Louisville scored 26 second-half points to overcome a 15-point halftime deficit.
By: Sam Gercak
ATLANTA, Ga. – September 1, 2023
The University of Louisville football team roared back from a 15-point halftime deficit to capture a 39-34 win over Georgia Tech to open the 2023 season.
The win marked the first for Louisville with head coach Jeff Brohm at the helm and was the largest comeback win for Louisville since they overcame a 17-point deficit against Kentucky in 2015.
After the Yellow Jackets put up 28 points in the second quarter to take a two-score lead into the half, Louisville responded with 26 unanswered points over the final two periods to pick up their first win of the year.
Quarterback Jack Plummer went 18-31 passing with 247 yards through the air and three touchdowns while Jamari Thrash caught seven targets for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
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The Cardinals also found success with the rushing attack with six different players contributing to the final total of 227 yards on the ground, with Jawhar Jordan’s 96 yards leading the way.
With the Yellow Jackets just outside the red zone and Louisville clinging to a one-point lead with just under four minutes remaining, Dezmond Tell knocked the ball loose into the arms of Kameron Wilson for the Cardinals’ second turnover on the night. On the ensuing play, Jordan broke free for a 74-yard rushing touchdown that clinched the victory for Louisville.
Louisville Head Coach Jeff Brohm Said:
“We’re happy to get out of there with a win. As everyone saw, it was a tough football game for our team. It wasn’t a great performance in the first half for sure, so that was disappointing. But that’s how college football works. I talk about it all the time to our football team: nothing will ever be easy. We challenged our guys at halftime to play much harder, play much tougher, figure out a way to grind this thing out, and just try to win the half. We also said we’re going to judge effort, and if you’re not giving more effort than the other guy, you won’t play the rest of the year. I think our guys stayed together and gave way better effort. Fortunately for us, our coaches hung in there too. We found a way to coach better in the second half; we had a better plan and made some adjustments. It took everything to win so we’ve got a long way to go, but like I told them, every college football game is going to be like that, and if you’re not ready for that, you might as well not show up for the game.”
How It Happened
First Quarter
12:13 – UL | Brock Travelstead connected from 32 yards out for the opening points of the season. 5 plays, 12 yards, 1:30. Louisville 3-0
0:21 – UL | Brock Travelstead converted his second field goal of the quarter, this time from 30 yards. 10 plays, 79 yards, 4:26. Louisville 6-0
Second Quarter
11:50 – GT | Haynes King hit Brett Seither for a two-yard touchdown pass. 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:31. Georgia Tech 7-6
09:03 – GT | Trey Cooley found the end zone from one yard out for the rushing touchdown. 4 plays, 72 yards, 1:43. Georgia Tech 14-6
05:42 – UL | Jack Plummer connected with Kevin Coleman for a nine-yard touchdown. 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:21. Georgia Tech 14-13
03:17 – GT | Trey Cooley rushed in from 23 yards out to extend Georgia Tech’s lead. 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:25. Georgia Tech 21-13
00:42 – GT | Chase Lane went 48 yards on a pass from Haynes King for the touchdown. 3 plays, 65 yards. 1:21. Georgia Tech 28-13
Third Quarter
08:19 – UL | Brock Travelstead hit from 22 yards for his third field goal of the night. 13 plays, 68 yards, 6:34. Georgia Tech 28-16
04:41 – UL | Jack Plummer hit a crossing Jamari Thrash in the back of the endzone for a five-yard touchdown. 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:49. Georgia Tech 28-23
Fourth Quarter
08:08 – UL | Jack Plummer and Jamari Thrash connected for the second time on the night, a 20-yard score to give the Cardinals the lead. The two-point conversation attempt failed. 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:58. Louisville 29-28
03:41 – UL | Following a forced turnover, Jawhar Jordan took the handoff and blazed 74 yards for a touchdown. 1 play, 74 yards, 0:10. Louisville 36-28
02:35 – UL | Brock Travelstead cashed in on his fourth field goal of the night from 38 yards out. 4 plays, 8 yards, 0:24. Louisville 39-28
01:07 – GT | Haynes King found Eric Singleton Jr. in the back of the endzone for a five-yard touchdown. The two-point conversation attempt failed. 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:30. Louisville 39-34
Up Next
- The Cardinals now turn their attention to their home opener against Murray State on Thursday, Sept. 7 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.
- Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on ACC Network.
