Georgia Tech has their work cut out for them when they face Louisville on Saturday. There are three players in particular whom they must slow down if they are going to have any chance of coming out with a win. Let’s take a closer look. 

1. QB Lincoln Kienholz 

Kienholz has been one of the biggest surprises in the conference this season and is leading one of the top offenses in the country. Louisville ranks 5th in the country with 40.8 points per game, 9th in rushing yards (225.1), and 8th in total yards per game 492.1. Kienholz has thrown for 2,094 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also has rushed for 313 yards and 11 touchdowns.

His 11 touchdowns lead the team. Kienholz has been dynamic this season and is a guy leading a top offense. He just makes plays consistently and is a terror with his legs. Coach Key has already talked about the issues that dual quarterbacks present and the challenge that Kienholz could be 

“Dual-threat quarterbacks are a major challenge. That's what makes college football so entertaining. It's what gives. Any team, an opportunity to win on any given Saturday in college football, that guy is a big reason. And when you've got plus-one runs, whether it's a pull it down and scramble on a pass, whether it's a read-type play or it's a designed quarterback run, I mean, really, it's a totally different type of responsibility-driven defense that you have to have and be disciplined. You've got to be disciplined. You can't just go and try to make plays. Everybody's got to do their job. They've got to focus in and win their one-on-one. But do it within the scheme of what we're trying to get done on defense,” said Key. 

2. RB Issac Brown 

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Brown has been stellar this season for the Cardinals and leads them in rushing. He has 707 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Brown is averaging 7.7 yards per carry. His best game of the season came against Florida State. He finished with 235 yards and two touchdowns, including his longest run of the season, 97 yards. He has been playing his best football as of late and has rushed for over 100 yards in three of his last four games.

Last weekend against Stanford might have been his most efficient performance of the year. Brown rushed for 139 yards on just nine carries and had three rushing touchdowns. He is a terror once he gets into the open field. You couple how elite Brown has been with the struggles the Yellow Jackets have had against the run, it could be a long day. 

“They (Louisville) do a lot of shifts in motion. So, you know, we got to be uh great with our eyes, see pitchers before they happen, you know, just play sound defense. Everybody execute their 111. And I think we can have a whole defense success if everybody just be on the same page. Just having good eyes, playing uh good team football, you know, being where you're supposed to be, fitting the holes properly, you know, just feeding the blitzes, doing all that, and I feel like we can contain them guys.

3. WR Tre Richardson 

 Richardson has been the leading receiver for the Cardinals this season. He has 40 catches, 633 yards, and two touchdowns. He leads the team in catches and yards. Richardson just had his breakout performance of the season vs. Stanford. He finished with 10 catches and 140 yards. He also contributed on the ground, rushing for 49 yards on four carries.

Richardson has been a standout this season and a reliable target for Louisville. Georgia Tech ranks No.40 in pass defense this season, but has struggled, giving up big plays down the field. One of the positives is that they will have Daiquan White back, so it could help with that. However, they must find a way to slow down No.0, or it could be a long day for the Yellow Jackets.