Louisville is headed to its first ACC championship after outlasting unranked Miami to secure a 38-31 victory at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday. Here’s what you need to know:
- First-year head coach Jeff Brohm has led the Cardinals to the No. 10 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings and a 10-1 record.
- A last-second Hail Mary from Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke sailed 45 yards downfield, but Hurricanes receiver Xavier Restrepo caught the pass short of the end zone after it was tipped to him at the goal line.
- Cardinals QB Jack Plummer was 24-of-37 passing for 308 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
How the Cardinals reached the ACC title game in Brohm’s first season
Brohm did a phenomenal job working the transfer portal — from picking up Plummer (Cal) to running back Isaac Guerendo (Wisconsin) — and played to his team’s strengths all season. Saturday, Brohm used motion and crossing routes to confuse Miami’s aggressive defense and scored the winning touchdown when a pair of Miami defensive backs collided into each other. — Manny Navarro, Miami beat writer
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Van Dyke played his rear-end off after struggling and getting benched prior to the Florida State game. Van Dyke might not be Miami’s long-term answer moving forward, but on Saturday he played well. He completed 24 of his 39 attempts for 327 yards and a touchdown and didn’t turn it over once despite getting hit hard several times. Van Dyke, ABC sideline reporter Molly McGrath reported, was playing with pain and discomfort in his right knee and pain in his inner left thigh. He showed toughness and grit and played a lot better than he had in his previous starts. — Navarro
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Cardinals’ path to the postseason
Louisville clinched its first appearance in the ACC championship game since joining the conference in 2014, which is also the last time Florida State played for the league crown. The Cardinals, picked eighth in the ACC preseason poll in their first year under Brohm, have been one of the surprises of the college football season, and still have a (very) slim chance at the College Football Playoff. The team had an admittedly favorable schedule, avoiding Florida State, North Carolina and Clemson in the regular season, but took advantage with a balanced, top-15 offense and opportunistic defense that has been stout on third down all year.
With an ACC title spot secured, Louisville can punctuate a memorable 2023 season with a win over in-state rival Kentucky next week for the first time since 2017. — Justin Williams, college football staff writerGO DEEPER
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Key stat
Of the 14 current members of the conference, only NC State and Syracuse haven’t played in the championship game.
Required reading
(Photo: Sam Navarro / Getty)
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