Louisville vs. Boston College: 5 Big Questions

Oct 18, 2014; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals safety James Sample (2) and Louisville Cardinals linebacker Keith Kelsey (55) tackle North Carolina State Wolfpack tight end David Grinnage (86) during the second half of play at Papa John

Louisville vs. Boston College: 5 Big Questions — #1

The stats say the Louisville defense will be formidable. Are they going to be as tough or tougher than the Clemson defense?

They will be tough, and perhaps as tough as the Tigers.

Going into the Clemson game, it seemed reasonable to expect that it would be a low-scoring game. Entering this Louisville contest, one thing that stands out is how good the Louisville run defense has been this season. With how Miami is coming on, holding Duke Johnson to 90 yards is somewhat of an accomplishment, and they have not let many other running backs go up and down the field on them, either.

Florida State showed that the Cardinals have some vulnerabilities, but the Eagles on offense are certainly not Florida State. All that can be assumed is that if Louisville’s run defense reverts to form this week, it is going to be as difficult for the Eagles to win as you think it might be.

Boston College is in no position to waste the opportunities that they do get on offense, which means they cannot drop passes and they have to utilize some form of creativity in terms of playcalling to adequately fool the Cardinals. Drops cost the Eagles in the Clemson game against their tough defense, and they would do well not to repeat that.