LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (2-0) vs. Bowling Green Falcons (2-1)
Game Time: Noon
Location: L&N Stadium: Louisville, Ky.
Television: ACC Network
Announcers: Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Max Browne (analyst) and Kendra Douglas (sideline)
Favorite: Louisville by 26.5
Series History: First Meeting
Statistics:
Depth Chart:
Louisville Uniforms:
Bowling Green Uniforms:
Game Day Guide:
Relevant Videos:
About Bowling Green:
OFFENSE
Eddie George will bring his inaugural Bowling Green Falcons team to Louisville this weekend, looking to continue a strong
start to the season. The Falcons are 2-1 on the year after handling Liberty at home last weekend. George and his spread offense are looking to bring some excitement to Bowling Green after a 9-win season and playoff appearance last year at Tennessee State.
The biggest factor in George’s first year of success will be Drew Pyne at quarterback. Pyne is a former starter at Notre Dame who then became a journeyman with stops at Arizona State and Missouri. Pyne has battled injuries throughout his career, but when he has been on the field, he has performed well. So far this season, he is completing 67% of his passes with a very efficient game against Cincinnati, where he completed 81% of his throws.
Pyne is not much of a runner, but he can get a first down on a scramble. Where BG likely needs him to be better is with getting the ball down the field. I wouldn’t blame the lack of explosive plays completely on Pyne as their offense is built around the quick pass game. It remains to be seen if they will work in some deep throws to help spark the offense.
Running back is a talented position group for the Falcons with Kaderris Roberts and Camaron Pettaway showing off impressive speed and alusiveness in the run game. Pettaway opened the season with a kickoff return for a touchdown, which has led to him being utilized more in the offense. Roberts jumped out to me as a guy who looks to have the type of speed to rip off an explosive play if he were to get into the open field. Both of these players have also been used in the passing game to try to get the ball into their hands.
This offense is an old-school spread offense, so the running game is based on sweeps and other outside runs with some inside zone runs mixed in. Chris McMillian is a slightly bigger back, and we are likely to see this in short-yardage situations when they add more bulk to the formation. The Falcons don’t run the ball very well, but they have had some moments where they have gotten their speedy backs into some space to make plays.
The pass catchers for Bowling Green are deep and capable. From what I’ve watched, RJ Garcia is the top wide receiver option. He has good speed and shows an adept ability to get open with his route running. 6-5/220, Finn Hogan is the jump ball option for Pyne, and he has utilized him in that way a few times already this year. I would say that Garcia’s production in this game is the most likely sign of how the offense is playing. He’s a transfer from Kansas State, so he has played against P4 competition. He also just looks the part in his play. He is consistently open, and I think he can make some noise after the catch as well.
The tight end group is also deep, with Jyrin Johnson leading the team in catches and yards. Jacob Harris has also been a good option in the passing game at the other tight end position for the Falcons. Throw in Blane Cleaver and Florida transfer Arlis Boardingham, and the offense has a lot of options in the short passing game. Harris and Johnson have been targeted on throws down the field as well, where their size helps them on contested catches. This group could be a test for a Louisville defense that struggled defending the middle of the field last year.
Louisville will face the most veteran offensive line they have seen this season as the Falcons start all seniors up front, with four of those starters returning from last year. With that being said, they have left a good amount to be desired at times early in the season. Cincinnati was able to pressure Pyne with relative ease, and the running game has struggled to find space through three games. Louisville should have a major edge here that they will need to take advantage of, because this offense has the pieces to get going at some point, even though they have struggled so far.
DEFENSE
Louisville will head into its third game of the season, facing off against a Bowling Green defense that is playing about as well as could be expected to start the year. Eddie George is in his first year leading the Falcons, but he brought his defensive coordinator with him from Tennessee State, which looks to have been a good decision so far. Jeff Fisher’s son, Brandon, is a longtime assistant, and his 2024 defense at Tennessee State was a key factor in getting to the playoffs.
The defensive line for the Falcons is led by George’s son, Eriq, who leads the team in sacks. He did the same at Tennessee State last year while also leading the team in tackles for loss. Bowling Green runs a 3-3-5 style of scheme that is similar to UofL, with George being a defensive end with a little more size than a normal edge rusher. Evan Branch-Haynes is one of the few returners on this defense, and he will man the middle of the line, looking to muddy up the blocking assignments to stop the run.
The most impressive player on the team so far, in my opinion, has been Dorian Pringle at middle linebacker. Pringle is a little undersized, but he plays very fast and does a great job playing downhill against the run. You can’t miss him when you watch their games because he is always around the football. With the issues UofL had last weekend with linebackers shooting gaps against the run, Pringle will be the guy I’ll be watching all game to see what impact he will have.
The other inside linebacker for the Falcons is somewhat well-known in college football. Gideon ESPN Lampron plays the Will spot on defense, and he has also had a strong start to the season. Lampron gained some notoriety this offseason with his very real middle name after transferring in from Dayton. He has also been a good player for this defense with 3.5 tackles for loss and 7 tackles per game. Both of these players will be important for the Falcons, as I’m sure they will come in with the same idea that JMU had, which was to be aggressive and try to stop the run.
David Afogho plays the stand-up defensive end position that also doubles as a hybrid linebacker spot. He is another guy who always seems to be around the ball. He’s impressed me with his speed as a pass rusher, but his motor is what really stands out when you watch the Falcons. Louisville’s offensive line issues will need to be cleaned up, with Bowling Green’s most impactful players being the same type of smaller and athletic guys who were effective for JMU.
The Falcons’ secondary is a sum of its parts, but a few guys have stood out to me. MJ Cannon is a nickelback who has played well in the box. He had a very nice tackle for loss last week, where he nearly took the handoff from the quarterback. He splits time there with Justin Eklund, who has a bit more size and fits more of the linebacker aspect of the hybrid position.
Kal-El Pascal could make an argument to be the top player on the team ahead of Pringle with the way he has started the year. Pascal had a diving interception last week to go along with a forced fumble and 7 tackles on the day. This will be the third straight week that the Cards have to account for an active, playmaking safety who can really impact the game. They did not have a plan for Jacob Thomas last week, and he ended up with a sack/fumble and two PBUs, which included a big pass breakup in the endzone.
Motivational Tweets:
Excitement Level: 8.0
By my estimation it’s been 7,632 days since the last time we saw the Louisville Cardinals play a football game. That’s enough to keep the excitement meeter from dipping below an 8 despite this being a nooner against the least exciting opponent remaining on the schedule.
Game Attire: Red Rage Louisville Football tee
Had to make the move to the Louisville Football sweatshirt at halftime of the JMU game (you’re welcome), so we’re going back to our week one attire here.
Pregame Meal: Cereal, Trader Joe’s Protein Bar, Coffee
Huge cereal kick this week. Don’t see it changing on game day morning.
Bold Prediction: Isaac Brown has multiple touchdown runs of 35 yards or longer
We are off to a 2-for-2 start this season. Let’s see how far we can ride this wave.
Jeff Brohm Tick Play Alert Level: Antique Grass (below average)
A step down from last week. If we’re diving into the bag of tricks this week, something has probably gone wrong.
Predicted Star of the Game: Isaac Brown
Ideally, I think, this would be Miller Moss, but I’m sticking with the safe bet. Isaac goes wild on limited carries thanks to a handful of explosive runs.
Notable:
—Louisville is 125-48 all-time in games played at L&N Cardinal Stadium.
—Louisville is 5-0 in September home games under Jeff Brohm and 8-1 in the month under Brohm overall.
—Jeff Brohm is the fourth Louisville coach to start 2-0 in three consecutive seasons, joining Tom King (1925-27), John L. Smith (1999-2001), and Bobby Petrino (2003-06, 2014).
—Louisville is looking to start 3-0 for a third straight season under Brohm.
—Louisville is 12-3 in home games under the direction of Jeff Brohm, including 2-0 this season.
—Louisville hasn’t had a perfect season at home since 2006.
—First-year Bowling Green head coach Eddie George starred at Ohio State as a running back and won the Heisman Trophy 30 years ago (1995). He spent the past four seasons as head coach at Tennessee State, where he was named Big South-OVC Coach of the Year and led the Tigers to the FCS Playoffs in 2024.
—Louisville has scored at least 30 points in 12 of its 15 home games under Jeff Brohm.
—Bowling Green is 4-7 in games against current members of the ACC. While the Falcons own wins over current and former ACC members, a victory Saturday would mark just the second in program history over a team competing in the ACC at the time of the game.
—BGSU’s last game against an active ACC team came in 2023 at Georgia Tech, which also produced the program’s first-ever win over an active ACC member. The Falcons won the game, 38-27, at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.
—Louisville is 29-18 all-time against current members of the Mid-American Conference.
—Louisville’s last game against a MAC opponent was a 42-3 win over Kent State in 2017.
—As a head coach, Jeff Brohm is 3-1 against teams from the MAC.
—In the CFP era, Louisville is 14-3 in games against Group of Five opponents. The Cardinals are 2-0 against G5 teams under Jeff Brohm.
—BGSU is playing in the state of Kentucky for the first time since 2014, when the Falcons opened the season at Western Kentucky. That contest was also the first game of U of L head coach Jeff Brohm’s head coaching career and his debut at WKU. Brohm and the Hilltoppers won the game, 59-31.
—Brohm is 1-0 all-time in games against Bowling Green.
—Bowling Green is 1-5 all-time in games played in the state of Kentucky.
—BGSU ranks tied for No. 3 nationally with 13 first-time starters this season. The Falcons featured nine debut starters in the opener, followed by two more in each of the last two games.
—Louisville’s five-game winning streak is tied for the third-longest streak in the FBS. Memphis, Illinois and Ohio State are currently tied for the longest winning streak at seven games.
—Bowling Green PK Jackson Kleather is one of two FBS players with multiple 50+ yard field goals this season, hitting from 56 and 50 yards. Iowa State’s Kyle Konrardy has connected from 63 and 54.
—Eight of Louisville’s last nine games against non-conference opponents have gone OVER the total points line.
—Bowling Green is one of just nine teams in the FBS and the only team in the MAC that has not committed a turnover this season.
—Louisville is 11-1 in Jeff Brohm’s tenure when his teams rush for over 200 yards in a game. The Cardinals are averaging 183.4 yards per game on the ground during Brohm’s tenure as head coach.
—Bowling Green enters Saturday’s game ranking 114th out of 134 FBS teams in total offense (314 yards per game).
—Louisville’s defense ranks eighth in the nation in yards allowed per game (206.5).
—Bowling Green’s five forced turnovers have them ranked tied for 26th in the FBS in takeaways.
—Louisville is 152-107-6 all-time in games played in the month of September.
—Just one Ohio-bred horse, Wintergreen in 1909, has ever won the Kentucky Derby.
—BGSU defensive backs coach Derrick Jackson was the cornerbacks coach on Jeff Brohm’s first two Purdue staffs (2017-18). UL offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Brohm was also on those two Purdue staffs with Jackson, as was UL running backs coach Chris Barclay.
—Louisville has lost 10 consecutive games when forcing no turnovers and recording no sacks. The most recent of those games came last season against SMU.
—Louisville is 12-0 under head coach Jeff Brohm when it doesn’t commit a turnover.
—Louisville is 13-0 under Brohm when it wins the turnover battle and 8-8 when it doesn’t. The Cardinals won the turnover battle against James Madison (2-1) after losing it (3-0) in the season-opener against Eastern Kentucky.
—Louisville has a 14-game winning streak when committing fewer turnovers than its opponent, last losing 31-16 at Clemson on Nov. 12, 2022.
—Louisville is 24-2 over the past five seasons when shutting out its opponent in the first quarter.
—Louisville has won 37 of its last 41 games when holding teams to less than 300 yards of offense. That record includes both games this season.
—Louisville has won 17 straight games when holding its opponent scoreless in the first half.
—Since 2019, Louisville is 33-4 when winning the turnover battle, and just 7-24 when losing it.
—Louisville is 4-3 all-time in games played on Sept. 20. The Cards’ last game on the date came in 2014 when they defeated Florida International, 34-3.
—Bowling Green is 4-6 all-time in games played on Sept. 20. The Falcons’ last game on the date came in 2014 when they lost to Wisconsin, 68-17.
—Louisville is 207-16 all-time when scoring 35 or more points in a game.
—Louisville is 141-4 all-time when tallying 40 or more points in a game, including an 82-3 mark since 2000. The Cards are 6-123 all-time when allowing opponents to score 40 or more points.
—Louisville is currently riding a consecutive game scoring streak that spans 316 games dating back to a 31-0 loss to Florida State during the 2000 season. The streak ranks as the second longest in the ACC behind only Virginia Tech, and the 10th-longest nationally.
Quotable:
—“They will definitely be prepared and ready to go for us. Just like [James Madison], I’m sure there will be some unexpected things on either side they can do, which bit us in the rear end a little bit this past game. We’re not only preparing for them but preparing for a little bit of the unexpected and making sure we have answers for anything that we can’t see or that comes about, and that’s the goal. Just playing our best football is going to be important for this Saturday.” —Jeff Brohm
—“Everything starts with the running back, Isaac Brown. He’s just a sophomore. He might have a room at the Heisman house one day. That’s the way it looks on tape. But he’s a phenomenal back.” —Bowling Green head coach Eddie George
—”These guys realize that we’ve got talent in the room, and they all want to be out there. They all want to be making plays. I think they push each other and challenge each other on a daily basis. As a coach, that’s what you love. It can’t always come from the coaches. Those guys, they’ve got to be vocal. They’ve got to communicate when they’re on the field. I think they’ve developed a pretty good bond so far.” —Mark Hagen
—“Luckily I’ve never had an opportunity to tackle (Eddie George) because that would not go over well. He was a great player, and I enjoyed watching him play. I don’t know him well, but he’s a class human being who has done a great job. He’s done a great job being a young head coach. He got the Bowling Green job, and they’ve played really good football. They are well coached, they do it the right way, they believe in physical and fundamentally sound football on both sides of the ball. They’re going to run the ball at you, and they’re not going to turn the ball over. They’re going to control the clock, and they’re going to try to pop a few runs and throw the ball over your head. On defense, they are very sound as well. They’re going to try to not give up the big play, and they’re going to cover down to your receivers. They’re going to get lined up and set. All those things show up every week, and that’s why they’re 2-1. They’ve played good football, and I think they have a bright future with him as the head coach. He’s been there and done it, so I think those players believe in him, and he’s done a really good job.” —Jeff Brohm
Card Chronicle Prediction: Louisville 38, Bowling Green 10
