Louisville Defeats Washington in Sun Bowl Thriller, 35-34

WE’RE GRRRRRRRREAT!

Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images

The transfer portal and NIL, among other rule changes, have completely reshaped the sport of college football these last few years. Virtually every aspect of the sport has felt the impact of these changes, and bowl games are no exception.

Following the end of the college football regular season, the majority of the conversation around Louisville football as been around the players leaving, the players coming, and what next season will look like. For most, gone are the days where they count down the days to the bowl game and see it as the crowning achievement and reward for a great season. For most, it’s just an afterthought and a fun exhibition where win or lose, it’s just nice to see your team play one last time. After all, who could blame them when the team looks dramatically different from the one you had just watched for 12 games?

But I feel confident in saying all of that went out the window as soon as the game started. I’m not sure what it was about this bowl in particular, but I think it had a lot to do with seeing how much the players on both teams cared and how hard they were going after it. From the first snap it felt like fans were 100% back in and any fleeting thoughts of bowl games being “meaningless” or the result not mattering were completely gone.

The game developed into an instant classic, a nailbiter, and ultimately a momentum boosting game that we can truly use as a launch pad for the 2025 season with the majority of the game’s biggest contributors coming back next year.

On offense it’s hard not to be over the moon about what’s in store for us. The running back tandem of Isaac Brown and Duke Watson once again dominated as they helped Louisville rush for over 200 yards for the 6th time this year, leading the ACC. Chris Bell and Caulin Lacy are certifiable studs, and getting them both to return would be massive. Let’s take a moment to appreciate Caulin Lacy’s insane effort play today:

Still no idea how he scored on that play. Beyond ecstatic he’s coming back.

The o-line gave the very green Harrison Bailey good protection for most of the game and you got to see him really settle into the game and improve as time went on. And they were obviously the force behind the dominant run game. Having a majority of that group coming back next year is another area to be excited about.

And Harrison Bailey, what a game! You could tell early on that he was a little tight and rusty, but as he settled in he made some great reads and throws, especially this beautiful ball to Antonio Meeks:

Word on the street is that Bailey has another year of eligibility, which would be great to have if he comes back and battles Miller Moss for a starting position. He’d be an awfully nice player to have as a back up if Moss is the real deal. Regardless, what a way for him to come in in a spot like this and lead the team to victory with 3 TDs on 16/25 passing attempts.

As for the defense, while there were plenty of moments that weren’t so great, many of which DC Ron English was to blame for (a conversation for another day), they ultimately came up big when needed most and got us the win in dramatic fashion.

The pick 6 was pretty cool:

(we need to do whatever we can to get Tahveon Nicholson to come back next year)

But the biggest play of the game came at the end of a wild game-defining drive where Washington had been sacked on 3rd and goal by a crazy shoelace sack by Rene Konga, and then were stopped on 4th and goal only for an egregious defensive pass interference call to be made, giving Washington another 4 chances. Washington eventually cashed in on 4th and Goal to cut the score to 35-34, and went for 2 to win and seal the game against a defense that was gassed. But then Antonio Watts made a play I think most of us will remember for a long time to come:

The defense, as they’ve done many times in the Jeff Brohm era, came up big when we needed them most. Such a cool way to all but end a dramatic bowl game. The onside kick was terrifying, but we don’t need to talk about that either.

With so much to look forward to on offense, and with Miller Moss already in the fold, one would think that Louisville will be spending a majority of their transfer portal efforts on restocking a talented, but inconsistent defense. Whether or not any staff changes will be made on that side of the ball are yet to be seen, and I don’t want to bring up anything overly negative, but in my opinion it’s hard to see this program being a championship-caliber one with Ron English at the helm.

MOVING ON!

Washington deserves credit for battling their way back into this one. Demond Williams Jr. gave UofL headaches all day with his legs and his ability to make crazy play after crazy play. I finally understand how annoying it must be to play against guys like Lamar Jackson. He was outstanding as he went 26/32 for 374yds, 4 TDs through the air, and 48 rushing yards and 1 TD on the ground. He was especially good at finding Giles Jackson who had 11 receptions for 164 yards and 4 TDs. They were both studs and were massive problems.

Before we put a bow on the season can we talk about the weird absence of starting punter Brady Hodges? Brad Nesslar was saying at the beginning of the game UofL came out for warmups and he wasn’t there, so Carter Schwartz got the start, and Brady Hodges was a “late opt-out”. Initially there was some speculation he had fled to Mexico, or had been kidnapped by the cartel, but he put those fears to rest with this very curious tweet:

A lot to unpack here. I really have no idea the validity of this tweet. It’s also the first I’ve ever heard of a player not being paid properly by the 502Circle, and for it to first occur with the punter(?) seems very... curious. And then the strong performance from Carter Schwartz didn’t exactly help Hodge’s matters. Something to keep an eye on, I guess.

All in all, what a fun game and a great way to finish a season that can really be a launch pad for 2025.

242 Days until EKU. Can’t wait to see y’all then.