The Top Individual Defensive Performances from Louisville Football in 2023

The Cardinals were powered by their defense in 2023, so as you can imagine, they produced plenty of standout performances on that side of the ball last season.

Louisville's Ashton Gillotte sacks Boston College's Thomas Castellanos Saturday afternoon in L&N Stadium. / Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - To the surprise of some given Jeff Brohm's acumen as an offensive playcaller, his first year as the head coach of the Louisville football program was marked by a strong defense. The Cardinals finished their 2023 season allowing only 317.1 yards and 21.3 points per game, which ranked 21st and 35th in the FBS, respectively.

With a defense as strong as Louisville's last season, as you can imagine, they had plenty of standout defensive outings last season. Here are the top five individual defensive performances by Cardinals from the 2023 season:

No. 5: Ashton Gillotte vs. Boston College

Gillotte only had three tackles against Boston College, but he certainly got his bang for his buck in the process. Those three tackles by the All-American edge rusher were all sacks, and Gillotte became the first Cardinal with a three-sack day since James Hearns did so in 2016 vs. Virginia.

No. 4: Cam'Ron Kelly vs. Indiana

Whether it was against the run or in pass coverage, Kelly made plays all over the field against Indiana. He finishes with 12 tackles, tied for the most all season by a Cardinal, with two of them coming for a loss. He also snagged a first half interception, helping Louisville eventually secure a 21-14 win at Lucas Oil Stadium.

No. 3: Mason Reiger vs. Notre Dame

With the Notre Dame offensive line paying a large chunk of their attention to Gillotte, Reiger took full advantage. The defensive collected two tackles for loss that were sacks, one of which came against All-American offensive tackle Joe Alt, as well as a fourth quarter forced fumble. He also finished with four tackles on the night.

No. 2: Cam'Ron Kelly vs. NC State

In the defensive slugfest that was Louisville vs. NC State, Kelly had the best performance by a Cardinal that night. With Louisville trailing 10-0 at halftime, he proceeded to generate two second half turnovers - an interception and a fumble - with the latter setting up the game-tying score. He also logged six tackles (one solo) on the night, with the Cardinals eventually winning 13-10 in Raleigh.

No. 1: Devin Neal vs. Notre Dame

Louisville got plenty of standout performances in their upset win over No. 10 Notre Dame, and Neal helped play a massive role in securing the 33-20 victory. The safety snagged two interceptions against the Fighting Irish, as well as a pass breakup to help force a turnover on downs - all of which came in the fourth quarter of the tightly contested game. He also collected eight tackles (two solo) on the night.

(Photo of Ashton Gillotte: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal / USA)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook -@LouisvilleReport
Twitter -@UofLReport
Instagram -@louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at@Matt_McGavicon Twitter