Boston College football will play its fourth conference game of the season on October 25, when the Eagles play host to the Louisville Cardinals. Last season, Louisville trounced BC 56-28 in a game where the Cardinals put up 528 yards of total offense and quarterback Jack Plummer threw for five touchdowns.
When: Friday, October 25, 2024 (Time – TBD)
Where: Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, MA
Overview
Louisville is entering year two under head coach Jeff Brohm. The team went 10-4 in 2023 and finished the year with a 42-28 loss to USC in the Holiday Bowl. The Cardinals were one of the surprise teams of 2023, climbing as high as No. 9 in the AP Poll and No. 10 in the CFP Rankings. They beat No. 10 Notre Dame in early October and gave Florida State a run for its money in the ACC Championship Game. The Cardinals won’t sneak up on anybody this year, but they will be tasked with replacing a lot of producing from last year’s team.
Louisville Offense
After getting a great season from Jack Plummer, Louisville will turn to Texas Tech transfer Tyler Shough as its next signal-caller. In four games in 2023, Shough threw for 746 yards, seven touchdowns, and four interceptions. He’s a very experienced player — he will be a sixth-year senior in 2024 — but he’s never been consistently good or healthy throughout an entire season, so the Cardinals may find themselves in a bind quickly if he doesn’t pan out.
Chris Bell will likely be the Cardinals’ leading receiver, with Ja’Corey Brooks and Caullin Lacy providing a speed boost on the outside. Brohm also brought in three transfer tight ends to pair with returning tight ends, Nate Kurisky and Jamari Johnson. With running back Jahwar Johnson gone to the NFL, Louisville will also be trotting out a new back in Miami transfer Donald Chaney.
Louisville Defense
Louisville had one of the better defenses in the ACC a season ago, giving up just over 21 points per game and they brought in a ton of transfers on the defensive side of the ball to replace the talent they lost. Corey Thornton (UCF), Tahveon Nicholson (Illinois), and Talon Holloway (North Carolina) will all look to help Quincy Riley fill out the defensive back room and replace NFL draftee Jarvis Brownlee.
Linebacker TJ Quinn led the team in tackles last year and will return for his junior season. Ashton Gillotte is probably this team’s most important defender: he led the conference with 11 sacks last year and also finished sixth with 14.5 tackles for loss. Brohm also brought in Harvard transfer Thor Griffith, who had 3.5 sacks for the Crimson in 2024.