Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Eastern Kentucky

College football is just one day away from making its return to the Derby City. The Louisville football program's 2025 season gets finally gets underway this weekend, with in-state FCS foe Eastern Kentucky making the trek up to L&N Stadium.

Here are some of the more notable points of emphasis heading into Saturday's game:

Injury Report

Jeff Brohm and Co. is usually fairly tight-lipped when it comes to injuries, so there is not a ton to report on this front. At least, until conference play starts, when Louisville will be forced to produce injury reports.

But there are a couple things to note from what we got to see in the open fall camp practices. Running back Jamarice Wilder did not play at all during the open practices due to an ankle injury. Linebacker Kalib Perry was limited because of a hand injury, and offensive lineman Victor Cutler was in and out of team periods due to an undisclosed injury.

The most noteworthy development was to linebacker Stanquan Clark. After missing all of spring due to a shoulder injury, he was slowly worked back into the fold for fall camp, and will be good to go for the opener.

EKU Players to Watch: RB Brayden Latham (Offense) and S Jaheim Ward (Defense)

Even in the modern era of college football, Eastern Kentucky once against has a roster that can potentially get back to the FCS Playoffs. If they do, it will most likely be due to the efforts of running back Brayden Latham and safety Jaheim Ward.

Latham is coming off of a standout junior year for Colonels, and was one of just four unanimous preseason All-UAC players. The 5-foot-11, 220-pound ball carrier played in all 13 games last season, amassing 662 yards and three touchdowns. Considering he was the backup to Joshua Carter, who has since graduated, expect Latham to take a big time step forward for the 2025 season.

"His ability to do everything," EKU offensive coordinator Andy Richman said recently in regards to what makes Latham special. "He's a happy-go-lucky guy, but when he gets out there, he's as competitive as anybody is. He wants to run everybody over, finish everything, gets nicked up and doesn't want to come out. It's just that drive that he has."

As for Ward, he is arguably the top player on the defensive side of the ball for EKU, as he has earned multiple preseason FCS All-American honors. Last season, the 6-foot-2, 189-pound safety played in 12 games while starting 10, recording 66 tackles, five for loss, eight pass breakups, two forced fumbles and an interceptions in the process.

"2024 was a special year," Ward said during the summer. "It was everything I wanted; it felt like I really got my chance and made the most of it, and as a team, we stayed close and everything started to click for us. Now we need to keep it going."

Matchup to Watch: UofL CB Rodney Johnson Jr. vs. EKU WR Marcus Calwise Jr.

While there aren't a ton of noteworthy individual matchups when it comes to FBS vs. FCS games, this one is by far the one to watch come Saturday.

Since transferring to Louisville in the winter portal window, Rodney Johnson Jr. has exceeded every expectation. While he had a productive 2024 campaign at Southern (43 tackles 6.0 for loss, five pass breakups), making the jump from the FCS level can be difficult. That being said, in both spring ball and fall camp for the Cards, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound defensive back has cemented himself as CB1.

"I'm really excited about him," cornerbacks coach Steve Ellis said of Johnson. "He looks about 26 years old with that beard, but he's a really good dude, serious about football, really mature. That's one good thing about him. I love his work ethic, he got a competitive spirit. Excited to have him a part of this unit."

Right out of the gates, he'll have a decent challenge in the form of Marcus Calwise Jr., as the wide receiver is arguably the most talented player on EKU'S roster.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound pass catcher burst onto the scenes as a true freshman in 2024, catching 42 passes for 536 yards and five touchdowns - all of which led the Colonels. As a result, he was named a Freshman All-American by Phil Steele and FCS Central, and is a preseason All-UAC selection.

"My expectations for myself is just go out there and play," Calwise recently said regarding his 2024 season. "I mean, whatever happens, happens. I'm just gonna have fun, do what I got to do to be the best."

Louisville Trend to Monitor: Improved Communication Efforts

Admittedly, this is a game where, most likely, there will not be a lot to takeaway from. Louisville is a nearly 40-point favorite for a reason, as they are lightyears ahead of Eastern Kentucky in terms of talent.

That being said, not only will this serve as our first in-game glance at the Cardinals, it will be the UofL staff's first opportunity to prove that their communication issues have taken a much-needed step forward.

Last season, a lot of Louisville's defensive issues were simply because of communication issues - specifically with the in-helmet comms system. Far too often, defenders were either completely out of position because the call didn't come through in time, or they were still looking at the sideline/player with the helmet comms when the ball was about to be snapped.

This certainly wasn't the main issue with the defense last season, but it certainly played a role. Ahead of the 2025 season, head coach Jeff Brohm is optimistic that these communication issues are a thing of the past.

"Well, we went through some hiccups for sure. ... but I think we were able to adjust pretty good after the few hiccups we had, and we kind of have the system down now," Brohm said during the program's Media Day. "It's a little different than how you use it on offense with the speed of the game, so you have to be really be strategic and have a plan put together. I think we understand that way better now, and have kind of morphed, midway through the season, into what we're doing now, and trying to improve on that."

Eastern Kentucky Trend to Monitor: Motivation to Pull Off a Massive Upset

As previously mentioned, Louisville is over a five-touchdown favorite against Eastern Kentucky. While there's a very good chance that the Cardinals not only win, but cover the spread, it's important not to overlook an opponent simply because of their talent level.

Every year, we see a myriad of upsets across college football. While FCS-over-FBS upsets are rare, they still do happen. Last season, there were six such occurrences, and there have been six all-time instances of an FCS team defeating a ranked FBS team since the D1-A/D1-AA split in 1978.

Brohm knows what it's like to be the underdog and pull off improbable victories, so he knows that his squad has to come ready.

"I've been at Western Kentucky, and when you're there, you got a chip on your shoulder, you're hungry, you're out to prove what type of football you can play," he said. "Anytime you get a chance to play against a power opponent, you're going to be ready to go. These players will be licking their lips and ready to play football, and show what they can do."