Opponent Breakdown: Stanford Cardinal Defense

Stanford's new staff is heavy on NFL experience, and that is very clear at the defensive coordinator position. Kris Richard was a solid NFL player who worked his way through the coaching ranks in the league as a position coach and coordinator. He heads to college this year to lead this defense, with improving results as the season goes on.

While the defense has shown signs of improvement, they are limited by the play up front along the defensive line. The group as a whole has produced one more sack than Clev Lubin, while also putting up 16 tackles for loss, which is about the combined amount of three defensive linemen for the Cards. The comparison on those stats is notable, but Louisville has done a poor job of keeping opposing defenses out of the backfield this season. They are one of the worst teams in the country at allowing negative plays, and they can't let this defensive line take advantage of that.

Matt Rose is one of the best linebackers in the country, but he has not played in four straight games, so the Cards may not have to worry about him. Rose is third on the team in tackles while leading the team in tackles for loss. He has not played in a game in over a month. The impact that Rose has on this defense can't be overstated, and it's up in the air whether he will play in this game. The other linebackers on this roster have just not been able to make the types of plays that Rose does. The defense gave up 115 points in the first two games after Rose's injury. They were much better against NC State, but it remains to be seen if that game was a fluke.

The Cardinal has one of the worst pass defenses in the country, with 17 touchdowns thrown against them and multiple other statistics ranked in the 90s or worse in the country. The Cardinal have done a solid job of avoiding explosive plays in most of their games, but Wake Forest, Notre Dame, and Miami put up video game numbers in the pass game against them. Louisville has one of the most explosive offenses in the country, so this should be an opportunity to do the same.