Louisville football falls to underdog Cal in disappointing fashion

Was it the yearly Jeff Brohm blunder? Or was it a sign of things to come? Reacting to #14 Louisville football losing to California at home.

Written by

Matt Osbourn

Louisville football was supposed to take care of California football. Everything was there for Louisville to pick up its 8th victory, move closer to the top of the ACC and prepare to continue moving towards a ACC title appearance. Hell, even Virginia lost.

That’s why football isn’t played on paper.

Instead, California – led by star freshman QB and future 1st Round NFL Draft Pick Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele – dominated Louisville’s defense and challenged them in a way that hadn’t been done all year. Coming into the game, Louisville’s passing defense was giving up 170 passing yards per game (slightly higher in ACC play at 200 per game), something that Ron English and co. hung their hats on.

With a lot (just short of “everything”) on the line, Louisville fell short. Here’s how it went down.

The early scare

During the pregame, high praise was being doled out to English’s defense, and with good reason. In a season that was supposed to be defined by high octane offense, Jeff Brohm’s Cardinals have fought to a 7-1 record, often in spite of themselves, and somewhat sloppy football. Unfortunately, nobody told Cal that the Cards were among the top defenses in the ACC, because the Bears came out with uncharacteristic aggression and an effective hurry-up offense that kept English’s defense on its heels. Louisville managed to hold California to a field goal attempt on the opening drive, which they thankfully missed, but the Bears still threatened right out of the gate.

Starting strong

The Cards responded with a solid possession, defined by several strong runs from backup Keyjuan Brown and a stellar step-up 40 yard pass to Caullin Lacy from Miller Moss. A goal line touchdown from returning backfield boss Duke Watson gave the Cards a 7-0 lead with 5:11 to play in the first quarter.

The teams subsequently traded punts, but there was a notable uptick in defensive pressure from California. The Bears complimented this intensity with explosive pass plays from freshmen quarterback Sagapolutele, who followed a 35 yard completion with a beautiful throw to his receiver’s back shoulder for a touchdown, tying the game at 7.

Make it Ranvier

The Cards started their next offensive possession with two completions to Chris Bell and a sneak for a first down. Moss then caught his own deflected pass and ran it for 19 yards, afterwards hitting Colins for a 21 yard completion. Though the Cards appeared to again be threatening to score, Moss had another pass deflected and had to settle for a Cooper Ranvier field goal: 10-7 Cards.

Speaking of Ranvier, lets stop here for a minute and appreciate Louisville’s kicker.

There’s been a lot of talented dudes who have walked through the doors on Floyd Street, but none have the swag and confidence level seen by Ranvier. And it’s not uncalled for. Ranvier has been automatic this year for Louisville, something that hasn’t been the case at Kicker for the Cards for some time. Ranvier was 4/4, providing 14 total points to the Cards total in a high scoring game against Cal. On the year, Ranvier is 15/17 on field goals and 30/30 on extra points. He’s hit crucial field goals numerous times, nailing kicks from 40+ and 50+ on multiple occassions.

Length of Field Goals	Totals
20-29 yards	4-4
30-39 yards	4-4
40-49 yards	6-7
50-59 yards	1-2

When Miller Moss and the offense struggled and sputtered out over mid-field, they didn’t have to worry. That’s been a recurring theme this season with Ranvier and Nick Kellar, and they both deserve a ton of praise.

Young gunner, Diaper dandy

19 year old QB Sagapolutele again gave the Louisville secondary all kinds of problems through the air. The following drive had three plays for over 20 yards, including a 30 yard pass to Peter De Jesus (editors note: great disciple joke), who gave the Cards a shocking amount of issues in the secondary for and undersized receiver. The Louisville defense managed to hold the Bears to a fourth down field goal from first and goal, but yards were just coming to California entirely too easily outside of the red zone.

Louisville managed to respond with a field goal of their own, following a 30 yard run from Keyjuan Brown, when Ranvier connected from 49 yards. With less than three minutes in the half, however, the Cards failed to stop the Bears again, allowing California to complete a nearly 80 yard drive for a touchdown before halftime.

California just played better on both sides of the ball in the first half. Their surprising hurry up offense and aggressive pass attack put more points on the board, and Cardinal quarterback Miller Moss seemed to be flirting dangerously with a turnover on the offense’s last two drives. The Bears went to the locker room with a 13-17 lead at halftime.

The Cards would give up another three points out of halftime before their offense responded. Taking advantage of two huge penalties against the Bears, Louisville was able to put together a 75 yard drive completed by a Moss sneak into the end zone, tying the game at 20 following the extra point.

The Bears looked unstoppable again on the following possession. In fact, had it not been for three false starts committed by Cal, they likely would have found the end zone. Again, key penalties in red zone situations held the Bears offense to three points.

The Cards got the ball back, with Moss connecting to his tight end for a huge gain. Following a Duke Watson first down rush, the Cards were threatening in the red zone. A controversial incomplete pass call forced the Cards to kick another field goal, tying the game again at 23.

All defense

For the remainder of the second half, neither team could move the ball. Louisville was given a golden opportunity, needing only ten yards to get into field goal range with less than 30 seconds to play, but were, again, unable to move the ball. It really felt like the game clock and time outs could have been managed more efficiently at the end of the fourth quarter, and the Cards truly squandered the chance to steal a win at the end of regulation.

Please, not overtime

California deferred after winning the toss. Moss and the Cardinals, again, were completely unable to move the ball. Ranvier came in and knocked down a 49 yard field goal, giving Louisville the lead. The Cards were able to get the Bears’ offense to fourth and goal, when they elected to go for it. Cal used the formula that had worked for them all night: Sagapolutele connecting with De Jesus, for a walk off touchdown, handing the Cards their second loss, and second home loss, of the season.

Looking back and forward

Overall, the game was highly competitive. Cal’s quarterback is obviously extremely talented, and has exceptional poise for his age. That being said, Louisville had multiple opportunities to win the game. With the kind of range that Ranvier’s boot has, it’s really unsettling that the Cards were unable to get the minimal yardage they needed to get within field goal range at the end of regulation. The story of the team this year has largely been overcoming turnovers and penalties to win in spite of themselves. Against California, they were not plagued by the degree of sloppiness that has frustrated fans in other contests. I truly thought that, if they managed to take care of the ball, Louisville should have won. Offensive stagnation, and the consistent surrender of big pass plays on defense, lost the game for Louisville on Saturday. To make matters even worse, Virginia likewise lost: a victory against the Bears would have done wonders for the Cards’ conference championship and playoff hopes.

I wish I could blame the absence of star running back Isaac Brown for the inability to be offensively dynamic, but Keyjuan Brown and Duke Watson both had great games. For most of the season, Brohm has found a way to win. On Saturday, unfortunately, it seemed like Louisville found a way to lose.