Cardinals Tested by Yellow Jackets, Seize Win Late

© Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

The 19th-ranked Louisville Cardinals (3-0, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) hosted the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-2, 1-2 ACC) in a clash of potential contenders for the ACC title. The result was a hard-fought 31-19 win by the Cardinals for their first conference win of the season.

What Happened in the Game

In a back-and-forth contest, the Yellow Jackets opened the scoring with a 32-yard run by quarterback Haynes King. Louisville and quarterback Tyler Shough responded by scoring 17 straight points to take a commanding 17-7 lead. After a 10-play, 75-yard drive at the end of the second half, the Yellow Jackets had cut the lead to 17-14. After the third quarter, the game had become 24-17 when the Yellow Jackets added a field goal and the Cardinals responded with a touchdown.

The fourth quarter brought intrigue for the fans in attendance. After holding the Cardinals to a punt, the Yellow Jackets marched down the field where the Cardinals made a great goal-line stand to get the ball back at their 1-yard line. After a safety for the Yellow Jackets, the ensuing drive ended with Yellow Jackets kicker, Aidan Burr having a 50-yard field goal attempt blocked and returned for a touchdown by the Cardinals to make the score 31-19.

Turning Point

After the Yellow Jackets tied the score at 17, the teams traded punts. The final drive of the third quarter saw the Cardinals and Shough drive the field and score with a 57-yard bomb from to receiver Ja'Corey Brooks.

What It Means for the Cardinals

While Shough and the Cardinals entered the contest 2-0, they had yet to truly be tested. With a strong win against a strong conference opponent in the Yellow Jackets, the hype seems justified as the 2023 runner-ups to the ACC title look to return to the championship game. They are a strong team with playmakers on both sides of the ball.

"We expected this to be a tough game," Shough said about the Yellow Jackets.

The rest of the ACC should take note and expect a tough game for a full 60 minutes against the Cardinals. The Cardinals next travel to South Bend, Ind., for a clash against the No. 17 Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (2-1) on Sept. 28.

© Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

What's Next for the Yellow Jackets?

Dropping their second game in the conference is a tough loss, especially in a game that went back and forth for a large portion of the game. The Yellow Jackets played well and showed several areas they could build on. The path to a potential conference championship is murky at best and out of their hands. The team is still a tough out for their opponents and will be playing the role of spoiler for several teams for the remainder of the season. After a bye on Sept. 28, the Yellow Jackets host a strong team in the Duke Blue Devils (4-0) on Oct. 5.