Louisville Report

Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Boston College Eagles

The Cardinals and Eagles both enter the game on two-game losing streaks.

Matthew McGavic

Boston College (4-2, 0-2 ACC) at Louisville Cardinals (3-3, 1-2 ACC)

- Kickoff: Saturday, October 23 at 4:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Cardinal Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
- Weather Conditions: A mix of clouds and sun in the morning followed by cloudy skies during the afternoon. High near 65F. Winds light and variable.
- How To Watch: ACC Network
- How To Listen: WHAS 840/790 WKRD
- Betting Favorite: Louisville -5.5
- All-Time Series: Louisville leads 7-6
- Last Meeting: Boston College won 34-27 on Nov. 28, 2020 (Alumni Stadium - Chestnut Hill, Mass.)

Game Notes

Louisville

  • Louisville dropped its second game by a total of four points with the 34-33 loss to Virginia on Oct. 9 at Cardinal Stadium. Virginia battled back from a 30-13 fourth-quarter deficit with 21 points in the final quarter and UofL’s James Turner missed a 49-yard field goal as time expired.
  • The Cardinals gained 503 yards — the second-straight game of more than 500 yards — in the loss to Virginia. Louisville rushed for a season-high 233 yards — also the second consecutive contest with more than 200 yards on the ground.
  • Louisville has moved into the top 25 nationally in total offense, averaging 452.0 yards per game. The Cards have totaled more than 500 yards of offense in three of the last four contests.
  • The Cardinals averaged 8.1 yards per play versus Virginia, recording three plays of over 50 yards, including a 92-yard touchdown pass. The Cardinals are the only team in the nation with two passing plays of over 90 yards this season.
  • Running back Hassan Hall rushed for a career high 162 yards and one touchdown versus Virginia — the first 100-yard game of his career. It also marked the first game where a UofL player reached the century mark in rushing yards.
  • QB Malik Cunningham was 17-for-25 for 270 yards and a touchdown. The redshirt junior has thrown a touchdown pass in nine consecutive games and 22 of his last 23 games. He tossed a 92-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Harrell was tied for the fourth-longest completion in program history.
  • Cunningham now has eight completions of at least 75 yards in his career. No other Louisville quarterback has more than three.
  • Tyler Harrell caught a pair of passes for a career-high 100 yards and a 92-yard touchdown in the loss to Virginia. This is his second straight game with a touchdown of at least 75 yards. The redshirt sophomore has caught seven passes for 261 yards, an average of 37.3 yards a reception.
  • UofL picked off two passes versus Virginia to give them seven interceptions on the season, surpassing the team’s total of five in 2020 and matching the 2019 total of seven. Trey Franklin and Kenderick Duncan recorded their first career interceptions at Louisville.
  • Under first-year offensive line Jack Bicknell coach, the Cardinals are leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in sacks allowed with an average of 1.33 per game and are 20th nationally. The Cardinals allowed multiple sacks in only two games this season — being sacked twice versus Ole Miss and three times in a loss to Wake Forest. Last season, the Cardinals allowed two or more sacks in seven contests.
  • Over the last four contests, wide receiver Jordan Watkins has caught 17 passes for 261 yards and one touchdown. He led the team with four catches for 62 yards in the loss to Wake Forest and set a new career high with five receptions for 61 yards and his first career touchdown — a 21-yard reception in the second quarter — in the win over Florida State.
  • Tight end Marshon Ford, a former walk-on, has been a weapon in the passing game over the last three seasons. He’s emerged as one of the ACC’s top tight end with 27 receptions for 265 yards and one touchdown after recording four catches for 24 yards in the loss to Virginia.
  • Cornerback Kei'Trel Clark ranks seventh nationally and second in the ACC with three interceptions after six games. Clark put an end to Florida State’s comeback hopes with an interception with less than a minute to play in the 31-23 victory.
  • Louisville has already tallied 18 sacks in the first six games after just tallying 21 in all 11 games in 2020. The Cards rank 19th nationally with an average of 3.0 sacks per game and are 24th in tackles for loss at 6.8 per game.

Boston College

  • For the first time under head coach Jeff Hafley, Boston College looks to snap a two-game losing streak as the Eagles travel to Louisville on Saturday. Boston College lost to a ranked opponent for the second straight game this season with a 33-7 setback to No. 22 NC State last Saturday night at Alumni Stadium
  • Boston College QB Dennis Grosel gets his third shot against the Cardinals on Saturday, this time as the starter for the first time in his career.Grosel’s previous two appearances against Louisville came in relief of injured starters Anthony Brown in 2019 and Phil Jurkovec in 2020.
    • In the 41-39 loss at Louisville in 2019, Grosel was 9-for-24 for 111 yards and three touchdowns, while rushing six times for 43 yards. Last year, Grosel threw for two touchdowns after Jurkovec was injured and added a 44-yard run to lead the Eagles to a 34-27 victory over Louisville.
  • Boston College is tied for 14th nationally with just 13 touchdowns allowed in 2021. It’s been a quick turnaround under Jeff Hafley and his defensive staff. The year prior to Hafley’s arrival, BC allowed 49 touchdowns in 2019, ranking 88th nationally.
  • Boston College has been on fire in the first half of 2021, outscoring opponents 92-40. The first quarter has been BC’s second-highest scoring quarter of the season, outscoring the opposition 52-28 in the first 15 minutes of play. In the second quarter, BC has yielded just four field goals the entire season, holding a 40-12 advantage.
  • BC has been at its best on third down this season - both on offense and defensively. On offense, the Eagles are 17th nationally converting 47.5% of their third down conversions (38-of-80). That stat is second in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Defensively, BC is limiting opponents to 29.6% on third down, going just 21-of-71. The Eagles are 10th in the nation in third down defense, and third in the ACC behind NC State (1st/25.3%) and Pitt (6th/27.5%).
  • Redshirt sophomore running back Pat Garwo rushed for a then career-high 160 yards at UMass, becoming BC’s first 100-yard rusher since David Bailey at Syracuse (Nov. 7, 2020). Garwo’s previous career best was 36 yards last season vs. Pitt (Oct. 10, 2020). Garwo became the first BC rusher over 150 yards since AJ Dillon (242) and David Bailey (172) did so at Syracuse (Nov. 2, 2019).
  • Isaiah Graham-Mobley has provided plenty of leadership and physical play as the Eagles’ starting middle linebacker in 2021. A mid-year transfer from Temple in January, IGM has started all six games for BC in 2021 and leads the team with 38 tackles. He ranks 27th in the ACC with 6.33 tackles per game.
  • • Boston College has been one of the stingiest defenses in the ACC in 2021, ranking fifth in the conference in rushing defense, passing defense, total defense and third in the league in scoring defense. BC ranks among the ACC’s elite defenses despite ranking last in the league in sacks and TFLs.
  • Junior defensive end Shitta Sillah is sixth on the team with 19 total tackles in 2021. The Somerset, N.J. native has played his best football of his career at the Heights to start the season.
  • Junior Josh DeBerry ranks second on the team with 29 tackles in 2021. One of the top cover corners in the ACC, DeBerry is tied for the team lead with two interceptions and two pass breakups. Against No. 22 NC State, DeBerry established a new career-high with eight tackles to lead the BC defense.
  • BC’s fifth-year senior Ben Petrula has the second-longest active start streak in the nation at 54 games. After not playing in his first career game as a true freshman at Northern Illinois in 2017, Petrula moved to center and started the final 12 games of the season
  • Boston College junior wide receiver Zay Flowers was named to the watch list, the second major preseason award watch list for the Florida native. He was also named to the Maxwell Award Preseason Watch List as well.

Depth Charts

Here are the depth charts for both teams ahead of their matchup: Louisville vs. Boston College

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Eagles, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of the Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Boston College

Uniform Report

Louisville will be wearing red helmets and pants with black jerseys, Boston College has not announced their uniform combination.

Additional Coverage

(Photo of Tutu Atwell: Winslow Townson - USA TODAY Sports)

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Published
Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic

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