Louisville uses backup plan to beat Bowling Green

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville entered Saturday's game against Bowling Green a little banged up on offense, but the Cardinals found backup options that still could come up big. Keyjuan Brown ran for two touchdowns, and Caullin Lacy had his best game with the Cardinals (3-0), who rolled to a 40-17 victory Saturday over the Falcons (2-2). Brown, a redshirt sophomore listed third on the depth chart, ran 12 times for 84 yards and got the bulk of the workload in the backfield. The team announced at the kickoff that starting running back Isaac Brown and top receiver Chris Bell were limited in practice, and second-string running back Duke Watson likely would not play. After the game, Louisville coach Jeff Brohm admitted his team was "a little short in some areas that we didn't broadcast" during the week. Lacy returned a punt 75 yards for another score, which atoned for a muffed return that led to a first-quarter field goal for the Falcons (2-2). Bell's limitations allowed Lacy to get more involved in the passing game. He caught eight passes for 97 yards, his highest totals since coming to Louisville last season from South Alabama, and finished with 268 all-purpose yards. "I think we're lucky that we have a multitude of skilled players that can go out there and make plays, and I think that was on display today," said Louisville quarterback Miller Moss, who threw for 316 yards on 23-of-32 passing. The Louisville defense picked off Falcons quarterback Drew Pyne twice inside the 50 in the first half as the hosts led 21-3 at halftime. Pyne finished 12-of-22 passing for 131 yards and a fourth-quarter score. The Falcons ran for a season-high 190 yards, with backup quarterback Lucian Anderson III getting a 75-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter. The takeaway Bowling Green: There were some positives the Falcons could take out of the lopsided loss. One in particular was the offensive line, which kept the Louisville defense that had 10 sacks in its first two games away from Pyne on Saturday. "We knew up front would be a challenge," Falcons coach Eddie George said. "We wanted to get the ball out of his hands in a hurry." Louisville: The Cardinals dominated a lesser foe but definitely missed out on a bigger win. They outgained Bowling Green 452-321 but settled for four field goals on five second-half scoring drives. They also were 4-for-11 on third downs, 2-for-7 in the second half. Louisville special teams special Lacy's punt return score was his second of the season, and he became the first Louisville player with two punt return touchdowns of at least 75 yards. Kicker Nick Keller set a school record with a 57-yard field goal with 2:24 left in the third quarter, and teammate Cooper Ranvier added three more, becoming the first to start his Louisville career making his first six attempts. "Special teams have been giving us a great edge, and that's a huge plus," Brohm said. Up next Bowling Green plays next Saturday at Ohio. Louisville travels to Pittsburgh next Saturday. __ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football