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LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Returning home to L&N Stadium for a massive showdown against Miami, an upset over the ACC top-ranked Miami was not in the cards for the Louisville football program as it got off on the wrong end of a 52-45 shootout on Saturday .

The Cardinals (4-3, 2-2 ACC) have now lost three of their last four games after winning their first three games to start the 2024 season. In contrast, the No. 6 Hurricanes (7-0, 3-0 ACC) continue their undefeated start to the season and remain in the driver’s seat to reach the ACC Championship Game.

Miami’s prolific offense had little trouble early on, scoring on its first three drives of the game. They broke the seal with a 55-yard field goal by Andres Borregales and then added two long touchdowns: a 27-yarder to Jacolby George and the other 49-yarder to Sam Brown Jr.

Louisville wasn’t as explosive early in the game, but was able to score touchdowns on two of their first four drives. The Cardinals responded to Borregales’ kick with a 43-yard rushing touchdown from Brown, and after scoring back-to-back points, the Canes regained possession thanks to their own touchdown: this time a three-yard play from Redman.

A crucial turning point came after Miami was forced to punt for the first time and Louisville was forced back to its own three-yard line with a holding penalty after the kick. On the first play of the drive, Brown fumbled the ball, and Miami recovered in the end zone to take a 24-14 lead with just over five minutes left before halftime.

Louisville then missed a 55-yard field goal on their next possession, but their defense turned around and forced a quick three-pointer from the Hurricanes to give the offense one last shot at the points. With 57 seconds left, the Cardinals managed to reach the five-yard line and hit a chip shot of a 22-yard field goal, leaving them down just 24-17 at halftime.

Miami opened the second half with a methodical 14-play, eight-minute drive that ended with a nine-yard receiver by Xavier Restrepo. It was a methodical push that seemingly drained the energy from the stadium, but Louisville wasn’t dead yet.

On the ensuing kickoff, Lacy made it all the way home with a 100-yard return for a touchdown. On the very first play of Miami’s next drive, the Cardinals forced a Canes fumble that placed them just outside the red zone. Brooks needed just three plays to tie the game with a 21-yard scoring reception.

At this point, the game turned into a full-blown shootout, with Brooks’ score being the first of four consecutive combined touchdown drives.

Miami’s Horton hit the ball from two yards out on a drive that was helped greatly by a 63-yard catch from Restrepo, then Duke Watson capped a methodical drive with a four-yard scoring catch. The Canes then jumped back into the lead with another two-yard score – this time from Ajay Allen on a drive set up by a 59-yard catch-and-run from Brown.

The next punt didn’t come until just over 10 minutes left in the game, when Louisville came from a touchdown behind to come away with the win. After a critical replay that overturned a game-winning strip-sack scoop-and-score, Miami took advantage and capped the drive with a cracking 30-yard touchdown run from Martinez to pull ahead with just over four minutes left to improve two points.

Despite the steep climb they had to climb in the final minutes, Louisville didn’t give up. They actually managed to find the end zone one last time when Brooks scored a four-yard touchdown with 54 seconds left. However, the Cardinals were unable to recover the following onside kick, allowing the Hurricanes to be eliminated as time expired.

Next up for Louisville is a quick turnaround, heading back to a matchup at Boston College. Kickoff against the Eagles is scheduled for Friday, October 25th at 7:30 p.m. EST.

(Photo by Isaac Brown: Jamie Rhodes – Imagn Images)

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