No. 22 Louisville aims to follow up dominant opener with similar effort against Jacksonville State
Louisville's Quincy Riley (3) runs with an interception as Cam'Ron Kelly (11) directs the return with North Carolina State's Bradley Rozner (80) defending during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Raleigh, N.C., Friday, Sept. 29, 2023. Credit: AP/Karl B DeBlaker
Jacksonville State (0-1) at No. 22 Louisville (1-0), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ACCNX)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Louisville by 30 1/2.
Series record: First meeting.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Newly-ranked Louisville seeks another dominant performance after drubbing FCS Austin Peay 62-0 in its opener. Jacksonville State looks to bounce back from a 55-27 loss to Coastal Carolina on Aug. 29 and beat its first ACC foe since upsetting Florida State in 2021.
KEY MATCHUP
Texas Tech transfer Tyler Shough debuted at quarterback for Louisville and completed 18 of 24 passes for 232 yards and four touchdowns in the first half against Austin Peay. Backups Harrison Bailey and Pierce Clarkson combined to complete 9 of 10 for 46 yards and all three teamed up to hit 15 receivers with at least one pass. Jacksonville State allowed Coastal Carolina to throw for 258 yards and three scores last week, including TD passes of 36 and 37 yards. The Gamecocks also failed to record a sack, adding to their challenge of slowing a Cardinals offense with depth at receiver and a seasoned QB.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Jacksonville State defensive end J-Rock Swain has 140 career tackles in 45 games over five seasons. That includes three stops last week against Coastal Carolina. He has 72 solo tackles and 68 assists and last season earned honorable mention on the All-Conference USA team. Swain also earned selections on Atlantic Sun and Ohio Valley all-conference teams.
Louisville running back Isaac Brown rushed for a 77-yard TD and 123 overall on five carries, the best freshman debut in school history. He’s also the first Cardinals true freshman to rush for a score since Keyjuan Brown against Murray State early last season. The Cardinals rushed for 293 yards against the Governors — 204 after halftime — and averaged 10.5 yards per carry.
FACTS & FIGURES
Jax State coach Rich Rodriguez was 2-1 against Louisville while coaching West Virginia. … Junior defensive back Pat Taylor, a Georgia transfer, debuted with 12 tackles against CCU. … Safety Zechariah Poyser recovered a fumble and intercepted a pass last week. … Louisville’s 571 yards of offense against APSU was its fifth highest for an opener. … DB Devin Neal and LB Dan Foster Jr. each blocked punts, the first time Louisville has done so since 2004 against Cincinnati.
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