Louisville brings fast defense to No. 2 Miami for prime-time ACC showdown

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville has a long history of high-powered offense. Coach Jeff Brohm has a much more balanced group of Cardinals these days.

Sure, the Cardinals still can light up the scoreboard in Brohm's third season at his alma mater. While Louisville averages 36 points per game this season, it’s the Cardinals' defense that has led the way and helped pull out victories when the offense has struggled.

The Cardinals' defense is holding opponents to just 262 yards per game. That's stingiest in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 12th nationally, just ahead of No. 2 Miami, which ranks second in the league and 16th in the country giving up 276.4 yards a game.

Both defenses will be on display Friday night when Louisville (4-1, 1-1 ) visits the Hurricanes (5-0, 1-0).

“They have done just an excellent job forcing negative plays, disrupting the schedule of the offense,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said about Louisville's defense. “They just play really hard, really fast. They communicate really well.”

Although Louisville has played some Football Championship Subdivision and lower-tier Football Bowl Subdivision programs, the Cardinals' defense has shown its ability against two of the conference’s better offenses.

In an overtime loss to Virginia on Oct. 4, Louisville held the Cavaliers to 237 yards — more than 300 fewer than what it was averaging coming into the game. At Pittsburgh, Louisville forced five turnovers with three second-half interceptions as the Cardinals shut out the Panthers after halftime to rally to a 34-27 win after trailing by 17.

A big key to transforming a defense ranked 64th last season giving up 368.7 yards a game into one of the nation’s best this season has been senior linebacker TJ Quinn. He's one of the four returning starters from last season.

Quinn ranks second on the team with 31 tackles and is tied for the lead with two interceptions. Off the field, Quinn likes to watch the “Fast & Furious” movies, words that can also be used to describe Louisville’s defense.

Both of Quinn's picks came against Pittsburgh, earning him ACC Linebacker of the Week honors for a second time this season. Quinn’s value goes beyond just his production.

A fifth-year player who has started all 32 games under Brohm, Quinn came into 2025 as the leading tackler the past two seasons. He also serves as “the quarterback on defense,” according to Brohm, who said Quinn has handled the role well.

“When we know exactly what to do, when we’re all on the same page … I think he’s the one who controls that and has to be the vocal leader,” Brohm added.

That leadership also has extended to integrating players from the transfer portal, a key resource for Brohm's roster building.

Kalib Perry, a senior linebacker who transferred to the Cardinals after three seasons at Tennessee, said Quinn’s vocal leadership has been crucial.

“I know that’s been an area for him, to be able to communicate with the defense," Perry said. "Not just on the field, but off the field, whatever we’re trying to accomplish. He’s been a huge part, not only in the linebacker room, but just the heart of our defense as well.”

Even with the loss to Virginia, Louisville continues working to reach the ACC championship game in Charlotte in December. If that happens, credit likely will go to the Cardinals' defense.

Quinn believes their best performance has yet to come.

“Me personally, I just want this team to continue to get better every week,” he said. “Hopefully by the end of the season, we’ve played our best ball.”

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