Daily Archives: September 7, 2015

Jawon Passes the Eye Test

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On Friday night down in Atlanta I made my way through an Armageddon type traffic situation to watch one of the most talented QB’s to commit to Louisville. I say one of because there have been several. When I finally made it to Creekside High School the players were on the field for their pre-game warm-ups and it was obvious who Jawon was without even seeing a jersey number. He stood out because he looked bigger and stronger than most of the kids on the field.

I read and evaluation that said Pass is like a ball of clay that just needed to be molded. Watching his game on Friday night I can tell you that there is a lot to work with here talent-wise. Right now he is a high school athlete who is playing quarterback, but when he gets to the next level he will have to learn how to be a quarterback who is a good athlete. He is a solid passer but there will be many fundamental changes that will have occur at the next level. Jawon possesses raw, untapped physical tools, and is a good player that has a very high ceiling for development.

I bet the coaches can’t wait to get this kid on campus to start coaching him through some of his technique deficiencies and turn him into a prime-time Quarterback. He certainly passed the eye test on Friday night and I came away also thinking about how good he will be in a few years. I can’t wait to see him in the red and black.

Wanted to also give a huge shout out to the Cardinal Nation who was there supporting this young man on Friday night. As I mentioned in the beginning the trip was anything but easy and still hundreds of folks made it. This will go a long way and will really show many of those other kids just how we support our athletes. There were several great players playing in that game Friday night and I can almost guarantee that the Cardinal Nation left an impression.

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Future Stars Emerge in Louisville Opener

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“In three weeks there won’t be much said about the Chick Fil A Kick-off Classic”, that’s what the CBS announcers said after the Chick Fil A Kick Off game. Maybe that will be true of the Auburn fans but Cardinal fans will more than likely remember it as the moment more great Louisville players emerged.

I remember back in 2011 on a September night in Commonwealth Stadium. Our Cardinals had lost four straight games to the arch rival Kentucky team, but on this night we would see a true freshman quarterback enter the game and take over, a Louisville running back who had a break out game, and a defensive line find it’s identity while completely dominating in the game. Yes this was against Kentucky (we know they are horrible) but this was a pivotal moment for the program and after this game our Cardinals never looked back with many years of success that have followed. We still haven’t lost a game to the guys in blue, and you can add a BCS bowl win in there along the way.

On Saturday our Cardinals had a very rough first half of football and ultimately lost a close game in the end but just like that game back on September 17th 2011 there were several future stars that emerged and I really think it was another pivotal moment. I don’t think this new group of Cardinals will look back. This time it could be a spot in the playoffs as a result.

The Cardinals played seven true freshman on Saturday Lamar Jackson, Jaire Alexander, Traveon Samuel, Geron Christian, Devante Peete, Jaylen Smith, and Kenny Thomas. All of these guys played hard and a few of them really stood out. Devante Peete had 3 catches for 60 yards and showed the ability to get open against a formidable defense. Jaylen Smith had 3 catches for 34 yards and he also showed some great separation speed and athleticism.

A stat I got from Howie Lindsey of Cardinal Sports.com 82% of Louisville’s receiving yards went to guys playing their first Louisville game. Peete had 60 yards, Smith had 34 yards, Samuel had 22 yards, Crum had 19 yards and Savage had 2 yards.

And there was the true freshman QB Lamar Jackson who came in and took over the game. He reeled off 100 yards through the air and 106 yards on the ground with 1 touchdown. Folks this guy is the future. Much like that night on September 17th 2011 when Teddy had his moment on Saturday Lamar Jackson had his.

My comments are well documented on Lamar Jackson and I even raved about him before the season started on the Afternoon Underdogs show. I knew what was coming and sure enough the moment is upon us. Get ready to watch this kid take his spot among some of the best to ever wear the red and white.

On defense Trumaine Washington had his first career start with a 7 tackle and one interception performance, and Josh Harvey-Clemons who had his first Cardinal Career start had 14 tackles with two interception performance. I’m really excited about this defense and there are a lot of guys who caught my attention but these two really stood out. I expect many more huge performances out of them.

Our Cardinals dominated in every statistical category on Saturday. 1st downs: Louisville 27, Auburn 21, Total Yards: Louisville 405, Auburn 327, Rushing: UofL 238, Auburn 190, Passing: UofL 167, Auburn 137 and led time of possession UofL 30:50, Auburn 29:10. We gave #6 in the Nation all they wanted and I like where the direction of this team is headed. We got to see many future stars emerge and it’s going to be a great season. I do think these guys turned a corner in the second half on Saturday and think we have a real shot at winning the ACC.

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