Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Georgia Tech

Here are the more significant storylines to follow ahead of Louisville football's matchup vs. Georgia Tech:

Sep 1, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Louisville Cardinals running back Maurice Turner (4) runs the ball against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program has walloped their first two opponents to start their 2024 campaign, but now, the competition gets a little more fierce. Playing in their first ACC game of the season, the Cardinals are welcoming Georgia Tech to L&N Stadium this weekend.

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

Louisville Ready for Power Conference Competition Following Bye Week

It's not the norm for teams to have a bye week just two weeks into the season, but that's exactly how Louisville's schedule this season shook out. After demolishing Austin Peay and Jax State to open the season, the Cardinals went straight into their first of two bye weeks.

While resting up and getting healthy is undoubtedly the biggest goal for any team when entering a bye week, Louisville's coaching staff also took this time to correct some of the mistakes that came up on film over their first two games of the season.

"I think anytime you make mistakes in games, especially those that are glaring, you don't want to repeat them," Brohm said. "After our stretch in the last season, losing three in a row, there were a lot of things to correct. So we worked hard in the off season to correct those, and rep those, and make sure that we try not to allow that to repeat again. With the mistakes we made the first two games, it's the same thing. You try to practice against those a little bit more than you than you have, just to make sure that you try not to repeat those mistakes."

Louisville feels really good about their depth and personnel, but during the bye, the coaches also gave extended run to some of the younger and less experienced players on their roster. Many of these guys got some serious in-game reps during the blowouts over the Governors and Gamecocks, and Brohm wanted to see them carry this momentum into bye week practices.

Between having the two "tuneup" games to start their 2024 campaign, as well as the extra preparation that came during the bye week, Louisville feels good about where they stand and believe they are more than ready to face a power conference opponent.

"The first two wins were good as a team, they build the morale and stuff," linebacker/safety Benjamin Perry said. "But the coaches have emphasized that ACC play is very important, conference play is very important. Going from last week to this week, yes, it's a step up in competition. But every game is important, because we got a big end goal."

Georgia Tech's Offense Clicking Early

Last season in Brent Key's first full season as the head coach, Georgia Tech established itself as program who excelled on the offensive side of the ball, and it wound up leading them to a 7-6 record plus their first bowl win since 2016. Through the first third of their season, the same has rung true in 2024. So far, Georgia Tech is putting up 424.6 yards and 31.1 points per game, which comes out to be No. 34 and No. 42 in the nation, respectively.

A lot of this has been powered by dual threat quarterback Haynes King, who has taken a step forward from last season. In four games, King has completed 76.4 percent of his throws for 962 yards and six touchdowns to just one interception, while also rushing for 158 yards and three scores.

As you can imagine, Tech has plenty of weapons in the passing game, headlined by the one-two punch of Malik Rutherford (22/285/2) and Eric Singleton (16/250/1). In fact, Georgia Tech is one of four programs so far (App State, Colorado, Wake Forest) to have two players in the FBS' top-50 receiving yards leaderboard.

Of course, with Key being a former offensive lineman, GT's primary identity on offense is a ground-and-approach. The Jackets average 179.3 yards per game on the ground, coming out to the 47th-ranked rushing offense. The bell-cow at running back is former 1,000-yard rusher Jamal Haynes, who has 213 yards and four scores on the ground up to this point.

An underrated component to this offense, which is predicated on the run and short throws, is the success of the offensive line. Their 3.50 tackles for loss allowed pe rgame ranked 35th nationally, and they are one of eight FBS teams and three P4 teams (Oklahoma State, Rutgers) to not give up a sack.

QB Tyler Shough Having an Efficient Start to Final Collegiate Season

One of the biggest questions surrounding Louisville heading into their season was the health and play of Tyler Shough. While Louisville hasn't played the most stout competition to start their 2024 campaign, the Cardinals' new QB1 has been impressive right out of the gates.

"Well, he has done a really good job," head coach Jeff Brohm said. "He was with us all spring, summer and fall and really he has been like this the whole time. So, I really can’t say we coached him that well. He came in, in my opinion, pretty doggone good. Now we got him up to speed on our offense and some things we do. We got him used to our personnel and how we call plays."

Playing just one half of football in Louisville's season-opener, Shough carved up the Governors, going 18-of-24 for 232 yards and four touchdowns. The next week against the Gamecocks, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound signal caller saw a little more run, and wound up going 21-of-33 for 349 yards and two scores.

Through two games, Shough has completed 68.4 percent of his throws for 581 yards and six touchdowns. His 290.5 yards per game is good for 18th in the FBS, and fifth among quarterbacks who have yet to throw an interception, while his QB rating of 188.78 is eighth nationally.

While it is a very small sample size, we've seen his upper tier arm strength and accuracy on display already, making impressive down field throws in both games. Additionally, it appears that Shough has found a way to balance his aggressive play style with a patient mindset.

"I feel like whenever we have good things that happen, you just keep your foot on the gas, and still go into every single play and rip the ball," he said after the game against Jax State. "I feel like we had some close calls on some of those shot plays with some plays, but really kind of take advantage of those when we can, but then just do my job and spread it out to the guys."

Defense Off to Up-and-Down Start for Georgia Tech

Last season, there was no other way to describe Georgia Tech's defense other than a disastrous mess. GT gave up 437.1 yards and 29.5 points per game, placing at No. 120 and No. 94 in the FBS. So far through this season, they have vastly improved in one regard, while struggling in another.

Where they have made the most strides are on the defensive line and in the front seven overall. They're giving up just 98.5 rushing yards per game (33rd in FBS), which has helped their defense allow just 317.5 yards per game (66th in FBS) overall up to this point. The linebacker duo of Kyle Efford and Trenilyas Tatum have combined for 47 tackles and 8.0 for loss, while lineman Romello Height and Jordan van den Berg have both a difference in the trenches against the run.

"I think their defensive front is tremendous," Louisville offensive line coach Richard Owens said. "They do a lot of things up front that create problems and issues that you got to make sure you're working. You got to be prepared to go into it."

However, despite impact defensive back like safety LaMiles Brooks and corner Ahmari Harvey returning, Georgia Tech is still struggling immensely when it comes to defending the pass - whether that's with their pass rush or actual coverage downfield.

Their 219.0 passing yards allowed per game, heavily impact by the 381 they surrendered at Syracuse, comes in at just 81st in the FBS. Additionally, their 1.25 sacks tallied per game is just 107th overall and 14th in the ACC.

Louisville's Running Back Exceeding Early Expectations

Heading into the 2024 season, one of the biggest questions regarding the Louisville football program was their running back position. Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo departed for the NFL, and this left Louisville with a running back room that - while it has plenty of potential - is relatively light on experience compared to last season, and pretty young overall.

While Louisville hasn't played super stout competition through the first two games of their season, their running backs are already starting to reach that potential, and have had a very strong start to the year.

“Well, we like our core of running backs, and we have really from day one," head coach Jeff Brohm said. "They all have different elements that make them very useful and beneficial to the team. They are great teammates, they support each other. You never know who you are going to need."

Against Austin Peay, Louisville ran for a gaudy 293 yards, while also adding three rushing scores. The next week against the Gamecocks, they tallied 233 yards on the grounds, but also ran for five touchdowns. It's a very small sample size, but Louisville has the ninth-best rushing offense at 263.0 yards per game.

What most impressive with Louisville's early prowess on the ground is that their rushing efforts haven't come from just one person. Starting running back Maurice Turner has 87 yards and a touchdown, while backup Donald Chaney Jr. run for just 21 yards and a score before suffering a high ankle sprain against Jax State

In fact, the bulk of Louisville's rushing effort have come from their three youngest scholarship backs on the roster. Isaac Brown has tallied 116 yards and two scores up to this points, while Duke Watson has ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns, and Isaac Brown leads the charge at 166 yards and one score. When looking at national leaderboards, Watson and Isaac Brown - both of whom are true freshman - crack the top five in yards per attempt. Watson is No. 3 at 13.7 while Brown is No. 5 at 12.77.

(Photo of Maurice Turner: Brett Davis - Imagn Images)

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