Miami (FL) Hurricanes vs Louisville Cardinals Match Player Stats On Sep 01, 2014

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Sep 1, 2014

Louisville 31, Miami (Fla.) 13: Dominique Brown ran for 143 yards and a touchdown as the host Cardinals kicked off Bobby Petrino's second stint on the Louisville sidelines with a crisp Atlantic Coast Conference win over Miami (Fla.)

The Cardinals (1-0) were able to overcome the loss of star wideout DeVante Parker (broken foot in practice last week) thanks in large part to sophomore quarterback Will Gardner, who threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. Eli Rogers and Gerald Christian combined for 11 catches for 124 yards for Louisville, which was playing its first game as a member of the ACC after spending last year in the American Athletic Conference.

Freshman Brad Kaaya was 17-of-29 for 174 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in his collegiate debut for Miami (0-1). Standout running back Duke Johnson gained 90 yards on 20 carries for the Hurricanes.

Louisville initially went ahead 7-0 thanks to a 12-play, 93-yard march that ended with Gardner's 2-yard TD pass to Charles Standberry. Miami responded in the second quarter with a touchdown and a field goal, but the latter was answered promptly by Corvin Lamb, who took the ensuing kickoff 97 yards up the gut of the Hurricanes' coverage to put the Cardinals in front for good.

The hosts pushed their advantage to 21-13 late in the third quarter when Brown rushed untouched for a 15-yard touchdown, and the senior running back had a couple key runs on the Cardinals' next drive, which resulted in John Wallace's 28-yard field goal with 13:11 remaining. The Hurricanes wasted a key scoring chance midway through the fourth when a penalty erased a long pass play that would have set up Miami inside the 5, and Gardner's 10-yard TD strike to Christian sealed the win with 1:43 left.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Miami had a great chance to go ahead early in the third when a fumble by Gardner set up the Hurricanes at the Louisville 8, but the visitors were forced to settle for Matt Goudis' 24-yard field goal that brought them within 14-13. ... The Hurricanes were 0-of-6 on third downs in the first half and 1-of-13 for the game. ... Louisville, which routed Miami 36-9 in last year's Russell Athletic Bowl, has won the last three meetings after going 0-9-1 in the first 10 matchups.