Photo by: Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics
Cards Excited About Special Teams Heading into Conference Play
September 24, 2025 | Football
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville football team remained undefeated after last weekend's 40-17 win over Bowling Green, and the success of the special teams units have helped the Cards remain optimistic heading into Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference opener at Pittsburgh.
"The biggest thing is the players that we have on special teams. We don't just have freshman and backups on those units, but we use them to get those guys playing time and experience," said Special Teams Coordinator Karl Maslowski.
The Cards kickers' room has come up big so far this season, including multiple records set last week by the duo of Cooper Ranvier and Nick Keller.
Keller set a new school record for longest field goal with a 57-yarder, breaking Brock Travelstead's previous record of 56 yards set last year against Notre Dame. Ranvier improved to 6-of-6 on the season, becoming the first Louisville kicker to make the first six field goal attempts of his career.
"We've got selfless guys that are working hard and just waiting for their opportunity, and then that forces the other guys to fight to keep their jobs," Maslowski noted. "I think we've showed in years past that we use multiple guys."
Wide receiver Caullin Lacy has drastically impacted the return game so far this year, as he has shown his explosiveness can turn any given play into a touchdown.
"I've never seen anything like [his vision]. He's talented, and it's been awesome to see. He has a great attitude about it," mentioned Maslowski.
Lacy's 75-yard punt return touchdown last week made him the first player in program history to have two punt returns of 75 yards in a season. His 106 total punt return yards against Bowling Green also made him the first Cardinal to have two career games with at least 100 yards in punt returns.
"The other part is he breaks tackles. I think that's what makes him so much more effective than a lot of returners that are just fast," Maslowski stated. "He sees it, he's brave, he breaks tackles, and it's been fun to see."
Lacy, Ranvier, and Keller seek to continue making a weekly impact on the game through special teams and hope to be the spark that the team needs as Louisville enters the tougher part of their schedule.
The Cards will now prepare for their first conference game as they also hit the road the first time this season at Pittsburgh this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN 2.
"The biggest thing is the players that we have on special teams. We don't just have freshman and backups on those units, but we use them to get those guys playing time and experience," said Special Teams Coordinator Karl Maslowski.
The Cards kickers' room has come up big so far this season, including multiple records set last week by the duo of Cooper Ranvier and Nick Keller.
Keller set a new school record for longest field goal with a 57-yarder, breaking Brock Travelstead's previous record of 56 yards set last year against Notre Dame. Ranvier improved to 6-of-6 on the season, becoming the first Louisville kicker to make the first six field goal attempts of his career.
"We've got selfless guys that are working hard and just waiting for their opportunity, and then that forces the other guys to fight to keep their jobs," Maslowski noted. "I think we've showed in years past that we use multiple guys."
Wide receiver Caullin Lacy has drastically impacted the return game so far this year, as he has shown his explosiveness can turn any given play into a touchdown.
"I've never seen anything like [his vision]. He's talented, and it's been awesome to see. He has a great attitude about it," mentioned Maslowski.
Lacy's 75-yard punt return touchdown last week made him the first player in program history to have two punt returns of 75 yards in a season. His 106 total punt return yards against Bowling Green also made him the first Cardinal to have two career games with at least 100 yards in punt returns.
"The other part is he breaks tackles. I think that's what makes him so much more effective than a lot of returners that are just fast," Maslowski stated. "He sees it, he's brave, he breaks tackles, and it's been fun to see."
Lacy, Ranvier, and Keller seek to continue making a weekly impact on the game through special teams and hope to be the spark that the team needs as Louisville enters the tougher part of their schedule.
The Cards will now prepare for their first conference game as they also hit the road the first time this season at Pittsburgh this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ESPN 2.
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