Coach Satterfield and his staff took on the Louisville rebuild head-on and it didn’t take long for them to put their stamp on the program in 2019. In an offseason facing a global pandemic that changed everything and with the nation’s social injustice struggles to play out right in their backyard the mission hasn’t wavered. They have continued to meet all of the challenges head-on and are ready to send out a Louisville team that just might end up being one of the best yet.

Louisville had the biggest turnaround in college football in 2019 with a six-game improvement in wins scoring 33.1 points a game (2nd in ACC). There are lots of big expectations on this Louisville team for 2020. Some even think the Cardinals can get to the ACC Championship Game. I also think this team has a chance to be really good.

It all starts with three of the most explosive players in college football QB Micale Cunningham (2547 yards with 28 touchdown receptions, and school record 194.5 QB efficiency rating last season), RB Javian Hawkins (1525 yards rushing with 9 touchdowns 2nd in ACC last season), and WR Tutu Atwell (1276 and 12 touchdowns leading the ACC last season). It’s been a long time since Louisville has had a triple threat like this on the offensive side of the ball.

And when you throw in guys like WR Dez Fitzpatrick (has recorded 106 receptions for 1,756 yards and 18 touchdowns during his career and averages 16.6 yards a reception), and tight end Marshon Ford (caught 20 passes for 292 yards leading the ACC in receiving touchdowns by a tight end last season) this is going to be an offensive group that will really put pressure on opposing defenses with their vertical threat.

Nine of Louisville’s 10 assistant coaches return for their second season in 2020. With the stability and consistency in the coaching staff, we should also continue to see improvement along the offensive line, special teams, and the defense. This is the first time in the past 5 seasons that these units have had the same coaching staff. The defense is going to need some work after giving up 33.4 points per game last year, but with seven starters back should be better. Linebackers C.J. Avery and Rodjay Burns started all 13 contests as did cornerback Chandler Jones and defensive end Tabarius Peterson. Linebacker CJ Avery is poised for a big season after a team-leading 93 tackles last season.

Western Kentucky did well in a very competitive Conference USA last season, finishing better than they had been expected to. They’ve got some playmakers at the skill positions also and will have a very competitive team on the field Saturday night.

With the limited practice time and all of the challenges due to the COVID virus, college football teams will have to get their game legs under them early on. I think that once this Louisville team finds it’s groove we are going to be in for a fun and exciting season. Even if we have to watch from home. I’m just glad that we will be watching our Cardinals play again. At times I didn’t think it would happen. Enjoy it and stay safe. Go Cardinals…

After a much-needed bye week, the Cardinals are back in ACC play on Saturday afternoon at Cardinal Stadium. Depth was a big concern heading into the season and in my opinion cost this team that win against Florida State. So it’s good to get some of these guys healed and rested up. Louisville Football hasn’t won a conference game since November of 2017. This weekend is a great opportunity to break that streak.

The Louisville defense had looked impressive in the first three games of the year, holding opponents to an average of 18.7 points per game and 285.0 total yards in those games. They did struggle a bit allowing the Seminoles to score 35 points and gain 522 yards of total offense. While Boston College doesn’t have the athletes FSU does they still have some playmakers.

Boston College QB Anthony Brown has thrown for 1,057 yards and eight scores this season. And he spreads the love around. Eight different players caught a pass for them last week. And folks AJ Dillon is back for his junior season. Remember him? He had 272 yards and 4 TDs on his last visit to Cardinal Stadium on his way to the ACC Rookie of the year back in 2017. He didn’t play against us last year due to an ankle injury. He currently ranks fourth in the nation with an average of 125.4 yards per game. He has rushed for 627 yards and six touchdowns this season.

Dillon will face a much improved Louisville defense on Saturday. After finishing near the bottom in total defense last season, the Cardinals are the 45th-ranked overall defensive team in the country and rank 45th in rushing defense this season.

Khane Pass recorded a career-high 12 tackles, while linebacker C.J. Avery added nine stops and a sack in the last game holding FSU running back Cam Akers to 112 yards. Below his average. I still worry about depth issues especially in the 4th quarter with this unit but Coach Brown will have them up for this challenge.

The Cardinals have a pretty good rushing attack of their own led by Javian Hawkins. He has been a spark plug for the offense averaging 97.5 yards a game. The Cardinals enter this week 22nd in the country and second in the ACC in rushing offense. They can also go vertical with great playmakers like TuTu Atwell and Dez Fitzpatrick. Nationally, the Cardinals rank in the top 15 in plays of 30 or more yards while ranking fifth with five plays of 50 yards or more and eighth with three of 60 yards or better.

How good was it to see Fitzpatrick get back in the groove against FSU? He recorded the third 100-yard receiving game of his career, with seven receptions for 133 yards and that 74-yard bomb. That circus catch was the longest of his career. Hope this is a sign of things to come. We need Sixpatrick. Gonna need him Saturday.

The Louisville offense has been pretty balanced averaging 212.2 yards per game through the air and 225.2 yards on the ground. I think they’ll have to be really effective in the ground game Saturday and continue to take those big shots down the field when they can. That might not be as easy against the BC defense.

While Eagles are allowing an average of 438.6 yards of total offense this season, including 183.0 yards on the ground. They are third in the nation with eight interceptions. Their DBs are very active. DB Mike Palmer leads them with two picks on the season. This BC defense has taken it’s licks this season. But there are still some capable bodies. They played much better last week and I expect them to play out of their minds Saturday. That’s how it goes right.

We can talk about guys making plays and individual performances all day long. I don’t think execution will be a problem this season. Reality is this. Coach Satterfield has played nine former walk-ons, including five who have started games this season. And has played 5 true freshmen. Depth is going to be an issue all season. More so on defense than offense. This coaching staff has worked magic moving guys around but it is what it is. Gonna lose games because of this alone.

In saying that Saturday should not be one of those games. Depth should not be an issue coming off a bye week and pound for pound Louisville has the better athletes in this matchup. This team has us all emotionally invested again. They even have the guys in Vegas invested again. Louisville enters the Boston College game as the biggest favorite it has been vs. a Power 5 opponent since the 2017 season. We are all invested. Now make us believe.

The team is wearing some awesome Ali themed uniforms to honor the great one on Saturday. One of my favorite Ali quotes “Don’t count the days; make the days count.” The Cardinals need to make this game count. I think it’s a must-win to keep things moving in the right direction. Lose this one and I think things could go in the other direction.

The Louisville offense found another gear taking out Eastern KY 42-0 and Western KY 38-21. Benefitting from some big passing plays in their win last weekend they’ve now scored 80 points across their last two games.

We’ve seen different offensive players breakout in the games with FSU. I go back as far as Dave Ragone and Joshua Tinch. Ragone completed 15 of 27 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tinch was Louisville’s leading receiver with 101 yards on 5 receptions in that program defining win in 2002.

And most recently was the Heisman performance of Lamar Jackson in 2016. Jackson ran for 146 yards and four touchdowns. He threw for 216 and another. Don’t think any of us will forget that performance and College Gameday win against FSU.

Now a new group of Cardinals hopes to leave their mark in this game. Malik Cunningham posted 119 yards and two scores in the backup role last week. Even tho Jawon Pass is expected back on Saturday I think we’ll see Cunningham on the field in some capacity.

Javian Hawkins led the rush with 93 yards and a score. TuTu Atwell led the receiving corps with 141 yards and three TDs on four grabs last weekend. I can guarantee these guys will play a role in the outcome on Saturday.

The Cardinals are sixth in the nation in scrimmage plays of over 50 yards with four, and 11th in the nation in plays of 40+ and 30+ with six and 10, respectively. Tutu Atwell is tied for the national lead with three plays of over 40 yards and is tied for third with a pair of 50-yard plays from scrimmage. Javian Hawkins is tied for first in the country with three runs of over 40 yards in the first three games this year.

The defense will also be key… Without the Anthony Floyd interception of Chris Rix’s pass in the overtime in 2002 and Jaire Alexander’s big plays in 2016 we might be talking about different outcomes of those games.

The Louisville defense has looked impressive in the first three games of the year, holding opponents to an average of 18.7 points per game and 285.0 total yards per game. The Cardinals held the Colonels to just 74 yards in the second half, including just six passing yards after the half.

A new group of defensive guys is also looking to leave their mark on this game. Russ Yeast and Chandler Jones have solidified the Louisville secondary this season. Yeast and Jones are tied for fourth on the squad with 12 tackles. Up front linebacker Rodjay Burns continues to excel in Bryan Brown’s defensive scheme. Burns is tied for first on the team with C.J. Avery and Khane Pass with 16 tackles this season. Look for these names to come up a lot if the Cards are having some success on Saturday.

This game Saturday afternoon will basically boil down to speed on speed. The Cardinals will be facing some really good opposing players. FSU QB James Blackman has thrown for 843 yards and nine scores in the first three games and is completing 68.2 percent of his throws.

Tamorrion Terry is their top receiver with 14 receptions for 234 yards and one score, while Cam Akers has already rushed for 387 yards in the first three contests, an average of 129.0 per game. Like Louisville, this FSU team can put up points fast and I think the Cards will have to absorb an initial explosion.

FSU defense not so much. They are near the bottom of the national statistics in total defense, allowing 485.0 yards of total offense and 37.0 points per game to start the season. Cory Durden leads the Seminoles with 2.5 sacks, while free safety Ham-sah Nasirildeen is the team’s top tackler with 28.

Like many of you, I have been impressed with the last couple of weeks and a bit surprised. I think most of us hoped that these guys would play hard for the new staff but didn’t expect this level of play so early. The Cardinals are heading into Tallahassee with some newfound pop. These games against FSU have been transformational over the years. A win Saturday would mean a lot to this groups progression and a potential Bowl bid.

Louisville’s last road win in the ACC was a 31-28 victory at Florida State on Oct. 21, 2017. I really like our chances. Think these are programs going in very different directions. Win or lose I’m just looking forward to seeing what this team has for the ACC. Enjoy it, folks! Go Cards!

Coach Satterfield shied away from any questions about records or a Bowl trip saying that he “was just focused on getting better each day”. Getting better each day is what this program and these players have been doing since this staff walked thru the door. Better on and off the football field. Several players today mentioning their skill as football players getting better and becoming better people in the process.

The new coaching staff has appealed to these guys softer sides. They want their players to be warriors when they step on the chalk but also want them to be happy people. The guys seemed happy today. The mood was very light, and you can feel the culture change in the air.

Robert Hicks is a guy who barely got his feet wet last season. He finished with 24 tackles and 2 tackles for loss. This dude really stood out to me today. He is a beast physically. This guy will thrive under Coach Brown and I expect him to be one of leaders on this team in both tackles and tackles for loss this season.

Glad I got a chance to talk with Puma Pass today. I really wanted to echo to him that the fan base never left his side. He is the only player whose last name isn’t Brohm that I’ve ever seen the Louisville fan base be so excited to see in a High School game. Sure, it worked out that he was playing in Georgia the night before the Auburn game but still hundreds of folks showed up that night at Creekside High school. I am horrible at the interviewing stuff. I usually get all tangled up in my words, but I made an attempt to relay this to Puma. One of the TV folks looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. Ugh! At least it came from the heart. I try my best.

I’m also glad I got a chance to mix some words with Dez Fitzpatrick. He is by far one of the most well-spoken and put together young men that I have ever interviewed. He had me walking out of Media Days last year thinking we were going to beat Alabama. I mentioned that to him today and he chuckled. I also talked to him about the relationship he has with his dad “Coach Fitz” and how much he leaned on him last year when things were tough. Dez is a smart kid and he gets it. I think we will see him return to form this season.

I have asked the last three offensive line coaches about their guys coming out and hitting the other team in the mouth and being violent… Coach Ledford gave the best answer of all three. This is a football guy.

Offensive Line Coach and Offensive Coordinator Dwayne Ledford at Louisville Media Day:

Here are some other interviews and photos from Media Day 2019… It was a good day overall and I’m more excited than I was for the new season to start. 22 Days folks! L’s Up!

Defensive Coordinator Bryan Brown at Media Day:

Seth Dawkins Louisville Media Day 2019:

Former Trinity star Rodjay Burns at Media Day:

Coach Ledford raved about this guy… Tyler Haycraft Louisville Media Day 2019:

Devante Peete keeps it real at Media Day:

It has been a long time since I’ve sat thru one like that. I had almost forgotten how bad things can get. As fans, we’ve come a long way since the “The Kragthorpe experiment”. Now if we get a whiff of that type of apathy we lose our minds. It really did scar us. Bobby Petrino is 77-31 as the Louisville head coach and has won over 71% of his games here. He’s 21-14 winning 69% of his ACC games since his return. He has a rough start to this season and we are calling for his head.

Are we jumping the gun here? Is it realistic to think that Bobby would only get one bad season before he was fired? If Ron Cooper and “The Kragthorpe experiment” got three seasons of horrible football isn’t the guy who had us on the doorstep of a National Title entitled to one bad season?

Like I mentioned above I’m scarred. I’m in the ”cut your losses now” camp. I just don’t see the same fire in Coach Petrino’s eyes anymore. He has been a great football coach for us but I’m feeling like it’s time for him to go hang with the grandkids. Move on gracefully. But that isn’t going to happen and I don’t think he’ll get fired either. Even if the Cards can’t get things turned around this season that’s just not in the Cards. His buyout is absurd and he will get a mulligan.

I’m willing to give him that mulligan but would like to see Coach Petrino and this team turn things around this season. The buzz has been good around the program considering. Players seem motivated to get things back on track and even talking a little smack this week with Tu-Tu Atwell calling Boston College’s defense slow. I love the moxie of this true Freshman and this team is full of young guys with this fiery attitude.

Maybe this cake is just taking a little longer to bake. We have just reached the midpoint of this season. Is a reboot in the Cards?

The offense is trending upwards outcome of the games be damned. After a slow start, the Cardinals are finding their stride in the last two weeks. They have averaged 452.0 yards per game in the last two losses. In dropping a game to Georgia Tech last week, the Cardinals totaled a season-best 483 yards, including 370 yards through the air. The Cardinals tied their season high for points with 31 equaling their output In the Indiana State game.

We’ve got some young offensive players trending upward as well. Tu-Tu Atwell is leading the team with an 18.8 yards per catch average the fourth-highest total among freshmen nationally. In the last two games, Atwell has caught six passes for 132 yards and two scores, averaging 22.0 yards per catch. He had a career-long 53-yard catch against Florida State. Hassan Hall totaled 194 all-purpose yards in the loss to Georgia Tech. That’s the most all purpose yards by a true freshman since Lamar Jackson had 226 all-purpose yards in the 2015 Music City Bowl. Hall carried the ball five times for 23 yards and caught a personal high four catches for 33 yards.

Puma has excelled in his last two starts, going 47 for 80 for 605 yards and four touchdowns. And he didn’t throw an interception for the first time this season in the last game. In the last three games, Dez Fitzpatrick has caught 13 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 12.7 yards a reception. After catching eight passes in the first four games, Jaylen Smith is second on the team with 16 receptions for a team-high 266 yards and one score. He ranks 69th nationally with his 16.6 yards per catch average. Rodjay Burns has provided a spark in the return game. The Louisville native ranks ninth nationally and is second in the ACC in punt return average, posting a 16.4 yards per return mark.

The offense is showing some signs of life. It is the Louisville Defense that will have to get it together for this team to turn things around. The Yellow Jackets hung six rushing touchdowns on the Cards last Friday, averaging a whopping 8.3 yards per play. The defense has some hungry guys. P.J. Blue is starting to make an impact. In the last three games as a starter, Blue has been credited with 19 stops.
Khane Pass and Nick Okeke are both coming off of their best games of the season with 8 tackles each in the last outing.

We’ve got some guys to make plays on defense but they have to be put in the right situations for that to happen. This is where the disconnect is right now. Louisville has not recorded a sack in the last two games, and through six games, the Cardinals have only registered two interceptions in 131 pass attempts. Through six games, the Cardinals are -9 in turnover margin turning the ball over 14 times, while just causing four miscues.
Will VanGorder be able to close this gap?

Louisville fans are losing their minds right now. But here at the midway point, we all need to take a collective breath. A total of 14 freshmen have made their collegiate debuts this season and the Cardinals are playing the 2018 season with one of the nation’s smallest senior classes with just 11 dotting the roster. It’s not like we are playing with house money folks.

I think this season can still be salvaged and the reboot can start on Saturday in Boston.
Go Cards!

Coach Petrino said in his weekly press conference: ”we went back and watched the Alabama game and we played harder and faster versus Alabama than we did at Virginia.”
I think they played harder and faster in that Alabama game than in any game they ’ve played this season. This Louisville Football team landed in Orlando world Beaters and I think it was too much too fast for the Psych of this young and rather inexperienced group.

I think this Coaching staff believed and I think this team believed in themselves. I’d never seen a more confident group in my six years doing Media Day. Taking the loss the way they did to Alabama not only derailed this team it also derailed this coaching staff. This is one of those times when playing a Goliath right out of the gate backfired.

This team would have benefited from opening up against an FCS program like Indiana State. This team needed to ease their way into the season but they were thrust head-on into a steamroller. I’m not making excuses for them. I really believe this. Bama broke us… The question now is what is the coaching staff going to do to fix us. Can they fix it?

The Cardinals have also had their fair share of bad luck with key guys going down with injuries on both sides of the ball. Three of the best defensive players have missed time. And the running backs have been banged up. Just when Dae Wiliams started to show glimpses of being that dominant player everyone was clamoring over at Spring practice a few years ago he suffered a deep thigh bruise. Another set back for a guy who has had a few of them.

There are reports of a coming to Jesus moment this week in preparation for Florida State. Coach Summers believes his O-Line has figured things out again, and there was word of a team meeting. I think it’s important for this team to get their mind right but they’ll also have to figure out how to score with just 17 points in the two losses. The Louisville defense hasn’t been great but they haven’t been horrible all things considered. If the offense could give them a little run support who knows.

Florida State’s season has gone pretty much the same way. They have had key injuries on both sides of the ball. Their offensive line has really suffered. And it shows in the win/loss column. The Seminoles’ two losses have come against good team defense in Syracuse and Virginia Tech, which might explain why they only put up 10 points between the pair of outings.

There are so many resources in Tallahassee and they have a young guy in Willie Taggart who is going to figure it out pretty quick. I just hope it’s another few weeks before he does. I look for him to use those tight end sets and try to pound the ball against a banged up Louisville Defensive front. Cam Akers led the rush attack last week for them with 22 carries for 64 yards and a TD. We might get Robert Hicks and Dorian Ethridge back. But will they be 100%?

Who knows what the Louisville offense will look like on Saturday. The weather in Louisville has been more consistent than Coach Petrino’s playbook. If things start to go south we could see all 3 Louisville QB’s. I wouldn’t mind seeing Jordan Travis get a shot if Puma doesn’t find his groove. Who knows when we will ever see the Louisville receivers show up again. I think those Bama DB’s pulled some mortal combat shit and stole their souls.

I’m ready to rally around the Louisville Football team. I’ve been ready to rally around them. They have to throw us a bone on Saturday. A fan base usually has a pretty weak Psyche as well. I don’t know how much more Louisville Football fans can take. Lose this game and things could officially go off the rails. But come out and beat a quality program in FSU and it could be just what the Dr. Ordered to get this team back on track.