Louisville Dominates James Madison to Clinch Bowl Eligibility

The Cardinals' second half effort powered them to a decisive victory over the Dukes, ensuring a bowl berth in the process.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Fresh off of their emotional win over then-No. 10 Wake Forest last weekend, the Louisville football program used a dominant second half effort to overcome a sluggish first half, taking down James Madison 27-10 Saturday night at Cardinal Stadium.

The victory for the Cardinals (6-3, 3-3 ACC) not only extends their winning streak to four, the longest of the Scott Satterfield era, but clinches bowl eligibility with three games remaining. Since Satterfield arrived at Louisville in 2019, he has taken them to the postseason in three of his four years at the helm, only missing out in 2020.

Deadlocked at 10 points a piece at halftime with Louisville maintaining a slight 165-144 advantage in yardage, the Cardinals once again exploded in the second half, scoring on four of their first five drives out of the locker room.

Running back Tiyon Evans broke off a 71-yard rushing touchdown, wide receivers Tyler Hudson and Ahmari Huggins-Bruce had 44- and 11-yard scores, respectively, and James Turner added a 35-yard field goal. Simultaneously, the defense forced the Dukes (5-3, 3-2 Sun Belt) to go three-and-out on four of their six second half drives.

In total, Louisville out-gained James Madison 302-49 in the second half and 467-193 for the game. JMU ran the ball 36 times for 141 yards, thanks mainly to Percy Agyei-Obese's 102-yard day, while quarterback Todd Centeio was held to 4-of-15 for 52 yards and only 11 rushing yards.

Facing a Dukes defense that was allowing just 54.9 rushing yards per game, Louisville ran for well over quadruple that mark at 244. Evans had 126 yards and his score on just 10 carries, while Jawhar Jordan contributed with 117 yards on 17 attempts.

While rushing for net-zero yards and struggling in the first half, quarterback Malik Cunningham bounced back for a 14-of-20 effort through the air for 223 yards and three touchdowns. Hudson had six receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown, while tight end Isaac Martin had the third receiving score on the night.

Each team scored on their opening possessions, 34-yard field goal from James Madison and a one-yard goal line touchdown reception by Martin, but the game turned into a defensive slugfest after that. While Louisville's front seven kept stifling JMU's rushing attack, their own offense also could not get any momentum going, resulting in each of the Cardinals' and Dukes' next three possessions turning into a pair of punts and a turnover on downs.

Louisville's defense started to wear down against James Madison's run-happy attack towards the end of the first half, resulting in an 11-play/80-yard scoring drive capped off by a nine-yard Centeio run. The Cardinals were able to respond with a long drive of their own, but it stalled in the red zone, forcing to settle for a 29-yard game-tying field goal as the first half expired.

Next up, Louisville will resume ACC play and head back on the road for a matchup against Clemson. Kickoff against the Tigers is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 12 at 3:30 p.m. EST.

(Photo of Malik Cunningham: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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