickoff returns, he's first in the Power Five second in the nation in all purpose yards at 168.5 per game.
"Really, with Jawhar, any play could be a breakout play," offensive tackle Willie Tyler said. "I feel like we've seen that every game this year. Just the big runs that he can break, and his vision, too. When we watch the film in practice and after games, sometimes the smallest hole can break for 20, 30-plus yards. It's really great blocking for him. The whole running back group, really. They know what they need to do."
Defense Continuing to Lead NC State
Over the years under Dave Doeren, NC State has been known for their defense, and this season is no different. While it hasn't been as dominant as expected up to this point in the season, it's still a very good unit, averaging only 326.0 yards allowed per game (43rd in FBS) and 21.8 points allowed per game (54th in FBS).
"NC State plays an aggressive style defense," Brohm said. "They give you a little different look than the traditional look with their fronts, and how they have guys on the edge, and their blitz packages. They're very aggressive in their approach. I just think that they're going to challenge you to make plays. You're going to have to win some one-on-one battles, they're going to load the box and stop the run. I just think they're very well coached, and they play very aggressive."
The cornerstone of this Wolfpack defense in linebacker Payton Wilson, who has been of of the best defensive assets in the ACC for several seasons now. In just four games, Wilson already has 46 tackles - twice as much as the next player - along with two pass deflections and an interception.
"He's a really good football player," offensive line coach Richard Owens said. "He moves around a lot. He'll play at the linebacker level, play down to the line of scrimmage ... he's a guy that we have to take notice and know where he's at, for sure."
Of course, he's not the only NC State defender who is worth noting. The cornerback duo Aydan White and Shyheim Battle, both of whom are former All-ACC selections with the former landing a First-Team nod last season, have combined for 22 tackles, 2.5 for loss, two pass breakups and a pick.
Brohm Wanting Louisville's Defense to Operate With More Precision
Over the first third of the season, Louisville has been very hit or miss when it comes to their defensive efforts, especially with their pressure up front. The Cardinals are currently 64th nationally in total defense with 359.5 yards allowed per game, but are 86th in sacks per game at 1.75 and 110th in tackles for loss at 4.5.
Brohm liked the uptick in pressure that he saw in their 56-28 win over Boston College, but believes they could have been more disciplined in the front seven.
"We have to find ways to affect the quarterback, to attack the quarterback, and to tackle the quarterback," he said. We allowed the last quarterback to escape a few times when we shouldn't. We had free blitzers coming, so we have to get that fixed and corrected right away. ... We had a couple of times where we didn't know exactly who had the ball."
The Cardinals were able to sacks Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos three times, but it could have been a lot more, as Louisville made several other attempts to sack him only for Castellanos to escape. The BC QB also found some comfort throwing the ball in spurts, and was even able to break off a 39-yard touchdown run.
With NC State on the horizon, Brohm says that some of the little things need to be fine tuned and that his players need to operate with more precision and focus in order to start turning some of these pressures into sacks and tackles for loss.
"We've got to be precise with what we're doing," he said. "I think we need to adjust and adapt the plan as well because they are going to be well-coached, well-schooled and they have a better quarterback. So I think having a little bit of creativity to slightly change the plan each week is important, especially on the road against NC State."
(Photo of Yasir Abdullah, Ben Finley: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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