Louisville Holds Off Indiana for Gritty Win, Continues Undefeated Start to 2023
INDIANAPOLIS - Traveling up I-65 for their second neutral site matchup of the young season, the Louisville football program was able to overcome a sluggish second half effort and continued their undefeated start under first year head coach Jeff Brohm, taking down Indiana 21-14 Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Going up 21-0 heading into the half, Louisville held off a furious comeback attempt by their regional rival. Indiana scored 14 unanswered in the second half and threatened to send the game to overtime on their final drive of the fourth quarter.
The Hoosiers made it all the way to the one yard line, but with less than five minutes to go facing a fourth down, Indiana opted to go for it. The ensuing run up the middle was stuffed by linebackers T.J. Quinn and Stanquan Clark, and Louisville was able to run out the clock after the turnover on downs.
With the victory, the Cardinals (3-0, 1-0 ACC) win their first three games in a season for the first time since 2016, and claim their first every victory over the Hoosiers (1-2, 0-1 Big Ten). Louisville has previously been 0-2 against Indiana, with a pair of losses in 1985 and 1986 in Bloomington.
Brohm, who had spent the previous six seasons as the head coach at Purdue before leaving to coach his alma mater last December, improves his record against Indiana to 5-1.
Louisville out-gained Indiana 422-357 in total yardage, with 302 of the Cardinals' yardage coming in the first half and 250 of the Hoosiers' yardage coming in the second half.
Quarterback Jack Plummer went 13-of-23 for 238 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while also rushing for 42 yards. Wide receiver Jamari Thrash logged four catches for 159 and Plummer's lone scoring pass, all coming in the first half. Running back Jawhar Jordan led a 184-yard rushing effort by the Cards, collecting 113 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
The Louisville defense was led by outstanding efforts from safety duo Cam'Ron Kelly and Devin Neal, with the former logging 12 tackles (two for loss) and an interception, and the latter collecting eight tackles (two for loss). Benjamin Perry and Jermayne Lole also had tackles for loss for the Cardinals.
Indiana quarterback Tayven Jackson had a 24-for-34 effort through the air, passing for 299 yards, a touchdown and a pick. IU had a score on the ground by running back Josh Henderson, but was held to 58 yard rushing overall. Starting running back Jaylin Lucas thrived as a receiver, catching a team-high 10 passes for 98 yards and Jackson's lone passing touchdown.
The Louisville offense had a little bit of trouble getting into a rhythm right out of the gates, as the struggled to establish the deep ball and had a missed 38-yard field goal by Brock Travelstead. But then after their first drive, they started firing on all cylinders, scoring on their next three drives and putting up 303 yards before halftime.
The Cardinals' opened up the scoring with an 85-yard bomb to Thrash, followed that up with a methodical 13-play drive that culminated in a two-yard rushing score by Turner, then capped off the first half with a 25-yard touchdown run by Jordan.
On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Louisville's defense dominated from the jump, making plays in both the backfield and in the secondary. Combined with a conservative approach by Indiana, the Cardinals held the Hoosiers in check for the entire first half, limiting them to just 90 yards and pitching a first half shutout.
IU's first two drives were able to get past midfield, but the latter ended in an interception by Neal. Their next three times out before halftime all failed to get past the 50, resulting in Louisville taking a 21-0 lead into halftime.
Despite heading into halftime down by three scores, Indiana was not about to lay down. With Louisville set to receive the ball to start the second half, the Hoosiers opted to onside kick the ball, which they recovered. Three plays later, Jackson found Lucas for a 30-yard reception and IU's first score of the game.
Assisted by a significant step back in pressure from Louisville, Indiana looked much more comfortable offensively coming out of halftime. Two drives after getting on the scoreboard, the Hoosiers orchestrated 13-play, 97-yard scoring drive capped off by a two-yard run by Henderson.
Conversely, Louisville's offense took a significant step back in their overall efficiency in the second half. The Cardinals put up only 120 yards and were held scoreless after halftime, with IU's second scoring drive coming off of an interception from Plummer.
While the offense continued to flail down the stretch, the defense was able to collect themselves in the fourth quarter and step up when needed to. The forced the game's only three-and-out on IU's first drive of the fourth quarter, and came up with the goal line stand to end the game.
Next up, Louisville will return home to L&N Stadium and resume league play, hosting Boston College for their ACC home opener. Kickoff against the Eagles is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 23 at 3:30 p.m. EST.
(Photo of Isaac Guerendo: Trevor Ruszkowski - USA TODAY Sports)
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