Second Half Dominance Fueling Louisville's Four-Game Winning Streak

The Cardinals have turned their season completely around thanks to a newfound ability to close out games.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program is currently riding a wave of momentum that they haven't experienced for quite some time.

After starting the year with a 2-3 overall record, including a soul-crushing loss at Boston College, the Cardinals have now won four straight games, including an upset win over then-No. 10 Wake Forest, for their longest win streak since 2016.

A team that almost certainly would have been looking for a new head coach at the end of the season has turned a complete 180. Not only have they clinched bowl eligibility, but there is still the potential for a very special season depending on how their final three games shake out.

"I just give a lot of credit to our staff and our players for believing and continuing to work," head coach Scott Satterfield said after their most recent win over James Madison. "We’re sitting here 6-3, but how many people thought that after the Boston College game? I just give a lot of credit to our guys in this building.”

Over the Cardinals' four-game win streak, a trend has emerged, and it's one that mostly has not been prevalent in the Satterfield era up until now: Louisville is finishing games with strong second half performances.

Louisville inability to get over the hump in close games was something that had been almost a staple of the program during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. In fact, during that two-year stretch, the Cardinals sported just a 2-7 record in one-score games.

Further driving the point home, after their loss to BC on Oct. 1, Louisville had been tied or leading in the fourth quarter in six of their last nine losses. Simply put, the Cardinals just couldn't close out games.

But during their four-game win streak, Louisville has been thriving in the second halves of games. In the first halves against Virginia, Pitt, Wake Forest and James Madison, the Cardinals have been out-scoring their competition 43-41. But in the second halves against those four opponents, Louisville has out-scored them 97-21.

"The second half of all four of these games, when the games can go either way, our guys have just stuck to it, stayed in there, and finished it out," Satterfield said. "We’ve talked about it all offseason, we had to finish and we knew that. Last year four games came right down to the end and we didn’t finish those. Our guys have finally learned how to finish some of these games and that’s been nice to see.”

While both sides of the ball are operating a lot more efficiently than they were to start the season, the four-game win streak and second half turnaround has been anchored primarily by the defense.

Over the first five games of the year, Louisville was putting up 430.0 yards per game while allowing 369.8 yards per game. During their win streak, they're actually generating less offensive yardage at 414.3 yards per game, while allowing just 310.0 yards per game. That's a 59.8 yards per game difference on defense. 

It's looks even more impressive when you break down the first and second half splits during the win streak. Over the last four games, Louisville has allowed a total of 708 yards in the first half, but just 532 yards in the second half.

Both Satterfield and defensive coordinator Bryan Brown attribute this to cutting down on the amount of big plays surrendered, which was arguably their biggest achilles heel over the first five games of the season.

"Our guys have done a tremendous job of just paying attention to detail, not allowing the big plays, and defending the pass really well," Brown said. "I think when you defend the pass really well, that is a testament to the guys up front. Getting pressure on the quarterback, as well as guys in the back end covering well so you can get pressure."

While the offense isn't perfect, there is anecdotal evidence that it is starting to get better, especially in the passing game. The offensive staff has started to put an emphasis on working the middle of the field, getting more guys involved, and becoming more creative and unpredictable with their play calling.

"I think there’s certainly a few things that we’ve done to try to isolate and put out receivers in position to be able to make plays in the passing game, and be very intentional and specific about what we’re trying to run offensively," Satterfield said.

Louisville will face arguably their stiffest test of the year when they travel to No. 12 Clemson this weekend. Satterfield knows that, it order to have a shot at taking down the Tigers, they will have to continue playing their best football in the second half.

"We’re going to play a really good team in a hostile environment and all that, but we got to do what we’ve been doing the last four games, not worry about who we’re playing, and try to elevate our game a little bit more and just continue to get better," he said.

Kickoff between the Cardinals and Tigers is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 12 at 3:30 p.m. EST. at Memorial Stadium in Clemson. S.C.

(Photo via Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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