Louisville Holds Off Washington in Sun Bowl Thriller

The Cardinals win their first bowl game under head coach Jeff Brohm.

Louisville wide receiver Antonio Meeks / University of Louisville Athletics

EL PASO, Tex. - The Louisville football program will be heading into the offseason with momentum on their side.

Capping off year two under head coach Jeff Brohm with a showdown against Washington in the Sun Bowl, the Cardinals were able to withstand a furious fourth quarter comeback attempt, coming out on top with a thrilling 35-34 victory on Tuesday at Sun Bowl Stadium.

Louisville (9-4, 5-3 ACC) led by 14 points heading into the final period, but Washington (6-7, 4-5 Big Ten) was able to score back-to-back touchdowns in the final four minutes of the game.

Huskies wide receiver Giles Jackson, who finished with 11 catches for 161 yards and four touchdowns, snagged a 31-yard touchdown with 3:42 left to put UW within striking distance, then a one-yard score on a fade with just nine seconds remaining.

Instead of kicking the PAT to tie, Washington went for the win with a two point try. QB Demond Williams Jr. tried for Jackson again, but his attempt was broken up by Antonio Watts to seal the game for the Cardinals.

Louisville concludes their 2024 campaign with a dominating three-game winning streak, previously taking down Pitt and Kentucky by a combined 55 points. Brohm also wins his first bowl game with his alma mater after losing the Holiday Bowl to USC last season.

Conversely, Washington wraps up year one under head coach Jedd Fisch with an 0-7 mark away from home. The Huskies went 14-1 and were the national runner-up a year ago.

As is the case with most bowls in this day and age of college football, it was a matchup in which both teams were shorthanded in various capacities due to opt-outs. At kickoff, there were a combined 44 transfer portal entries and NFL Draft declarations between Louisville and Washington.

Louisville turned to Harrison Bailey as their starting quarterback following Tyler Shough' NFL Draft declaration, and he didn't disappoint. Bailey went 16-of-25 for 164 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first Cardinals signal caller to throw for three touchdowns in a bowl game since Teddy Bridgewater in 2013. He was named the Sun Bowl MVP for his efforts.

Three different players caught each of Bailey's touchdown throws: wide receiver Caullin Lacy in his first game since Oct. 19 vs. Notre Dame, wideout Antonio Meeks for his first TD catch at the D1 level, and tight end Nate Kurisky. WR Chris Bell led the Cardinals with six catches for 60 yards, and Lacy also added a score on the ground.

On the ground, UofL ran for 207 yards, mainly from the true freshmen tandem of Isaac Brown and Duke Watson. Brown ran for 99 yards on 18 tries, while Watson tallied 83 yards on 10 attempts. All together, the Cardinals put up 371 yards of offense.

That paled in comparison to Washington's 472 yards, most of which came from Williams. He went 26-of-32 for 374 yards and his four touchdowns to Jackson, and also ran for 48 yards plus a touchdown.

Even with the handful of busts given up, Louisville's defense still had plenty of high marks, finishing with five sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and a pick-six by cornerback Tahveon Nicholson. Defensive tackle Jordan Guerad was named the Defensive MVP, finishing with six tackles, two for loss and a sack.

Punter Carter Schwartz, who took over after Brady Hodges opted out before kickoff, even played a role in the victory. he averaged 43.7 yards on six punts, kicking three inside the two and also booting a 54-yarder.

Louisville's defense got off to a good start in the Sun Bowl. On Washington's first offensive drive, Nicholson took an interception 21 yards to the house to get the scoring started. On the Huskies' next four drives, they punted three times and amassed only 91 yards - with 40 of them coming from Jackson's first touchdown reception to tie the game.

Conversely, the Cardinals' offense did not start as efficiently, punting on their first three drives of the games, including a pair of three-and-outs. Eventually, Bailey was able to settle in after some shaky early play, tossing a nine-yards touchdown pass to Lacy and to close out the first quarter and a 28-yard lob to Meeks late in the second.

However, after a strong early showing, Louisville's defense took a big step back, allowing Washington to put up just 152 yards in the second quarter after giving up just 79 in the first. One play removed from a Cardinals' turnover on downs, Jackson scored touchdown No. 2 on a 49-yard catch midway through the period, while Williams rushed for a game-tying seven-yard score with 51 seconds until halftime to tie the game at 21.

On the other side of the break, Louisville found their stride on both sides of the ball to start the second half. The Cardinals scored on their first two drives of the third quarter, with Bailey throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to Kurisky and Lacy scoring on an eight-yard sweep.

Defensively, Louisville was able to wear down on Washington throughout much of the second half prior to their comeback try. On the Huskies first three drives of the half, the Cardinals gave up just 70 yards and forced punts on all three. UW put up 159 yards in their final two drives.

(Photo of Antonio Meeks via University of Louisville Athletics)

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