Louisville Overcomes Sluggish Offense, Mounts Gritty Comeback at NC State to Remain Unbeaten
RALEIGH, N.C. - Traveling to NC State for their first true road game of the season, the Louisville football program was able to continue their undefeated start under first year head coach Jeff Brohm, leaning on their defense and special teams to mount a comeback and capture a 13-10 win Friday at Carter-Finley Stadium.
With the victory, the Cardinals (5-0, 3-0 ACC) win their first five games in a season for the first time since winning their first six in 2013. The win over the Wolfpack (3-2, 1-1 ACC) also marked Louisville's first time claiming their first three games in conference play as members of the ACC, and their first time since 2012 when they won their first four as members of the BIG EAST.
Louisville's offense, coming off of a 56 point and 585 yard outing against Boston College last weekend, sputtered for most of the game. The Cardinals put up just 306 yards on the night, and was the primary reason behind going down into a 10-0 hole at halftime.
Conversely, their defense held NC State in check nearly all night long, allowing the Wolfpack to compile just 201 total yards and zero second half points.
With the defense pitching a second half shutout, that was just enough of a momentum swing on offense for the Cardinals. They were able to score 13 unanswered to pull in front of NC State, capped off by a 53-yard field goal - a program record - from Brock Travelstead with just over five minutes left.
Clinging to a one-score advantage, the defense was able to close the door on the Wolfpack. NC State went three-and-out on the drive after Travelstead's go ahead score, then after a Louisville drive that killed clock but still resulted in a punt, NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong threw a game-clinching interception to cornerback Quincy Riley.
Louisville's defense held Armstrong to 112 yards against a 13-for-24 completion rate while forcing two interceptions. He also had 61 of NC State's 89 rushing yards, and was sacked twice - once by defensive tackle Ramon Puryear and against by defensive end Ashton Gillotte.
The defense also collected eight tackles for loss, and forced three turnovers: the pick by Riley, and an interception and forced fumble by safety Cam'Ron Kelly. Linebacker T.J. Quinn also had a game-best 11 tackles.
Quarterback Jack Plummer went 21-for-35 with 286 yards and a touchdown, but that also came with a pair of interceptions. Wide receiver Chris Bell led the charge with three receptions for a game-high 85 yards and Plummer's lone score.
Facing a talented NC State front seven, Louisville's rushing attack was all but stopped dead in its tracks. The Cardinals ran for 20 yards after sacks, with star running back Jawhar Jordan - who had been averaging 119.5 rushing yards per game - tallying only 32 rushing yards.
Neither offense could get in much rhythm at all to start the game, allowing both defenses set the tone right out of the gate. Each team punted on their first three drives, including four combined three-and-outs, with only 77 combined yards of offense being generated on the first six drives of the game.
On Louisville's fourth drive and their first of the second quarter, kicker Brock Travelstead shanked a 52-yard field goal attempt, to which NC State took advantage of. After the miss, the Wolfpack put together a 13-play, 65-yard scoring drive - which included a crucial fake punt - capped off by a four-yard touchdown reception by Mimms.
It didn't get much better offensively for the Louisville to close out the first half. Plummer fumbled after the offense was starting to get into a rhythm, then on the next drive threw an under-thrown ball that was picked off by Battle. While NC State didn't convert the fumble into points, they did on the interception, kicking a 48-yard field goal to go up 10-0 as the first half expired.
NC State looked to compound this lead on the first drive of the second half, but a critical momentum swing came when Kelly picked off Armstrong in the endzone. A couple drives later, Louisville was finally able to crack the scoreboard, with Bell hauling in an incredibly difficult 39-yard touchdown.
The very next drive, Kelly again forced an Armstrong turnover - this time a fumble recovered by Puryear - and Louisville was able to turn this into points with a game-tying 33-yard field goal from Travelstead. His go-ahead field goal came two drives later.
Next up, Louisville will return home for a massive showdown with No. 11 Notre Dame. Kickoff against the Fighting Irish is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. EST.
(Photo of Jack Plummer: Rob Kinnan - USA TODAY Sports)
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