University of Louisville
9-4 , 5-3
Washington
6-7 , 4-5
Cardinals Cap Season with Victory in Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
December 31, 2024 | Football
Antonio Watts broke up a two-point conversion attempt in the final seconds to secure the win.
Washington scored with nine seconds left to get within one, but Watts made the defensive play of the day to preserve the victory.
Making his first start in a Louisville uniform, quarterback Harrison Bailey finished 16-of-25 passing for 164 yards and a career-best three touchdowns. Caullin Lacy scored a touchdown rushing and receiving in his first game in more than two months.
Tamarion McDonald and Jordan Guerad led the Louisville defense with six tackles apiece, with Guerad notching a pair of TFLs. The Cardinals finished the day with 10 tackles for loss and five sacks.
Louisville Head Coach Jeff Brohm said:
"I want to thank the bowl committee and the bowl for having us as a team. We really had a great five days here – a lot of great activities, a lot of things to really see the city which we all enjoyed. They do a great job. I really have to give them a lot of credit. I thought the atmosphere of the bowl game and the stadium was great to play in. A lot of our guys have not been here before, so it was great to play Washington here. I give Washington a lot of credit. They fought to the end as well and made the game close. It was back and forth. Luckily, at the end our guys made one more play than they did. I'm proud of our guys. There were some new faces mixed in with some veterans, but they played hard to the end and while it wasn't perfect, that's what happens when you play a good football team. You have to just play hard, keep playing to the end and hope that you come out with one more point than they did and that's what we did."
How It Happened
First Quarter
12:15 – UL – Tahveon Nicholson returned an interception 21 yards for the opening score. Louisville 7, Washington 0
08:09 – UW – Demond Williams Jr. and Giles Jackson connected for a 40-yard touchdown. 3 plays, 57 yards, 1:25. Louisville 7, Washington 7
00:27 – UL – Caullin Lacy dove across the goalline for a 9-yard touchdown reception from Harrison Bailey. 5 plays, 32 yards, 2:50. Louisville 14, Washington 7
Second Quarter
08:10 – UW – Giles Jackson scored on a 49-yard touchdown pass from Demond Williams Jr. 1 play, 49 yards, 0:07. Louisville 14, Washington 14
04:34 – UL – Harrison Bailey hit Antonio Meeks for a 28-yard score. 7 plays, 79 yards, 3:25. Louisville 21, Washington 14
00:51 – UW – Demond Williams Jr. scrambled for a 7-yard touchdown. 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:43. Louisville 21, Washington 21
Third Quarter
04:46 – UL – Harrison Bailey hit a wide open Nate Kurisky for a 21-yard touchdown strike. 10 plays, 87 yards, 5:19. Louisville 28, Washington 21
02:07 – UL – Caullin Lacy took a handoff around the edge for an 8-yard score. 2 plays, 62 yards, 0:52. Louisville 35, Washington 21
Fourth Quarter
03:42 – UW – Demond Williams Jr. and Giles Jackson linked up again, this time for a 31-yard touchdown pass. 13 plays, 97 yards, 6:10. Louisville 35, Washington 28
00:09 – UW – Demond Williams Jr. hit Giles Jackson for a 1-yard touchdown. Antonio Watts broke up the two-point conversion attempt. 11 plays, 62 yards, 2:29. Louisville 35, Washington 34
Up Next
The Cardinals finish the 2024 season with a 9-4 overall record, winning at least nine games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2012-14.
Team Stats
UOL 7, UOW 0
UOL - Nicholson,Tahveon 0 yd interception (Travelstead,Brock kick)
UOL 7, UOW 7
UOW - Jackson,Giles 40 yd pass from Williams Jr.,Demond (Gross,Grady kick) 3 plays, 57 yards, TOP 01:25
UOL 14, UOW 7
UOL - Lacy,Caullin 9 yd pass from Bailey,Harrison (Travelstead,Brock kick) 5 plays, 32 yards, TOP 02:50
UOL 14, UOW 14
UOW - Jackson,Giles 49 yd pass from Williams Jr.,Demond (Gross,Grady kick) 1 plays, 49 yards, TOP 00:07
UOL 21, UOW 14
UOL - Meeks,Antonio 28 yd pass from Bailey,Harrison (Travelstead,Brock kick) 7 plays, 79 yards, TOP 03:25
UOL 21, UOW 21
UOW - Williams Jr.,Demond 7 yd run (Gross,Grady kick), 10 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:43
UOL 28, UOW 21
UOL - Kurisky,Nate 21 yd pass from Bailey,Harrison (Travelstead,Brock kick) 10 plays, 87 yards, TOP 05:19
UOL 35, UOW 21
UOL - Lacy,Caullin 8 yd run (Travelstead,Brock kick), 2 plays, 62 yards, TOP 00:52
UOL 35, UOW 28
UOW - Jackson,Giles 31 yd pass from Williams Jr.,Demond (Gross,Grady kick) 13 plays, 97 yards, TOP 06:10
UOL 35, UOW 34
UOW - Jackson,Giles 1 yd pass from Williams Jr.,Demond () 11 plays, 62 yards, TOP 02:29
