TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
MIAMI (AP) — James Quick caught two touchdown passes from Will Gardner 45 seconds apart late in the first half, Gerod Holliman ran one of his two interceptions back for another score and Louisville topped Florida International 34-3 on Saturday night.
Quick finished with 174 yards — 111 of them on the TD grabs — on seven catches for the Cardinals (3-1), who got a touchdown run from L.J. Scott.
Gardner threw for 295 yards, but he and Scott both left the game with injuries. Louisville led 28-0 late in the half, giving the Cardinals what was 100 unanswered points in the series after topping FIU 72-0 last season.
Austin Taylor kicked a 28-yard field goal for FIU (1-3). Starting quarterback Alex McGough left in the third quarter after his third turnover of the night.
Kickoff was delayed 1 hour, 5 minutes because of severe weather in the area.
The Cardinals used a fourth-down conversion to keep their first drive going, a 10-play, 58-yard stretch that Scott capped with a 1-yard burst that opened the scoring.
They didn’t need much more help the rest of the way.
Holliman jumped a short route to intercept a pass from McGough and went 32 yards unbothered for a touchdown, the first time FIU’s true freshman quarterback was picked off this season.
For good measure, Holliman got McGough again on his very next throw as well.
Quick caught a 74-yard pass from Gardner late in the half to blow things open, and after a three-and-out where Louisville burned time-outs to keep the FIU possession to a mere 29 seconds, Quick and Gardner connected again — this time from 37 yards, pushing the Cardinals’ lead to 28-0.
E.J. Hilliard replaced McGough with 12:03 left in the third quarter, one series after McGough was hit from behind and fumbled the ball away. Hillard completed 8 of 12 passes for 70 yards, while McGough was 5-for-13 for 47 yards.
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