Louisville football makes an unlikely comeback, toppling Boston College

This story will be updated.

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Heading into a game at Boston College after a brief turnaround, the Louisville football program pulled off an incredibly improbable comeback, rallying from a 20-point deficit to cruise to a 31-27 victory on Friday night Alumni Stadium.

The Cardinals (5-3, 3-2 ACC) gave up 20 unanswered points to the Eagles (4-4, 1-3 ACC) early in the game and trailed 27-10 midway through the third quarter. With its back against the wall, Louisville was able to score three unanswered touchdowns of its own in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Tight end Nate Kurisky scored a 4-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to get the rally started. Running back Isaac Brown added an 18-yard rushing score early in the fourth quarter to get within striking distance, then Kurisky got the go-ahead six-yard touchdown hack with 7:12 to play.

With the win, the Cardinals (5-3, 3-2 ACC) avoid falling below .500 in the ACC for the first time under head coach Jeff Brohm and have now won two road games in a row. Meanwhile, the Eagles (4-4, 1-3 ACC) lost their third straight game after starting the season 4-1.

Louisville's defense got off to a much better start than expected, forcing Boston College to score three draws on three of its first four drives. The only exception was a drive that ended with a 54-yard touchdown reception by Morales to set up the scoring.

However, the Cardinals' normally productive offense got off to an anemic start. Their first three drives ended with a turnover on downs, an interception and a three-and-out, while they gained just 47 total yards on those drives.

After Louisville missed a 56-yard field goal early in the second quarter, the wheels began to fall off. BC was able to mount a methodical drive after the miss, with Ward getting a four-yard score. Huggins-Bruce fumbled the ball on the Cardinals' ensuing drive, and the Eagles took advantage of the short field to take a three-point lead on a four-yard scoring run by Robichaux.

Still, Louisville went into halftime with some momentum. It took them until their sixth drive to finally score points, but thanks largely to several big catches from Brooks, they were able to reward a four-yard touchdown run from Brown in the final minute of the half.

That offensive momentum continued into the second half as the Cardinals capitalized on a 23-yard field goal from Brock Travelstead to open the half. Before the Louisville rally began, Boston College had one score left and responded with a four-yard receiver score from Jeremiah Franklin.

Even after Louisville was able to come back, there were still some exciting moments at the end of the game. After forcing Boston College into a three-pointer, Shough threw his second pick of the game. Luckily, the Cardinals then forced an Eagles turnover on downs with less than two minutes left.

A Louisville three-pointer in the final minutes gave BC 85 seconds to mount a final comeback attempt, but Castellanos' Hail Mary fell to the ground.

Next up, Louisville stays on the road and heads to Death Valley for a showdown with top-ten Clemson. Kick-off against the Tigers is scheduled for Saturday, November 2nd at a time to be determined.

(Photo by Chris Bell: Eric Canha – Imagn Images)

You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:

Facebook – @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X – @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram – @louisvilleonsi

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X