Louisville beats Georgia Tech 44-17 to reach bowl eligibility

Tre Richardson Leads Louisville Past Georgia Tech 44-17 for Fourth Straight Win

“I think the fact that we’ve been able to win four in a row here after starting 2-3 is a testament to our guys and coaches,” Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm said, noting the difficulty of the turnaround. That surge continued Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium, where the Cardinals secured a 44-17 victory over Georgia Tech to punch their ticket to the postseason.

The win marks Louisville’s sixth consecutive season achieving bowl eligibility, improving their record to 6-3 overall and 5-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. For Georgia Tech, the struggles deepen as the team drops to 2-7 overall and 1-5 in ACC play, guaranteeing a finish below the .500 mark for the first time since 2022 following their third consecutive loss.

Ground Dominance and Efficient Passing in Atlanta

Louisville arrived in Atlanta ranked ninth nationally in rushing and second in yards per carry, and they immediately leaned into that identity. The Cardinals ground out 251 rushing yards across 36 carries, punishing the Yellow Jackets’ defensive front.

Quarterback Lincoln Kienholz directed the offense with precision, completing 17 of 25 passes for 182 yards while adding 81 yards on the ground. Kienholz connected with Tre Richardson and TreyShun Hurry for first-half touchdown passes.

Richardson manufactured a game-breaking performance, accumulating 104 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Beyond his receiving contributions, he dashed 52 yards to the end zone on an end-around play.

“They had been blitzing outside,” Richardson said regarding his long scoring run. “The one time they didn’t, we executed pretty good. I felt good, I felt like I got to show my speed out there.”

Running back Isaac Brown tacked on his 10th touchdown of the season via an 11-yard run in the third quarter, finishing with 38 yards. Keyjuan Brown contributed 54 rushing yards, and Braxton Jennings capped the scoring with a late touchdown run. Louisville has now scored at least 34 points in all four games of their current winning streak and scored at least 27 points in every one of its nine games this season.

Quarterback Experimentation for Georgia Tech

In a desperate attempt to jump start the offense, Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key alternated quarterbacks for the first half. Regular starter Alberto Mendoza opened the game under center, but from there he swapped out every drive with back-up Grady Adamson.

Though both signal-callers threw a touchdown pass, they struggled for most of the night against a swarming Louisville defense. The adjustment left the Yellow Jackets searching for answers as their offensive production stalled.

Jeff Brohm Reaches Career Coaching Milestone with Win

Saturday’s triumph represented the 100th head coaching victory of Jeff Brohm’s career across three stops, which includes 30 wins at Western Kentucky, 36 at Purdue, and 34 with Louisville.

“For us we’ve still got a lot of season left and want to take it one game at a time,” Brohm said after the game. “Playing a good team next week against North Carolina is already on my mind.”

In the broader conference picture, the victory keeps Louisville in striking distance within the ACC championship race. No. 1 Miami and No. 14 Wake Forest currently occupy the two spots for the ACC championship game, but the Cardinals sit within one game in the loss column of the Demon Deacons alongside a pack of teams with two conference losses featuring SMU, Duke, and Clemson.

Next Saturday, Louisville travels to face North Carolina, while Georgia Tech hits the road to take on Clemson.

More on this story: Louisville Visits Georgia Tech as Cardinals look to extend streak · Louisville Uses Second-Half Surge to Rout Stanford 52-24

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