Florida State is fresh off a big win over the Virginia Cavaliers in the first game of a challenging ACC schedule. On Friday night, FSU will hit the road to play the Louisville Cardinals, who have lost two consecutive games to fall to 2-3, and they're also 1-2 in ACC play.
This is the first of two straight road games in the conference for the Seminoles, with the Miami Hurricanes up next. So, they need to bring the momentum they generated by winning their last two games into this battle with Louisville in order to keep pace in the hunt for the ACC title.
It won't be an easy game for Florida State to win. With that said, here are five things to know about Louisville.
Louisville's defense isn't that good
Louisville is ranked 125th in total defense so far in 2026. They're 109th in scoring
defense, and their passing defense is 130th in the country and 16th out of 17 teams in the ACC. With the weapons that FSU has offensively, they should be able to put up a significant amount of points.
Louisville's offense is explosive
Contrary to their defense, Louisville has an offense that can move the ball and put points on the board. They rank 18th nationally at 38.6 points per game thanks to 37 plays of over 20 of more yards, which is tied for the most in the country. Their 486 yards per game ranks 18th, and they average 198.6 yards a game rushing. Tony White’s defense will have their hands full.
They protect the football on offense
Not turning the ball over is essential for any offense. That's one thing that Louisville has done well this season with just four turnovers in five games. This is why it will be critical for Florida State's defense to get stops and not allow long drives because turnovers will be hard to come by.
Their third-down defense is good
For as bad as they are overall defensively, Louisville is actually good on third down. They've only allowed 26 conversions on 72 third-down plays. It will behoove FSU's offense to keep their third downs manageable in this game, and they also need to find a way to get first downs as early as possible.
They have multiple running backs that can be effective
Keyjuan Brown is Louisville's top runner with 367 yards, and he's done so on just 38 carries (9.7 yards per carry). Issac Brown is right behind him with 322 yards at 5.6 yards per rush. It will be very important for Florida State to stop the run and force third-and-long.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Five things about Louisville Cardinals before matchup with FSU
