Heading to the game today I had high hopes for how the Cardinals would perform in the Governor’s Cup. And although it was a hard fought victory I came away feeling like this team has some work to do. Stoops and company did exactly what I had expected they would. They loaded the box to stop the run and took their chances with Teddy and the Louisville receivers. Their game plan was working like a charm through the first half but then an injury to one of their key players mixed things up. When Defensive tackle Donte Rumph went down it opened up a hole in the second half and the Cards running backs took advantage of it, especially Senorise Perry who had 100 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. Dyer also had a pretty good day with 62 yards. That injury really was a big momentum shift in this game. When the Cards got things going in the ground game it opened up some stuff through the air. Teddy and company didn’t have the explosive day I thought they would but still respectable. Teddy finished with 250 yards and one touchdown, Damian Copeland had 81 yards and DeVante Parker had 50 yards with one touchdown.
I think everyone came into the day expecting to see Louisville’s high powered offense dominate the day but it was the defenses of both teams that were the story. The Cards did allow 3-4 on 4th down conversions but only allowed the Cats 17 first downs on 0-13 3rd down conversions. The Wildcats not being able to convert third downs really dashed any shot they had of pulling this upset. And give the Wildcats defensive line credit. They controlled the line of scrimmage in the first half and really grounded a very good Louisville offense. When you hold Teddy under 300 yards your defense has had a good day.
The Cards keep the Governor’s Cup for the third consecutive year and more importantly move to 3-0 on this early season. The game today proves that they still have some work to do. The offensive line, and special teams are areas that really stand out to me. But hey I’ll let Coach Strong and his staff worry about that. I’m just gonna enjoy having an undefeated football team for another week and hopefully will see the Cards take another step up in the polls. It was another great day to be a Louisville Cardinal fan.
Enjoy some of the sights and sounds from today:
