# 2023 Louisville Cardinals football team

The 2023 Louisville Cardinals football team represented University of Louisville as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cardinals were led by first-year head coach Jeff Brohm and played home games at the L&N Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. The Louisville Cardinals football team drew an average home attendance of 51,252 in 2023.
This was the first season of the ACC without divisions. In this system, the two teams with the highest conference winning percentage are chosen to play in the ACC Championship Game.
The Cardinals began the season 6–0. This streak was capped off by a win at home in front of a record crowd over top 10 Notre Dame.
With a win over Miami on the road, Louisville clinched a spot in the 2024 ACC Championship Game. In its first appearance in program history, Louisville lost to Florida State 16–6.
The Cards ended the season in the 2023 Holiday Bowl against the USC Trojans, where they lost 28–42. Louisville finished the season with three straight loses to end the season with a 10–4 record.

## Offseason
### Players leaving for NFL

Louisville had three players chosen in the 2023 NFL draft. Three other players were signed as undrafted free agents.

#### NFL draftees

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club |
| 3 | 82 | YaYa Diaby | DE | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 5 | 136 | Yasir Abdullah | LB | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 6 | 180 | Kei'Trel Clark | CB | Arizona Cardinals |

#### Undrafted free agents

| Player | Position | NFL club |
| Malik Cunningham | QB | New England Patriots |
| Trevor Reid | OT | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Eric Miller | RB | Los Angeles Rams |

## Schedule

Louisville and the ACC announced the 2023 football schedule on January 30, 2023. The 2023 season will be the conference's first season since 2004 without division scheduling. The new format sets Louisville with three set conference opponents, while playing the remaining ten teams twice (home and away) in a four–year cycle. The Cardinals three set conference opponents for the next four years are Georgia Tech, Miami (FL), and Virginia.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 7:30 p.m. | vs. Georgia Tech | | Mercedes-Benz StadiumAtlanta, GA (Aflac Kickoff) | ESPN | W 39–34 | 36,101 |
| September 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Murray State* | | L&N StadiumLouisville, KY | ACCN | W 56–0 | 45,273 |
| September 16 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Indiana* | | Lucas Oil StadiumIndianapolis, IN | BTN | W 21–14 | 37,250 |
| September 23 | 3:30 p.m. | Boston College | | L&N StadiumLouisville, KY | ACCN | W 56–28 | 48,294 |
| September 29 | 7:00 p.m. | at NC State | | Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC | ESPN | W 13–10 | 56,919 |
| October 7 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 10 Notre Dame* | No. 25 | L&N StadiumLouisville, KY | ABC | W 33–20 | 59,081 |
| October 14 | 6:30 p.m. | at Pittsburgh | No. 14 | Acrisure StadiumPittsburgh, PA | The CW | L 21–38 | 46,296 |
| October 28 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 20 Duke | No. 18 | L&N StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPN | W 23–0 | 52,319 |
| November 4 | 3:30 p.m. | Virginia Tech | No. 13 | L&N StadiumLouisville, KY | ACCN | W 34–3 | 49,945 |
| November 9 | 7:30 p.m. | Virginia | No. 11 | L&N StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPN | W 31–24 | 44,628 |
| November 18 | 12:00 p.m. | at Miami (FL) | No. 10 | Hard Rock StadiumMiami Gardens, FL (rivalry) | ABC | W 38–31 | 44,996 |
| November 25 | 12:00 p.m. | Kentucky* | No. 10 | L&N StadiumLouisville, KY (rivalry) | ABC | L 31–38 | 59,225 |
| December 2 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. No. 4 Florida State | No. 14 | Bank of America StadiumCharlotte, NC (ACC Championship Game) | ABC | L 6–16 | 62,314 |
| December 27 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. USC* | No. 15 | Petco ParkSan Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl) | FOX | L 28–42 | 35,317 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 31) – Released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### at Georgia Tech

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LOU −7.0 | 49.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Louisville | 6 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 39 |
| Georgia Tech | 0 | 28 | 0 | 6 | 34 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome • Atlanta, Georgia
* Date: September 1
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Indoors
* Game attendance: 36,101
* Referee: Riley Johnson
* TV announcers (ESPN): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
| Statistics | LOU | GT |
| First downs | 21 | 23 |
| Plays–yards | 65–474 | 70–488 |
| Rushes–yards | 34–227 | 38–175 |
| Passing yards | 247 | 313 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–31–1 | 19–32–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:54 | 30:06 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 18/31, 247 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Louisville | Rushing | Jawhar Jordan | 7 carries, 96 yards, 1 TD |
| Louisville | Receiving | Jamari Thrash | 7 receptions, 88 yards, 2 TD |
| Georgia Tech | Passing | Haynes King | 19/32, 313 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Georgia Tech | Rushing | Haynes King | 10 carries, 53 yards |
| Georgia Tech | Receiving | Malik Rutherford | 5 receptions, 85 yards |

### vs. Murray State

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LOU −43.5 | 55.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Murray State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Louisville | 7 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 56 |
at L&N Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky
* Date: September 7
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 73 °F (23 °C) • Wind: 7 mph NW
* Game attendance: 45,273
* Referee: Maurice Woods
* TV announcers (ACC Network): Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst) and Sherree Burruss (sideline)
| Statistics | MUR | LOU |
| First downs | 8 | 29 |
| Plays–yards | 54–166 | 78–690 |
| Rushes–yards | 32–94 | 44–344 |
| Passing yards | 72 | 346 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 8–22–1 | 25–34–2 |
| Time of possession | 28:53 | 31:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Murray State | Passing | DJ Williams | 7/16, 68 yards |
| Murray State | Rushing | Kywon Morgan | 11 carries, 34 yards |
| Murray State | Receiving | Jacob Bell | 4 receptions, 26 yards |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 16/22, 247 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Louisville | Rushing | Jawhar Jordan | 7 carries, 135 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisville | Receiving | Jamari Thrash | 3 receptions, 82 yards, 1 TD |

### vs. Indiana

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LOU −10 | 51 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Louisville | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Indiana | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 14 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium • Indianapolis, Indiana
* Date: September 16
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 37,250
* Referee: Stuart Mullins
* TV announcers (BTN): Connor Onion (play-by-play), Brock Vereen (analyst), and Meghan McKeown (sideline)
| Statistics | LOU | IU |
| First downs | 20 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 62–422 | 61–357 |
| Rushes–yards | 39–184 | 27–58 |
| Passing yards | 238 | 299 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 13–23–1 | 24–34–1 |
| Time of possession | 28:48 | 31:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 13/23, 238 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Louisville | Rushing | Jawhar Jordan | 18 carries, 113 yards, 1 TD |
| Louisville | Receiving | Jamari Thrash | 4 receptions, 159 yards, 1 TD |
| Indiana | Passing | Tayven Jackson | 24/34, 299 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Indiana | Rushing | Jaylin Lucas | 8 carries, 29 yards |
| Indiana | Receiving | Jaylin Lucas | 10 receptions, 98 yards, 1 TD |

### vs. Boston College

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LOU −14 | 53 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boston College | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Louisville | 14 | 28 | 14 | 0 | 56 |
at L&N Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky
* Date: September 23
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: 7 mph NE
* Game attendance: 48,294
* Referee: Jeff Flanagan
* TV announcers (ACC Network): Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Orlando Franklin (analyst) and Marilyn Paine (sideline)
| Statistics | BC | LOU |
| First downs | 23 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 72–427 | 62–582 |
| Rushes–yards | 31–132 | 41–194 |
| Passing yards | 295 | 388 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–41–0 | 18–21–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:24 | 34:36 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Boston College | Passing | Thomas Castellanos | 17/33, 265 yards, 3 TD |
| Boston College | Rushing | Thomas Castellanos | 10 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD |
| Boston College | Receiving | Ryan O'Keefe | 5 receptions, 86 yards, 1 TD |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 18/21, 388 yards, 5 TD |
| Louisville | Rushing | Jawhar Jordan | 18 carries, 134 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisville | Receiving | Ahmari Huggins-Bruce | 3 receptions, 110 yards, 2 TD |

### at NC State

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LOU −3.5 | 56.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Louisville | 0 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 13 |
| NC State | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Carter–Finley Stadium • Raleigh, North Carolina
* Date: September 29
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 69 °F (21 °C) • Wind: 4 mph NE
* Game attendance: 56,919
* Referee: Jerry Magallanes
* TV announcers (ESPN): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
| Statistics | LOU | NCSU |
| First downs | 18 | 9 |
| Plays–yards | 64–306 | 56–201 |
| Rushes–yards | 29–20 | 31–89 |
| Passing yards | 286 | 112 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–35–2 | 13–25–2 |
| Time of possession | 31:03 | 28:57 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 21/35, 286 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Louisville | Rushing | Jawhar Jordan | 16 carries, 32 yards |
| Louisville | Receiving | Chris Bell | 3 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD |
| NC State | Passing | Brennan Armstrong | 13/25, 112 yards, 2 INT |
| NC State | Rushing | Brennan Armstrong | 17 carries, 61 yards |
| NC State | Receiving | Terrell Timmons Jr. | 3 receptions, 71 yards |

### vs. No. 10 Notre Dame

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| ND −6.5 | 53 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 10 Notre Dame | 0 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 20 |
| No. 25 Louisville | 7 | 0 | 10 | 16 | 33 |
at L&N Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky
* Date: October 7
* Game time: 7:37 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny, 57 °F (14 °C)
* Game attendance: 59,081
* Referee: Gary Patterson
* TV announcers (ABC): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst), and Katie George (sideline)
| Statistics | ND | LOU |
| First downs | 16 | 17 |
| Plays–yards | 66–298 | 64–330 |
| Rushes–yards | 28–44 | 40–185 |
| Passing yards | 254 | 145 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22–38–3 | 17–24–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:43 | 31:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Notre Dame | Passing | Sam Hartman | 22/38, 254 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT |
| Notre Dame | Rushing | Jeremiyah Love | 5 carries, 37 yards |
| Notre Dame | Receiving | Mitchell Evans | 4 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 17/24, 145 yards, 1 TD |
| Louisville | Rushing | Jawhar Jordan | 21 carries, 143 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisville | Receiving | Jamari Thrash | 8 receptions, 75 yards, 1 TD |

### at Pittsburgh

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LOU −7.5 | 46.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 Louisville | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| Pittsburgh | 7 | 7 | 17 | 7 | 38 |
at Acrisure Stadium • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 14
* Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 51 °F (11 °C) • Wind: 7 mph NW
* Game attendance: 46,296
* Referee: Jeff Heaser
* TV announcers (CW Network): Tom Werme (play-by-play), James Bates (analyst), Treavor Scales (sideline)
| Statistics | LOU | PITT |
| First downs | 28 | 13 |
| Plays–yards | 86–430 | 60–288 |
| Rushes–yards | 33–80 | 33–88 |
| Passing yards | 350 | 200 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 29–52–2 | 12–26–0 |
| Time of possession | 33:11 | 26:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 29/52, 350 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT |
| Louisville | Rushing | Maurice Turner | 12 carries, 81 yards |
| Louisville | Receiving | Jamari Thrash | 9 receptions, 120 yards |
| Pittsburgh | Passing | Christian Veilleux | 12/26, 200 yards, 2 TD |
| Pittsburgh | Rushing | Rodney Hammond | 11 carries, 50 yards |
| Pittsburgh | Receiving | Bub Means | 4 receptions, 71 yards, 1 TD |

### vs. No. 20 Duke

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LOU −4.5 | 46.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 20 Duke | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 18 Louisville | 14 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 23 |
at L&N Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky
* Date: October 28
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 63 °F (17 °C) • Wind: 4 mph N
* Game attendance: 52,319
* Referee: Jerry Magallanes
* TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Molly McGrath (sideline)
| Statistics | DUKE | LOU |
| First downs | 9 | 20 |
| Plays–yards | 49–202 | 64–351 |
| Rushes–yards | 21–51 | 48–234 |
| Passing yards | 151 | 117 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 12–28–1 | 11–16–0 |
| Time of possession | 23:09 | 36:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Duke | Passing | Riley Leonard | 9/23, 121 yards, 1 INT |
| Duke | Rushing | Jordan Waters | 5 carries, 23 yards |
| Duke | Receiving | Jordan Moore | 6 receptions, 92 yards |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 11/16, 117 yards |
| Louisville | Rushing | Jawhar Jordan | 21 carries, 163 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisville | Receiving | Jamari Thrash | 7 receptions, 73 yards |

### vs. Virginia Tech

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LOU −8.5 | 46.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Virginia Tech | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 13 Louisville | 7 | 7 | 13 | 7 | 34 |
at L&N Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky
* Date: November 4
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: 9 mph SW
* Game attendance: 49,945
* Referee: Tim Hedgepeth
* TV announcers (ACCN): Chris Cotter (play-by-play), Mark Herzlich (analyst), Ashley Stroehlein (sideline)
| Statistics | VT | LOU |
| First downs | 12 | 17 |
| Plays–yards | 51–140 | 51–382 |
| Rushes–yards | 28–68 | 38–231 |
| Passing yards | 72 | 151 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 13–23–1 | 12–13–0 |
| Time of possession | 27:45 | 32:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Virginia Tech | Passing | Kyron Drones | 12/21, 69 yards, 1 INT |
| Virginia Tech | Rushing | Bhayshul Tuten | 11 carries, 57 yards |
| Virginia Tech | Receiving | Da'Quan Felton | 4 receptions, 34 yards |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 11/12, 141 yards, 1 TD |
| Louisville | Rushing | Isaac Guerendo | 11 carries, 146 yards, 3 TD |
| Louisville | Receiving | Jadon Thompson | 2 receptions, 49 yards, 1 TD |

### vs. Virginia

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LOU −20.5 | 49.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Virginia | 0 | 0 | 21 | 3 | 24 |
| No. 11 Louisville | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 31 |
at L&N Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky
* Date: November 9
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 58 °F (14 °C) • Wind: 6 mph NE
* Game attendance: 44,628
* Referee: Marcus Woods
* TV announcers (ESPN): Matt Barrie (play-by-play), Dan Mullen (analyst), Harry Lyles Jr. (sideline)
| Statistics | UVA | LOU |
| First downs | 21 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 68–434 | 59–423 |
| Rushes–yards | 36–120 | 31–180 |
| Passing yards | 314 | 243 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 20–32–1 | 19–28–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:08 | 29:52 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Virginia | Passing | Anthony Colandrea | 20/31, 314 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Virginia | Rushing | Anthony Colandrea | 14 carries, 89 yards |
| Virginia | Receiving | Malik Washington | 9 receptions, 155 yards, 1 TD |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 19/28, 243 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Louisville | Rushing | Jawhar Jordan | 17 carries, 95 yards |
| Louisville | Receiving | Ahmari Huggins-Bruce | 1 receptions, 52 yards, 1 TD |

### at Miami (rivalry)

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| MIA −1.5 | 46.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 10 Louisville | 14 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 38 |
| Miami | 14 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
at Hard Rock Stadium • Miami Gardens, Florida
* Date: November 18
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: 10 mph NW
* Game attendance: 44,996
* Referee: Gary Patterson
* TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Molly McGrath (sideline)
| Statistics | LOU | MIA |
| First downs | 26 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 71–470 | 65–486 |
| Rushes–yards | 34–162 | 26–159 |
| Passing yards | 308 | 327 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 24–37–1 | 24–39–0 |
| Time of possession | 30:21 | 29:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 24/37, 308 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT |
| Louisville | Rushing | Isaac Guerendo | 15 carries, 93 yards, 1 TD |
| Louisville | Receiving | Kevin Coleman | 2 receptions, 58 yards, 1 TD |
| Miami | Passing | Tyler Van Dyke | 24/39, 327 yards, 1 TD |
| Miami | Rushing | Mark Fletcher | 17 carries, 126 yards, 2 TD |
| Miami | Receiving | Xavier Restrepo | 8 receptions, 193 yards, 1 TD |

### vs. Kentucky (rivalry)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Kentucky | 0 | 7 | 14 | 17 | 38 |
| No. 10 Louisville | 7 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
at L&N Stadium • Louisville, Kentucky
* Date: Saturday, November 25, 2023
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game attendance: 59,225
* Referee: Lee Hendrick
* TV announcers (ABC): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (color), Katie George (sideline)
| Statistics | UK | LOU |
| First downs | 16 | 23 |
| Total yards | 47–289 | 76–403 |
| Rushing yards | 25–83 | 43–161 |
| Passing yards | 206 | 242 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 12–22–1 | 24–33–1 |
| Time of possession | 23:26 | 36:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kentucky | Passing | Devin Leary | 12/22, 206 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Kentucky | Rushing | Ray Davis | 14 carries, 76 yards, TD |
| Kentucky | Receiving | Izayah Cummings | 1 reception, 55 yards |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 24/33, 242 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Louisville | Rushing | Jawhar Jordan | 17 carries, 67 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisville | Receiving | Jamari Thrash | 6 receptions, 60 yards |

### vs. No. 4 Florida State (ACC Championship Game)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 Louisville | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| No. 4 Florida State | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
at Bank of America Stadium • Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: December 2
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST
* Game attendance: 62,314
* TV announcers (ABC): Joe Tessitore, Jesse Palmer, Katie George
| Statistics | LOU | FSU |
| First downs | 10 | 12 |
| Plays–yards | 70–188 | 65–219 |
| Rushes–yards | 34–77 | 44–164 |
| Passing yards | 111 | 55 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 14–36–1 | 8–21–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:32 | 31:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 14/36, 111 yards, 1 INT |
| Louisville | Rushing | Jawhar Jordan | 14 carries, 52 yards |
| Louisville | Receiving | Jamari Thrash | 7 receptions, 52 yards |
| Florida State | Passing | Brock Glenn | 8/21, 55 yards |
| Florida State | Rushing | Lawrence Toafili | 10 carries, 118 yards, 1 TD |
| Florida State | Receiving | Johnny Wilson | 2 receptions, 21 yards |

### vs. USC (Holiday Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 15 Cardinals | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Trojans | 7 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
at Petco Park • San Diego, California
* Date: December 27
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind: 5 mph (8.0 km/h) NW
* Game attendance: 35,317
* Referee: Lee Hedrick
* TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst) and Jenny Taft (Sideline Reporter)
* Box score
| Statistics | No. 15 Louisville | USC |
| First downs | 22 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 70–361 | 52–443 |
| Rushes–yards | 45–220 | 19–71 |
| Passing yards | 141 | 372 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–25–0 | 23–33–1 |
| Time of possession | 36:34 | 23:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| No. 15 Louisville | Passing | Jack Plummer | 21–25, 141 yds |
| No. 15 Louisville | Rushing | Isaac Guerendo | 23 cars, 161 yds, 3 TDs |
| No. 15 Louisville | Receiving | Isaac Guerendo | 5 rec, 42 yds |
| USC | Passing | Miller Moss | 23–33, 372 yds, 6 TDs, 1 Int |
| USC | Rushing | Austin Jones | 11 cars, 60 yds |
| USC | Receiving | Tahj Washington | 7 rec, 99 yds, 2 TDs |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | 25 | 14 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 15 | 16 | 19 |
| Coaches | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | 25 | 15 | 21 | 18 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 18 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 15 | Not released |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL Club |
| 4 | 129 | Isaac Guerendo | RB | San Francisco 49ers |
| 5 | 146 | Jarvis Brownlee Jr. | CB | Tennessee Titans |
| 5 | 156 | Jamari Thrash | WR | Cleveland Browns |
| 6 | 205 | Jawhar Jordan | RB | Houston Texans |