UL SPRING Jack Plummer

Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer throws a pass during the Cardinals’ spring game.

 ERIC CRAWFORD

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- For only the third time since 2014, the University of Louisville football team will open its season with an Atlantic Coast Conference game.

With Jeff Brohm making his debut as Scott Satterfield's replacement, the Cards will have the national spotlight against Georgia Tech on Friday night on ESPN.

Louisville will start play the first of six home games when Murray State visits L&N Cardinal Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 7.

Here is a preview of the matchup with the Yellow Jackets:

The Time: Friday, 7:30 p.m., Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Where to Watch/Listen: TV — ESPN: Anish Shroff, play by play; Andre Ware, analyst; Paul Carcaterra, sidelines; Radio Louisville Radio Network Paul Rogers, play by play; Craig Swabek, analyst; Jody Demling, sidelines.

  • ESPN is among a number of Disney Entertainment channels that have gone dark on Charter Spectrum cable systems. Read more here.

The Line: Louisville favored to win by 7.5 points. Over/under total points 48.5 at 1 p.m. Tuesday on DraftKings.com.

The Last Time: The Yellow Jackets defeated the Cards, 46-27, in Atlanta during the 2020 COVID-19 season.

The Series: Georgia Tech has won both meetings, also defeating the Cards, 66-31, in Louisville in 2018.

The Records: It is the season opener for both teams.

Player to Watch for Louisville: Jamari Thrash, receiver. For all the talk about quarterback Jack Plummer, keep at eye on No. 1, Thrash. He finished last season with three consecutive 100-yard receiving games at Georgia State, where he caught 61 passes for 1,122 yards.

Player to Watch for Georgia Tech: LaMiles Brooks, safety. Earning third team all-Atlantic Coast honors last season as a sophomore, Brooks earned four takeaways: three interceptions and one fumble recovery. He returned one interception for a touchdown against Virginia and his pick of a pass by North Carolina's Drake Maye ended Maye's streak of 195 consecutive passes without an interception. Like Thrash, Miles wears No. 1.

Sideline Storylines:

  • It's the start of the Jeff Brohm era. Brohm's record was 66-44 over nine seasons as the head coach at Purdue (sox years) and Western Kentucky (three). His record in season openers is 5-4: 3-0 at WKU and 2-4 at Purdue. The Cards lost their last two season openers to Ole Miss (2021) and Syracuse (last season).
  • Cal transfer Jack Plummer will be the first new quarterback to start the season for Louisville since 2019. Neither UofL nor Georgia Tech shared two-deep depth charts prior to the game. Plummer threw for 3,095 yards and 21 touchdowns for Cal last season, including a 406-yard performance against USC.
  • Tech coach Brent Key is in his first full season as the team's head coach. He took over from Geoff Collins four games into last season and led the Yellow Jackets to four wins in their final eight games, including victories over Pittsburgh, Duke and North Carolina, all bowl teams.
  • Tech will make a change at quarterback, starting Haynes King, a transfer from Texas A&M, who completed only 55.6% of his passes last season with seven TD passes and six interceptions in a half-dozen games.

The Quote: Cards' coach Jeff Brohm about the emotions of his first game as the head coach at his alma mater:

"Without question, my nerves will be going. You want to do well, you want to try and win the football game, please a lot of people, and you want to get off to a good start, and that's always going to be the goal. You have to go back and go through things and make sure you're as ready as you can be. But then you've just got to go out there and play and coach. Be positive with your players, build their confidence, and help them achieve their best."

The Pick: Louisville 28, Georgia Tech 21.

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