Louisville Report

Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. USC Trojans

The Cardinals conclude the 2023 season against the Trojans in the Holiday Bowl.

Matthew McGavic

In this story:

USC Trojans (7-5, 5-4 Pac-12) vs. No. 15 Louisville Cardinals (10-3, 7-1 ACC)

- Kickoff: Wednesday, December 27 at 8:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Petco Park in San Diego, Calif.
- Weather Conditions: Cloudy. High 64F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
- How To Watch: FOX
- How To Listen: 93.9 FM
- Betting Favorite: Louisville -7.0
- All-Time Series: First Meeting
- Last Meeting: N/A

Game Notes

Louisville

  • Louisville is making its third-straight bowl appearance and the first under head coach Jeff Brohm. The Cardinals are 12-12-1 all-time during the bowl season and have won two of their last three bowl games.
  • Louisville went 10-3 overall and 7-1 in conference play in the regular season, and is looking to secure its first 11-win season since 2013 and the sixth in school history.
  • It will be the Cards first appearance in the Holiday Bowl, and the first bowl game in the state of California since a 24-24 tie with Long Beach State in the Pasadena Bowl on Dec. 19, 1970.
  • This is the first-ever meeting on the gridiron between USC and Louisville.
  • The Cardinals dropped a 16-6 decision to No. 4 Florida State in its first appearance in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game on Dec. 2.
  • Louisville limited FSU to just 219 yards of total offense, including 55 yards through the air, but gave up three Ryan Fitzgerald field goals and a two-yard touchdown by Lawrance Toafili, who rushed for 118 yards.
  • One of the top offensive teams in the country, the Cards were held to a season low 188 yards of total offense in the loss — the first time being held under 200 yards of offense since a 17-10 loss to West Virginia during the 2010 season.
  • Defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte earned All-American honors by The Athletic and Sports Illustrated after recording 11.0 sacks, the most by a UofL player since Devonte Fields registered 11.0 during the 2015 campaign. A first team All-ACC selection, Gillotte also was credited with a team high 14.5 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.
  • Running back Jawhar Jordan recorded the 23rd 1,000-yard rushing season in school history, totaling 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns — the most rushing yards by a running back since 2019.
  • The University of Louisville football team earned significant postseason recognition with 15 selections on the 2023 All-ACC Team. Louisville had three first-team All-ACC honorees, one second-team selection and four on the third team. Seven members of the team earned votes as honorable mentions.
  • Jeff Brohm was named one of the 14 semifinalists for the 2023 George Munger College Coach of the Year Award, which is presented yearly by the Maxwell Football Club. The winner of the 2023 George Munger Award will be announced on Wednesday January 10, 2024.

USC

  • USC freshman WR Zachariah Branch has been named a Sporting News First Team All-American as a punt returner, USA Today First Team All-American as a returner and a PFF First Team All-American as a return specialist. Branch is USC’s first-ever true freshman First Team All-American. USC now has 176 First Team AllAmericans.
  • QB Miller Moss has assumed the role of QB1 as 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams has elected to sit out of this game. This will be Moss’ first-ever start as a Trojan. Moss has seen action in 11 games throughout the last 3 years in his USC career. He is 43-of-59 for 542 yards and 3 TDs with no INTs.
  • USC has a 33-18-2 record since 1935 in stadiums in years that they also served as baseball fields.
  • USC has a 44-32-7 (.572) all-time record while playing in the month of December (not including 2 wins vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 46-32-7, .582).
  • USC is 69-48-11 (.582) in all season finales (not including 1 win and 1 loss vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record: 70-49-11, .581.).
  • USC has played just 9 games in San Diego, sporting a 3-5-1 record.
  • USC is among the nation’s premier bowl teams, with an overall postseason record of 34-20 (not including 1 win and 1 loss later vacated due to NCAA penalty; original record 35-21). This will be USC 57th alltime bowl appearance. The Trojans have the nation’s tenth highest bowl winning percentage (.630) among the 98 schools that have made at least 10 bowl appearances.

Depth Chart

Here is the projected depth chart for Louisville ahead of their matchup vs. USC: Louisville vs. USC

Comparison

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

Uniform Report

Louisville will be wearing white helmets and jerseys with red pants, while USC has yet to announce their uniform combination.

Additional Coverage

(Photo of Louisville Players: Jared Anderson - Louisville Report)

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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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