Here is a scouting report on Louisville (6-4 overall, 3-4 ACC), who hosts NC State (7-3 overall, 3-3 ACC) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday on ACC Network.
Five Louisville players to watch
Senior outside linebacker Yasir Abdullah
Abdullah is second on the team with 46 tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions. The 6-1, 240-pounder from Miramar (Fla.) Carol City was second-team All-ACC last year with 61 tackles, 10 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss. Abdullah has 192 career tackles, 37.5 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles.
Junior quarterback Brock Domann
The Colorado Springs, Colo., native filled in for injured quarterback Malik Cunningham in the second half of the 31-16 loss at Clemson last Saturday. The 6-2, 227-pounder attended three junior colleges, plus attended Campbell for a spell before arriving at Louisville. He’s a touch passer and not overly mobile. Domann has gone 40-of-77 passing for 584 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. He has added 18 carries for 56 yards and a score.
Junior running back Tiyon Evans
Evans is originally from Hartsville, S.C., and he attended Hutchinson (Kan.) C.C., and transferred to Tennessee. The 5-11, 213-pounder rushed 81 times for 525 yards and six touchdowns for the Volunteers in seven games in 2021. He has missed some time for Louisville, but has 81 carries for 523 yards and six touchdowns in seven games this season, mirroring his UT numbers. Evans topped 100 yards in three games for the Volunteers, and has done it twice for the Cardinals. He had 11 carries for 106 yards and a score in the 48-21 win over Wake Forest on Oct. 29.
Senior wide receiver Tyler Hudson
The lanky 6-2, 195-pounder transferred in after three years at Central Arkansas. He dominated last year with 62 receptions for 1,229 yards and eight touchdowns, and has adjusted smoothly to the Cardinals. He has 57 receptions for 866 yards and a score this season. The Spring, Texas, native has topped 100 yards in four games and had 11 grabs for 163 yards at Clemson last week.
Senior middle linebacker Momo Sanogo
The physical 6-1, 233-pounder leads the Cardinals with 74 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Sanogo was a monster against Clemson last Saturday, with 14 tackles, 2.0 tackles for loss, one sack and one fumble recovery. The Plano (Texas) West High product played his first five years at Mississippi, and he has accumulated 283 career tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. He had 112 tackles for the Rebels in 2018.
What to watch for from Louisville
1. The Cardinals might not have the biggest defensive line, but they help set the tone and create ways for the linebackers to do what they do best.
The front seven has been rolling of late, and then toss in some timely blitzes from defensive backs. It reached a crescendo against Wake Forest on Oct. 29. The Cardinals created eight turnovers, including four turnovers, and had eight sacks in a 48-21 win over the Demon Deacons.
James Madison managed just 10 points the next week Nov. 5, in a 34-10 loss. The Dukes didn’t score after halftime.
Clemson’s running game got revved up last Saturday — the Tigers rushed 45 times for 280 yards and three touchdowns — in the 31-16 win. Louisville finished with two sacks, four forced fumbles and eight tackles for loss in a physical game at Clemson. Clemson went 4 of 13 on third-down conversions.
2. The Louisville offense will change if quarterback Malik Cunningham does indeed miss the game.
Cunningham entered the Clemson game with an injured hand, and then he went to brace himself on a tackle on the last play of the first half against Clemson, and he reportedly suffered a shoulder injury.
Cunningham has passed for 1,552 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions, and has rushed 109 times for a team-high 561 yards and 11 scores.
Backup quarterback Brock Domann isn’t a mobile quarterback. He’s passed for 584 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions, and rushed for 56 yards and a score. The 6-2, 228-pounder has played extensively against Clemson and the 34-17 win at Virginia on Oct. 8, so there is film of him to study.
Louisville managed 10 points in the second half against Clemson, with Dorman hitting wide receiver Braden Smith on a 31-yard touchdown as time expired. To his credit, had thrown a beautiful pass to Smith two plays earlier with 45 seconds left, but Smith dropped it in the end zone.
3. Louisville started with four good running backs, but were down to two Saturday, with freshman Maurice Turner getting increased duty.
Knightdale (N.C.) High product Trevion Cooley has missed the last two games for Louisville. He’s the older brother of NC State senior nickel commit Tamarcus Cooley of Rolesville (N.C.) High. Cooley has rushed 59 times for 278 yards and two touchdowns this season. Sophomore Jalen Mitchell also missed the Clemson contest.
That left junior Tiyon Evans and redshirt sophomore Jawhar Jordan running the ball. The focus will increase on them if Cunningham can’t play quarterback. Evans is a slasher with good speed and has proven himself at both Tennessee and Louisville.
The 5-10, 174-pound Jordan is smaller than most backs, but has legit big-play speed. He has 95 carries for 450 yards and a touchdown, and has a long run of 44 yards. Evans and Jordan have a combined 13 catches.
Three keys to the game for NC State football
1. Quarterback MJ Morris will need to make smart decisions. Louisville is going to be aggressive in blitzing Morris.
It worked beautifully against Wake Forest veteran quarterback Sam Hartman, and it’s going to come Saturday. Linebackers Momo Sanogo and Yasir Abdullah are as aggressive as they come in the ACC.
Senior defensive end YaYa Diaby has 31 tackles and 6.5 sacks this season, and sophomore defensive end Ashton Gillette has four sacks. It isn’t a group of 300-plus defensive linemen, with everyone on the defensive depth chart under 284 pounds, except for starting nose tackle Desmond Tell, who is 296 pounds.
Morris committed four turnovers against Boston College on Saturday, but one was on the last play of the game. For the first time in his limited experiences, he got rattled against the Eagles in the second half. The Wolfpack only had 11 passing yards after halftime.
2. NC State’s defense will gear up for the run: Odds are good that reserve quarterback Brock Domann can’t beat the Wolfpack on his own.
Domann will need a lot of help from running backs Tiyon Evans and Jawhar Jordan and keep a close eye on wide receiver Tyler Hudson. Boston College couldn’t run the football at all against NC State, and that has been a season-long trend. The Wolfpack’s front six is aggressive and moves fast to the ball.
BC did hurt NC State through the air at times, but Domann doesn’t seem to have the feel that Eagles redshirt quarterback Emmett Morehead had.
The key with Evans and Jordan is not let them use their good speed in the open field. Evans’ longest run is 71 yards this season, and NC State hasn’t played man fast running backs this season.
3. How will NC State’s offensive line bounce back? The Wolfpack had to rework the offensive line after senior center Grant Gibson got rolled up from behind in the second quarter.
NC State took right guard Dylan McMahon and slid him over to center, and then inserted redshirt freshman right guard Anthony Carter for extended playing for the first time this season. In past games, redshirt junior Derrick Eason would come in at right guard.
NC State only had 61 yards on 34 plays in the second half and what could go wrong, seemingly went wrong on offense. The Wolfpack offensive will see an array of blitzes, and will need help from running backs and tight ends, with the Cardinals trying to create mismatches.
Three numbers of note
7 Ranking nationally for Louisville defense in the red zone this season. UL has allowed 25 of 36 touchdowns in the red zone for 69.4 percent.
27 Turnovers this season for Louisville’s defense, which leads the FBS. The Cardinals have 14 interceptions and 13 recovered fumbles.
50 Career starts for sixth-year left guard Caleb Chandler, making him one of four Louisville to achieve the feat. He ties the school record against NC State. The 6-4, 297-pound Chandler was All-ACC last year.
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