The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
Defense delivers for U of L in win at NC State
After Louisville’s win over Boston College, defensive lineman Stephen Herron said the Cardinals’ defense fed off the offense.
Six days later, it was the defense that provided momentum and energy to keep the team’s perfect season going. Louisville’s defense forced three turnovers and totaled a season-high eight tackles for loss in a 13-10 victory over N.C. State on Friday night at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. The win kept the Cardinals, who led for only the final five minutes of the game, perfect at 5-0 and gave the program its first 3-0 ACC start.
“When you play good football teams, you’re not going to win every rep,” Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said. “You just have to win more than they do.”
With 1:44 left, the Wolfpack had the final possession, and cornerback Quincy Riley picked off quarterback Brennan Armstrong.
“We say it every week: they don’t score, we win the game,” U of L safety Cam Kelly said. “If they don’t score, they can’t win, and that’s what it came down to. It came down to critical moments.”
N.C. State jumped to a 10-0 lead in the first half despite totaling fewer than 100 yards of offense. The Wolfpack got the ball to start the third quarter, and Armstrong threw a 45-yard pass to receiver Terrell Timmons to get the team in the red zone for the second time. Kelly shut down the scoring opportunity with an interception in the end zone. Kelly was key for the squad, totaling six tackles in addition to a thunderous hit on Armstrong for a forced fumble. Linebacker TJ Quinn led U of L with a career-high 11 tackles. Defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte, who notched a second-best six tackles, and Ramon Puryear had a sack apiece.
Much like Louisville’s defense disrupted N.C. State’s offense, the Wolfpack created havoc for the Cardinals’ offense, holding the team to a season-low 21 rushing yards. Quarterback Jack Plummer was intercepted twice, both of which came at pivotal moments. But even in those moments, he said the team was still uplifting.
“We’ve got a great team, a great group of guys. They, the whole entire game, were being positive with me,” Plummer said. “It was good to have those guys back me and, they all came up to me like hey, we’ve got your back. You’re our guy, so that’s a cool thing.”
One quarter after Brock Travelstead tied the game at 10 on a 33-yard field goal, he gave the Cardinals a 13-10 lead on a career-long 53-yard field goal with 5:32 left. From there, N.C. State was forced to punt on the next three drives as the Cardinals recorded a second-half shutout.
Penalties were a problem for both teams but were costly for Louisville early. On fourth-and-2, Louisville tried a trick play that would’ve resulted in a first down except for a holding penalty. U of L’s defense was on its way to a third consecutive three-and-out to start the game, but a hands-to-the-face penalty allowed the Wolfpack to earn its initial first down.
A running-into-the-kicker penalty worked in Louisville’s favor late, however, keeping the Cardinals’ drive alive with 2:44 to go.
It only gets tougher from here as Louisville returns home to play No. 13 Notre Dame in a sold-out contest at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 at L&N Stadium.
“It’s a huge opportunity,” Kelly said of the upcoming game. “You gotta seize the moment. I’m really excited and I know these boys are really excited. (Notre Dame) got all our attention.”