Louisville football at UCF: Betting line, 3 things to know for Week 2

Louisville football's season began with a 31-7 loss to Syracuse. The Cardinals are on the road to play University of Central Florida at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. UCF is 31 in a row at home, including this year's 56-10 win over South Carolina State.

Ricky Barber is a former three-star recruit who transferred to UCF in 2021. Ricky Barber missed last year's game against his hometown team Louisville. UCf returns its whole secondary, including 2023 NFL draft prospect Davonte Brown. Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste returns as one of the most experienced players at the linebacker spot. Savannah State transfer Walter Yates had a solid debut for the Knights with seven tackles in the season opener.

Louisville's defense has a problem with tackling. Syracuse produced big plays thanks to missed tackles. Louisville's defensive coordinator Bryan Brown wants to correct the mistakes. The task will be harder against UCF's faster and better quarterback John Rhys Plumlee. He had 100 yards rushing and 308 passing yards in the Knights' 56-10 win over South Carolina State.

Tyler Hudson was the leading receiver for Louisville. Ahmari Huggins-Bruce was second-leading receiver with 62 yards on three receptions. Tight end Marshon Ford was next with 12 yards. The team's only touchdown came from running back Tiyon Evans. Louisville's offensive coordinator Lance Taylor said the team needs to find different ways to distribute the ball.

Louisville football plays UCF in the second game of the season. UCf won the first game 30-24. The Cardinals need to improve on their performance against Syracuse.