Teddy Bridgewater threw two first-quarter touchdown passes to help Louisville jump out to an early lead over Syracuse and the physical Cardinals defense did the rest in a 27-10 win over the Orange on Saturday at Papa John’s Stadium.

Louisville (4-4, 2-1 Big East) and its 14th-ranked defense silenced a Syracuse offense that looked unstoppable scoring 49 points last week in a win over West Virginia. The Cardinals consistently mixed up blitz packages and jammed receivers off the line. The aggressive gamble paid off, as the Cardinals won consecutive conference games for the first time since 2006.

The win also helped separate Louisville from the middle of the pack in the Big East. Syracuse (5-3, 1-2 Big East), meanwhile, must find consistency if it hopes to return to the Big East title race. Orange quarterback Ryan Nassib was held out of the end zone until a late fourth-quarter touchdown drive.

Louisville's defense was led by Dexter Heyman’s 2.5 tackles for a loss and a sack. Trailing 14-3 at half, the Orange were forced to punt on each of their first four second half possessions, causing a normally level-headed Nassib to slam his helmet on the sidelines.

Louisville received an emotional a pre-game visit from cornerback Anthony Conner, who broke his neck in last week’s win over Rutgers. Victor Anderson, a close friend of Conner’s, dashed for 61-yard touchdown with 10:32 remaining to seal the win.