LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville preferred a continuous schedule to develop a rhythm rather than having an unusually early bye that interrupted its roll.
The first of two breaks at least gave the No. 19 Cardinals (2-0) a chance to heal. But coach Jeff Brohm has emphasized retaining everything they excelled at against Austin Peay and Jacksonville State, and he hopes they pick up where they left off against Georgia Tech in Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference opener.
“We have to continue to progress to reach our ultimate goal and you’ve got to be sharp each week," Brohm said. “Getting guys fresh and healthy and rejuvenated was important while we continue to work on certain things and continue to get our young guys some reps.”
The Yellow Jackets (3-1, 1-1 ACC) are looking to go 6-0 against ranked ACC foes under second-year coach Brent Key. Their most recent upset of preseason league favorite and then-No. 10 Florida State on Aug. 24.
Georgia Tech's chance to build on that statement win fell short 31-28 at Syracuse while ranked No. 23 before it regrouped to blow out VMI 59-7 last week. The Yellow Jackets now look to resume contending in a league they helped open up.
“This is championship week, right?," Key said. "Every game moving forward, we talk about having goals in front of you and not behind. And that’s where we’re at. We’re not leaving anything home, I’ll tell you that.”
Louisville is favored by 10 points, according to BetMGM College Sports Odds.
A Louisville offense averaging 55 points per game explains Brohm’s reasoning for playing on to keep its edge. Granted, the Cardinals blew out Austin Peay and Jacksonville State but both teams won at least nine games last season. The Cardinals lead the ACC and are ranked third in FBS scoring per game. Georgia Tech has the league’s fourth-best unit (36.5) and has run 246 plays as one of two teams to have played four contests this season.
Georgia Tech junior quarterback Haynes King enters the game tied for fifth nationally with a 76.4% completion rate (81 of 106) and ranks 20th with 169.44 efficiency. He has thrown for 962 yards. Louisville’s Tyler Shough is eighth in efficiency (188.78) and tied for 29th with 68.4% accuracy after just two games as the starter. They are tied for 26th with six touchdowns each with Shough averaging a half-yard more per game on offense (280.5) than King, who tossed three TD passes last week in just one half.
Louisville’s pass rush ranks second nationally with 4.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss per game but faces a Tech squad that is among eight FBS program that hasn't allowed any. The Cardinals have yielded just two so far while the Yellow Jackets average 1.25 per game.
Tech running back Jamal Haynes leads the ACC with four rushing touchdowns and is seventh with 213 yards. The junior started strong against FSU with a career-high two scores and 75 yards on just 11 carries. Haynes has scored in 10 of 17 contests since start of last season. His 46 attempts rank fifth in the league, his 4.63 yards per carry ninth.
The three previous matchups in this series all fell on Fridays. Tech won the first two before Louisville won 39-34 in last year’s opener in Atlanta that marked coaching debuts for Key and Brohm at their alma maters. The Yellow Jackets led 28-13 at halftime before the Cardinals outscored them 26-6 after halftime for a 39-34 victory.
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