– The Quest for perfection rolls on

Our Louisville Cardinals are 9-0 (4-0 Big East) and Cardinal Nation is “On the Train.” This weekend the train rolls into the Carrier Dome and the Cards quest for a perfect season continues as they face the Syracuse Orange 4-5 (3-2 Big East). The Orange are on a quest of their own as their backs are against the wall. With just three games left they need to win two for bowl eligibility.

Coach Strong: “Every game carries a lot of weight. This is a big road game. It’s a team that needs wins to be bowl eligible.”

Cuse comes into this game after suffering a 35-24 loss to conference rival Cincinnati last weekend. Syracuse fell apart late in the 3rd quarter and could not get anything going offensively down the stretch. Syracuse got 116 yards and a TD from running back Jerome Smith and Ryan Nassib threw for 286 yards and a TD. The Orange defense was really exposed as they gave up 165 yards and 3 TD’s to Cincy running back George Winn and despite holding quarterback Munchie Legaux in check, could not prevent the Bearcats from finding the end zone 5 times. Our Cards roll into this game after the most convincing win of the season with a 45-17 win over Temple. Our Cards dominated the game in all facets as they racked up 508 total yards and pitched a scoreless second half effort on defense. Teddy QB was 19-28 for 324 yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in a flawless performance. Jeremy Wright carried the ball 10 times for 100 yards and a TD, Wide receiver Andrell Smith had 2 TD’s, and Devante Parker also had a TD.

Coach Doug Marrone on UofL: “It’s the best team we will have played so far.”

Coach Doug Marrone on Teddy QB: “Even with the tough out-of-conference schedule, I would say Teddy Bridgewater is the best quarterback that we will face so far this season.”

Coach Doug Marrone on his QB: “We need him to stay within himself and not try to force things.”

Syracuse has not been a dominating home team in years, Senior Ryan Nassib has always put up good numbers, but been inconsistent in clutch situations, the team has no star running back, most of the top receivers are gone, and the lines are suspect. But they have played well of late and have the players capable of pulling off this upset. The Syracuse offense has been predictable in recent years, and to hang with our Cards they will need to open it up a bit. Not only will they have to establish their running game they will also need a solid effort in their passing attack. Their defense will also need a herculean effort and apply a lot of pressure on our offense. I feel very confident about our Cards chances in this one but looming in the back of my mind is that WVU game last year. Syracuse stunned then-No. 14 West Virginia in a Big East Friday night showdown 49-23 on ESPN last October. The Mountaineers entered the game averaging 40.8 points and 500-plus total yards. The Orange hadn’t scored that many points in the series since 1960, but thrilled its largest home crowd in three years (45,265) with the lopsided conference win.

Coach Strong: “This is a big game for us at Syracuse. I think back to last year when WVU was ranked and went into Syracuse and lost. We have to be ready.”

Coach Strong on Cuse offense: “On offense, they’re balanced and they have an outstanding QB. They want to establish the run but they can pass it.”

Coach Strong on Cuse defense: They like to bring a lot of pressure. It will be a good test for us.”

Some trends to consider – Louisville is 14-4 against the spread in their last 18 road games and Syracuse is 3-10-1 against the spread in their last 14 games overall.

The bottom line is that this is going to be an emotional day for the Orange. This could be a pivotal game for their season and their head coach Doug Marrone. They have all types of gimmicks going on in the Carrier Dome on Saturday including the senior day ceremonies. But our Cards have took on every challenge this season. They have shown great resilience and I think Teddy QB will have another career performance in the dome setting. The train will keep rolling and our Cards will get the victory and move to 10-0.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 45 Syracuse 21