The 2016 Louisville Football season got off to a pretty good start last Thursday under the lights of Papa John’s Cardinal stadium. If the Cardinals can keep that momentum going into each week it could be a special season. The competition gets a little tougher this week with a Friday night trip to Syracuse.
These teams have had a pretty steady rivalry over the past 12 years. Louisville leads the overall series 8 to 6 and has won five out of the last six including two straight. The last time Cuse beat Louisville was in 2012 when the Orange handed the 9-0 Cardinals their first loss of the season and Ryan Nassib looked like John Elway in the 45-26 upset. That is also the last time they beat a Nationally ranked team. The Cards were #11 in the country. They pulled out all of the stops that day and are hoping to pull a similar upset this time around.
The Syracuse Football program has not been a model of consistency and has had three different coaches over the last 10 seasons. Finding the right guy for the job is not an easy thing to do but this time the Orange might have found their man in head coach Dino Babers.
Babers is a disciple of some the most creative offensive minds in the game. One of those guys is Mike Martz. You might remember the “Greatest Show on Turf”? It was once said about Martz that he was teaching so far ahead of what others were teaching. Dino Babers is trying to stay ahead of the game with his potent, fast pace, aggressive style of football and hopes to bring some of that “Greatest Show” to the turf of the Carrier Dome.
It will take Babers a while to get the players he wants for his system but the cupboard is far from bare at Cuse. They are among ACC teams Florida State and Louisville to return at least 90 percent of their rushing production and at least 85 percent of their receiving yardage from a year ago.
Leading their offensive unit is sophomore quarterback Eric Dungey. He played very well last week (34-of-40 for 355 yards). He is a heady QB who can sling it around or run it. His mobility is more than adequate. He’s got a few athletic and talented guys to toss it to in wide receivers Steve Ishmael (registered 1,000 career receiving yards last week), Ervin Philips (caught a school-record 14 balls last week), and Maryland transfer Amba Etta-Tawo (caught 12 passes for 210 yards last week, fifth-highest in Syracuse history). They have one of the most versatile players in the country in receiver and return specialist Brisly Estime.
They’ve also got some running power with backs Dontae Strickland, Jordan Fredericks and freshman Moe Neal. The biggest question mark on this unit is the offensive line. LT Cody Conway, LG Aaron Roberts and RT Jamar McGloster made their first career starts last week.
All I’ve heard this week is how the Louisville defense will have their hands full with the up tempo style offense. Coach Grantham and his guys spent the spring and fall chasing Lamar Jackson around on the football field so I don’t think they’ll have any trouble adjusting to the unorthodox style of “Babers Ball”.
The biggest challenge this week will fall on the shoulders of the Louisville defensive backs. Every wide receiver on Syracuse’s roster caught a pass last week. They are going to sling the ball around and will attack the entire football field. Josh Harvey Clemons will have an opportunity to record his first big game of the season. His versatility will be a good weapon to have Friday night. Devonte Fields, James Hearns and Keith Kelsey will need to put the pressure on Dungey and not let him get into a rhythm. While DeAngelo Brown holds down the run. At the end of the day the pressure of the Louisville defense will be a lot for the young inexperienced Cuse line to handle.
Lamar Jackson and the Louisville offense faced a hectic, blitzing style of defense last week but will face a more methodical approach this week. The Cuse defense will work with a zone mindset and look to get a big push up front with their line backers and defensive line. Their D-line is really young and unproven but the back seven is formidable. Their best players on this side of the ball are linebackers Zaire Franklin, free safety Antwan Cordy, and cornerback Corey Winfield.
Lamar Jackson and company should have no problems attacking the zone coverage. Overall there is more speed and athleticism on the Louisville side of the ball and more overall experience in general. Last season Cole Hikutini scored his first career touchdown against the Orange in route to a three catch, two score day. I think Cole will fit in nicely to the game plan this week and his success against Cuse will continue. I also think Staples and Quick have a big week.
The emotion of the “Oranged Out” Carrier Dome crowd and the excitement of their players will keep this game competitive throughout the first half, but eventually this game will be decided by big-time football players making big plays. The Cardinals have more of those big time football players and will make more of those big plays. This game won’t be a repeat of that 2012 meeting. I don’t see this Louisville team having that type of clunker. Cards win going away setting up a great showdown with FSU next weekend. Go Cards!
We are less than a week away from another year of Louisville Football. Expectations are high and the hype surrounding this year’s team has also reached new heights. It’s fun to see this type of excitement and it really adds to the anticipation of kick-off. The hype is great on many levels. It sends out a positive message to guys being recruited by the Cardinals, and also works as motivation to the guys taking the field this season.
But hype doesn’t have any longevity and as soon as the ball is in the air on Thursday night and the players get that first lick in the hype is over. As a fan the hype for this season has got me more ready than I’ve ever been to watch these guys play but it’s the heart of this team and of a few individual players that really puts a smile on my face. Unlike hype that heart will last and will help this team through the adversity of what will be a grueling schedule.
Before I dive in here I’d like to give you an example of heart over hype. I watch the UFC and have seen guys come in with a lot of heart work their way up through the ranks to the top of their division. Then comes the hype. Once the hype takes the place of heart it never fails to see the champion fall.
Everybody is born with a heart but not everyone has heart. Having heart is a deep personal drive for excellence and failure is not an option. Winning, being successful and a willingness to work hard to achieve that perfection is what having heart is all about.
With this Louisville team it starts at the top with Coach Bobby Petrino. One of the greatest offensive minds to ever coach in the college ranks. It was his hard work and guidance that took him to the top of his profession only to have the hype roll in and take it all away. But having faced that adversity only made Coach Petrino’s drive for excellence that much stronger. After leading the program to 17 wins the last two seasons while facing their toughest schedules in years and becoming bowl eligible for a 6th straight season He’s got that look in his eyes again and this time it’s heart over hype.
On the offensive side of the ball:
Reggie Bonnafon is the kind of player that every coach wants. Talk about a guy with a lot of heart. After losing his father he walked into Notre Dame Stadium and led the Cardinals to one of the biggest wins in program history. When he lost the QB job to Lamar Jackson he didn’t let that slow him down and vowed to contribute in any way he could. His versatility and will to win earned him playing time. This year he will again help this Louisville team win. Having him in the backfield along with Jackson will be a nightmare for opposing defenses especially with a guy like Coach Petrino calling the plays. Reggie is one of the most important players on the roster, and the hype is real. But with Reggie it’s never been about hype and he plays with more heart than any kid I’ve seen.
It takes a lot of heart to go from a walk-on to scholarship player especially in major college football and that’s just what Tobijah Hughley did. It didn’t take him long to become a crucial part of the Louisville offensive line after getting his first start. With 25 starts now under his belt he is not only the anchor of the offensive line but an anchor for the offense in general. Lamar Jackson has said that Hughley helped him read defenses last season. Unlike last year the Louisville offensive line has been through the battles. There’s no substitute for experience and now with Geron Christian (13 starts), Kenny Thomas (5 starts), Lukayus McNeil (7 starts), Kiola Mahoni (4 starts) this Louisville line is ready. For the first time in a while there has been some hype surrounding this group. With a guy like Hughley leading the way there’s no doubt that it will be heart over hype in the trenches.
Jamari Staples has overcome so much adversity and is another guy on this Louisville offense with a lot of heart. Jamari had his college football program pulled out from under him at UAB and missed the first four games of his first season at Louisville with an injury but didn’t waste any time establishing himself in the offensive scheme when he finally got his chance. His biggest game last season came against Wake Forest when he had 133 yards with two touchdowns. He finished the season as the top receiver on the team with 638 yards and 3 touchdowns despite missing those first games and he moved the chains at critical moments many times. I talked with him at media day and this young man has a great desire for excellence. Glad he found another home here with our Cardinals. With Jamari its most definitely heart over hype.
Lamar Jackson had four games last season in which he ran for at least 100 yards and threw for at least 100 yards, tied with Clemson’s Deshaun Watson and SMU’s Matt Davis for the most such games in the FBS. Three of these games came against the mighty SEC. He threw for 100 and ran for 106 against Auburn, threw for 130 and ran for 186 yards to lead Louisville to a comeback win over Kentucky, and threw for 227 yards against Texas A&M while running for 226 yards. He became only the third player in NCAA history to run and throw for over 200 yards in a Bowl game. His 960 rushing yards led the team despite not playing on a full-time basis. He appeared in 12 games and started just seven of them. There is a lot of hype surrounding Jackson but watching this kid play you can see his heart on the field. When being interviewed at Media Day Jackson said about that UK game: “When coach threw me out there I knew we were down by a lot and it was going to be hard, but I just didn’t want to lose.”
On the defensive side of the ball:
Devonte Fields is another guy who let hype get in the way, but he plays with so much heart that he has fought his way back. Fields had to learn the Louisville playbook on the fly last season, but even tougher than a crash course in Granthamology was catching up to the speed of the Louisville workouts. He had played a year of junior college before becoming a Cardinal but Fields was out of shape. He didn’t get any time in the Louisville off-season program, so Devonte essentially had to play his way into shape. And that’s just what he did. Over the final six games of the regular season, Fields racked up all 7.5 of his sacks and 15 of his 19 tackles for loss. In the Music City Bowl he had 8 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 pat downs. He finished the season with a team leading 10.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss. He finished 10th in the country in sacks and 1st in the country in tackles for loss. The hype is back but this time Devonte Fields is playing with a lot of heart. That is a good thing for the Cardinals.
One half of the bash brothers Keith Kelsey is a valuable leader on and off the field for the Cardinal defense. He served as a great ambassador at the ACC media days and is just one of many guys that has been more than just a football player to the Cardinal program. But he is a great defensive player and plays with a ton of heart. He finished last season with a team leading 107 tackles and is poised to help lead this season’s group to being one of the best units in college football.
You can’t talk about this Louisville defense without talking about the guy on the front line DeAngelo Brown and you can’t talk about guys playing with heart without mentioning him either. Last season he had 40 tackles, 6.5 for loss and 1.5 sacks. He is a supreme run-stopper in the middle for this Louisville unit and will be playing on Sunday’s when his college days are over. Brown is a guy whose game and heart is bigger than he is and that’s big.
Like I mentioned above there has been a lot of hype surrounding this Louisville Football team, and that hype has got the fan base more excited than I’ve seen in a long time. It has also helped the Cards land a spot in both the AP and Coaches pre-season polls. But in order for the program to take that next step it is going to take a lot of heart. The guys mentioned above are who I believe will lead this charge but make no mistake about it there is a lot of heart on both sides of the ball and this team will make us all proud. See you Thursday night Cardinal fans!
It was a beautiful day for some Louisville football. Over 16,000 fans came out to cheer the Cardinals on as they wrapped up the spring session with a very competitive scrimmage. The first team offense dazzled scoring 73 points while the first team defense locked down the white team holding them to just 7 points. Cardinal fans got everything they expected and more from this year’s team.
I expected a lot from Lamar Jackson today and he did not disappoint. Shining just as bright as the sun over Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium he lit up the football field throwing for 519 yards and 8 touchdowns. As impressive as he turned out last year with just a limited time to adjust to the program the writing was on the wall as to just how good he would be after a full season. While now also getting to spend the entire off season in the strength, skills and conditioning program. The improvement is noticeable with better accuracy, arm strength and field command. I can’t wait until September to see him take the College Football world by storm.
As far as the other skill players are concerned it was a big day for the receiving corps. James Quick led this group with 150 yards and a touchdown. His highlight moment was when he and Lamar Jackson hooked up on an 85 yard bomb.
I was looking forward to seeing Jamari Staples today as he finished last season on such a high note and he also looked very good out there. His highlight moment was when he and Jackson hooked up for a 54 yard score.
Another guy you’re going to want to keep an eye on this season is Cole Hikutini. He will be a very important part of the Cardinals passing game. Today he hooked up with Jackson for two scores finishing with 75 yards. He has great hands and really gets himself in good position coming out of his routes. I think he could end up being one of the best tight ends in the ACC.
The Cardinals are once again going to have a stable of very good running backs. Brandon Radcliff has an extra gear when he hits that sideline, and with his work ethic and drive he’s in for a big year. Jeremy Smith and Malin Jones are also very capable backs. Jones had a very impressive 65 yard trot for a score in the scrimmage.
On the defensive side of the ball it was some of the usual suspects on the field flying around making tackles. I was most impressed with Stacy Thomas, Chucky Williams, Alphonso Carter, and Zykeisis Cannon. These guys combined for 30 tackles. Josh Harvey was a guy I was watching closely and he had 2 tackles. I look for him to step it up this season as he really wants to play at the next level.
These Spring scrimmages aren’t a be all end all predictor of how the upcoming season will look, but it is a great opportunity to see how certain players have improved their games and gives you an idea of just what the offense will look like come September. Today in the post-game pressor Coach Petrino said that he welcomes high expectations and said to “bring them on”. He surely will get his wish as I know mine are thru the roof and if you were at the spring game today I’m sure yours are as well.
I had the chance to get out and enjoy a beautiful spring afternoon with the Louisville Football team today. We still have six months before another year of Cardinal Football but there is a lot of excitement already building for the season ahead. There was a lot of buzz around the practice field today with a great crowd and a lot of high school prospects taking in the action while on spring break. There were also several members of the Louisville media out covering the action.
Heading into year number three of his Louisville sequel with 17 wins and two Bowl games under his belt Bobby Petrino has the Louisville program rolling right along. You could tell by the atmosphere of this practice that the team and assistant coaches know exactly what is expected of them by the head man. The practice today was run at a frantic pace and guys were in a dead sprint as they switched from one drill to the next. Things seemed to be running like a well-oiled machine. They say you play like you practice and if that’s true you can expect this Louisville football team to come out and perform at a professional and high level next season.
There were a lot of great athletes spread all around the practice fields today. The Cardinals have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball heading into the 2016 season, but one guy in particular will be poised to take the college football world by storm. I call him “Hurricane” Jackson but you can also call him Lamar. I was really excited to see this guy go through his drills today and he did not disappoint. I didn’t think it would be possible for him to look any faster but he did today. After a full year playing at the college level he has learned to be more efficient on his cut and runs. He appears to be stronger and looked very good running an offense that appears to be more built around him and his abilities this season. He made some very good throws today and it appears that he has taken this part of his game to the next level as well. If he stays healthy and continues on this upward trend he will be a show stopper.
Over the last couple of years there has been a lot of inconsistency along the offensive line. As I watched this group today the one thing that stood out to me was how much bigger and athletic this year’s group is. They really look impressive and Coach Klenakis deserves a lot of credit for the work he has done with them. They sure do look the part this spring and if they can carry some of that positive momentum they had when the season ended at the Music City Bowl then Cardinal fans will be very pleased. Some guys that stood out to me today were Chandler Jones (6-4, 300lbs), Geron Christian (6-6, 314lbs), Lukayus McNeil (6-6, 313lbs) and Toriano Roundtree (6-7, 305). These are some big, tough guys. And keep an eye out on the Roundtree kid he is going to be a beast.
I’m also excited about the group of wide receivers we have returning this season. These guys looked really good going through their reps today. This is going to be a special year for Jamari Staples and he stood out to me the most. His length, speed and athleticism are on a different level. You can also expect a big year out of now senior James Quick. He made some nice catches today. Traveon Samuel may not stand out as much because he is surrounded by all of these tall guys but I really like him. I think he will have a solid season and will do well in the Petrino offensive scheme. I was also really impressed with Cole Hikutini and he was making impressive grab after impressive grab during this practice. He is going to see his number called a lot this year.
The Cardinals also have a pretty good stable of running backs returning for this season. I expect another solid year out of Brandon Radcliff and really think we will see Jeremy Smith come into his own. I really like what I seen out of him today. L.J. Scott will also see his fair share of reps. All of these guys are capable of gaining big yards.
I’ve heard a lot about how hard Reggie Bonnafon has worked during the off season and there isn’t a guy on this football team who loves it more than he does. Along with his physical gifts he has a heart the size of a football field. I really wanted to watch this guy go through his reps today and it took some effort following him around the practice field. He did work with the running backs, and wide receivers. He has gotten a lot bigger physically and seems to have added some foot speed. This guys is one of the best football players on this team and the Cardinals need him on the field anyway they can make that happen. I’ve never been surprised by what I see out of this young man and he didn’t let me down watching him today. Reggie will have a great year.
The Louisville football program has probably lost more on the defensive side of the ball over the past two years than anywhere else. And we are talking about guys who are now playing on Sundays. But don’t think for a second that the Cardinals won’t be just as good on this side of the ball as they have been. We still have a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball. Guys that stood out to me today were DeAngelo Brown, Josh Harvey and Shaq Wiggins. DeAngelo Brown is a big, tough guy and he has really worked on himself. He will be a beast along the defensive front. Josh Harvey had some times last year where it appeared he took plays off. This will be an important year as it relates to his future and he was very focused today in practice. Last season Shaq did a lot of talking but has vowed to let his game do the talking this year. He was also very focused today. This will again be one of the best defensive units in the ACC.
I had a really good time being back around the football team today and it really has me looking forward to that spring game here in a few weeks. Year number three of the Bobby Petrino sequel just might be one of his best yet.
The Louisville football program has had an up and down season. The Cardinals are 5-3 this season finishing 3rd in the ACC Coastal Division, and are 6-5 overall coming off a disappointing loss to Pitt. Now it’s time for the season finale and the annual battle with in-state rival Kentucky. It will be a chance to end the regular season on a positive note. The bitter banter has had a full season to stew between UK and Louisville fans. The wait for this game has made it hotter than ever. We have had twitter wars, Facebook wars, but now it’s time for the gridiron version of “The Battle of the Bluegrass” to take center stage. Both programs will be on display for the SEC Network viewing audience at 12:00pm Saturday. This is the second season that this game will take its place at the table of rivalry weekend in college football. This game has been played 27 times over the years with UK leading the series 14-13, while Louisville has been the better team and program in the modern series leading 13-8 and winning the last four meetings. Louisville also won 4 straight in this series between the 03 and 07 seasons but have never won five straight.
Kentucky started off the season like they have for the last couple of years of the Stoops Era. They started the season winning 4 of their first five before going on a five game losing streak. They snapped that streak last week with a 58-10 win over Charlotte. The Kentucky offense is averaging 24.7 points and 379.4 yards per game with 20 turnovers. They have rushed for 1,860 yards this season with 20 touchdowns, and have passed for 2,313 yards with 10 touchdowns. Their rushing attack is ranked 89th in the country and they average 185 yards a game. Their passing attack is ranked 80th in the country and they average 210 yards a game. They are ranked 83rd in total offense. The Kentucky defense is allowing 26.5 points and 385.5 yards per game with eight interceptions, nine fumble recoveries, and 17 sacks. They are ranked 89th in the country in rushing defense allowing 185 yards per game, and ranked 35th in the country is passing yards allowed with 200 per game. They are ranked 57th in total defense.
The Wildcats started Drew Barker last week at QB and while the young guy shows promise I just don’t see him being the effective choice against Louisville. Last week Barker pretty much was able to hand the ball off to his running backs and throw easy routes. He hasn’t had enough time behind center to face the speed, and athleticism that he will see with the Louisville defense. So my guess is that we will see Patrick Towles for most of the game on Saturday. I think this guy is their best choice for this game. He has thrown for 2077 yards this season completing 60% of his passes and has 9 touchdowns. He is a quarterback that likes to play from the pocket but does a pretty good job of avoiding the rush. He has ran for 5 touchdowns this season. This guy is a gamer and he has been around long enough to know what this rivalry means. He had a helluva game against Louisville last year and he is the guy that gives them the best chance to win on Saturday.
Besides Towles coming in and having the game of his life the thing that concerns me the most on Saturday is the Kentucky running game. UK running backs Boom Williams and Jojo Kemp have each reached the 1,000-yard mark in career rushing this season. Williams has 818 yards with 5 touchdowns and Kemp has 541 yards with 6 touchdowns this season. I think the UK losing streak is a direct result of Williams getting hurt as they are a different team when he is healthy and in the backfield. This guy is a powerful runner and can cut on a dime and he is also the kind of player that can make plays develop for himself. He needs just nine yards on Saturday to equal that of Randall Cobb’s career at Kentucky and is just a sophomore. Kemp who has 1,346 yards rushing in his career and is a very good back in his own right. He is a very solid compliment to Williams and is a great north south runner. We seen the way Tyler Boyd and Qadree Ollison sliced through the Louisville defense last weekend and I think these two backs for Kentucky are just as good or better. The Louisville defensive front better come ready to play. These guys have a solid group blocking for them on the UK offensive line led by senior left tackle Jordan Swindle and junior center Jon Toth. A key element of the Kentucky’s running game is the dedication of the UK receivers in blocking. Wide receivers coach Tommy Mainord has developed a reputation as coaching units that emphasize run blocking.
Speaking of the Wildcats’ receiving corps they are led by Garrett Johnson and Dorian Baker. Johnson has 653 yards with 2 touchdowns and Baker has 514 yards with 3 touchdowns. Both of these guys have great size and speed and both can hurt you on the short routes or the big play. They also have a great complimentary duo of Jeff Badet 430 yards with 2 touchdowns and Blake Bone who has 210 yards with 1 touchdown. These guys are speedy and really effective in the east/west passing attack. Badet has 4 big plays this season over 40 yards. TE C.J. Conrad has also been effective for them in the passing attack and has 149 yards with a touchdown. The size and athleticism of Baker and Johnson could really pose a challenge to the Louisville corners and safeties. This week will be another big challenge for them.
The UK defense will be a big key if they are to pull the upset over the Cardinals on Saturday. This group at times has looked very good but then come out on the next series and look lost. Their defense is led up front by linebacker Josh Forrest who leads UK In tackles with 85 and Cory Johnson who has 65 tackles on the season. Johnson is a very gifted and athletic D lineman who proved it when he pulled off one of the best acrobatic interceptions last week I’ve seen all season. I think the Louisville defense will scheme to get a couple of bodies on this guy because Matt Elam and the other guys up front just aren’t getting it done for their team this season. Elam is Melvin Lewis’s replacement and this defensive unit hasn’t been the same without Lewis. Leading this unit in the defensive backfield are safeties Marcus McWilson who has 66 tackles, A.J. Stamps with 58 tackles and freshman corner Chris Westry who has 2 interceptions with 7 pass deflections. All of these guys are very athletic and rangy.
Going up against this inconsistent Kentucky defense is a Louisville offensive unit who has gradually improved over the season despite a carousel of QBs and poor offensive line production. After averaging just 24.3 points per game in the first eight contests of the season, the Cardinals have returned to the Petrino glory days when his teams lit up the scoreboard, and the Cardinals are averaging 37.6 points in the last three games. A reason for this offensive surge has been the ability of Kyle Bolin to come in and run the offense effectively. While the play of James Quick and emergence of Jamari Staples has also helped. With that being said I really don’t feel like Bolin gives the Cardinals the best chance at a victory on Saturday. We are going to need Lamar Jackson to come in with his ability to make plays with both his legs and his arm. UK has also had fits with mobile QB’s all season. Our offensive line has been horrible giving up more sacks than any group in the country this season and I just feel like Bolin would be rushed too much to be effective. Can’t negate the fact that it is expected to be a downpour for most of the game really effecting any passing. I think Lamar gets the nod but won’t be surprised to see the carousel again on Saturday.
I also hope that Staples is healthy and ready to go again this weekend because we will need him. Tight ends Cole Hikutini, Micky Crum, and Keith Towbridge have also made a big impact on this offense with 539 yards and seven touchdowns between them. I think they could also have a big impact on this game due to the lackluster play of UK’s DB’s. After registering back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances for the second time in his career Brandon Radcliff disappeared again last week and the Cardinals running game had -1 yard. I don’t think the Cardinals can win this game with another performance like this.
I really do think this game may just come down to whatever defensive group comes out and wants it more. The Cardinals are ranked 17th in total defense, allowing 24.36 points, 326.4 yards per game with 15 interceptions, seven fumble recoveries, and 29 sacks. It looked like they were on their way to dominating performances for the rest of the season. But then came out last week against Pitt and just completely laid down. It was very shocking to me to see these guys play so uninspired. I think this weekend it all starts with some solid leadership from two guys who will be playing their last regular season game. The backbone on this side of the ball has been senior linebackers Keith Kelsey and James Burgess. They will have to set the tone for the rest of front group to follow. I think another guy who will play an important role is DeVonte’ Fields. He has started to show us why he was the former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and has totaled 25 tackles, five sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in the last five contests. At the beginning of the season I think we were all very excited about this Louisville defensive front and now these guys along with DeAngelo Brown, and Pio Vatuvei, will play their most important game of the season. After a subpar effort last week this will also be a shot at redemption for DB’s Shaq Wiggins, Trumaine Washington, Josh Harvey-Clemons and Chucky Williams.
All summer long and during the spring we all talked, and wrote about the potential and talent that the 2015-16 version of the Louisville Football team would have. We knew that we would have some issues up front on the offensive line and we knew that we would have some young guys that would have to step in and fill some gaps. I think we all expected some inconsistency over-all. This is all part of growing pains. The one thing that nobody ever questioned was if this team would play with passion and intensity. Being around these guys in the spring and watching the videos of these guys during their summer weight lifting and workouts I just knew they would be hungry for every down, but last week played their most uninspired half of football of the season. That should not be happening in November. These guys have two game left this season to prove to themselves and to the fans that they can be the team we thought they could be. In the pre-season Sports Illustrated had the Cardinals picked as a sleeper for the college football playoffs? The talent and ability is there.
I’m cautiously optimistic about the game on Saturday. This time it will be different than the last four years. Kentucky is finally getting together enough speed and athleticism to be fairly competitive again and that group really wants to prove to their home crowd that they have indeed turned the corner. They are going to play their asses off to try and reach a Bowl game. The Cardinals will have to match that intensity or it will be a long rainy day in Lexington. I’ll be there cheering for our guys and hope they can get it done. Go Cards!
The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 34 UK 28
The Beak’s Prediction for the
Howard Schnellenberger Award:
My prediction for the award this year is Lamar Jackson. I believe he will win this award for his ability to take over this game like Teddy did in his freshman year in the rivalry. He should be able to have his way with a very inconsistent UK defense. They’ve struggled with mobile QB’s all season and will have trouble with the speed and athleticism of Jackson.
The 2010 game was the inaugural year for the award. The award is given to the Most Valuable Player of the game. It is named for Howard Schnellenberger, who played under Bear Bryant for Kentucky and coached at Louisville.
Our Cardinals are one of the ACC’s hottest teams, winning six of their past seven games. The Cardinals visit Pittsburgh following a 38-31 win over Virginia. This will be the first ACC meeting between these old Big East rivals. This is the 17th meeting between Pitt and Louisville in a series that dates back to 1976. The series is tied, 8-8. Pitt is 5-5 against Louisville in games played in Pittsburgh and Louisville is 3-3 in games played in Louisville. Pitt began ACC play in 2013, while the Cardinals joined the league for the 2014 season. As I mentioned above these teams were once annual foes from 2005-12 as members of the Big East. In eight league meetings, each team won four times. This will be the first meeting between the two schools since the Cardinals won 45-35 at Pittsburgh in 2012 with Teddy QB pictured above leading the way. A win over the Panthers would be the most ACC wins for the Cardinals in their two seasons in the conference. Louisville went 5-3 last season in its first season in the ACC. Coach Petrino is 2-0 against Pitt and their coach has never faced Louisville.
The Panthers are having a great season themselves. They clinched a winning regular season for the first time in five years last weekend in their win against Duke. They have their best 10-game start since the 2009 Panthers began the year with a 9-1 mark. A victory over Louisville would give the Panthers eight regular-season wins for the first time since that 2009 edition went 9-3. Pitt has a pretty balanced offensive attack with 1,799 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground ranked 57th in the nation and 1,967 yards with 15 touchdowns through the air ranked 98th in the nation. Defensively they are ranked 37th in the country allowing 139 yards per game on the ground and ranked 38th in the country allowing 200 yards per game through the air.
The Panthers have been exceptional at protecting the football this season. Pitt ranks 15th nationally and fourth in the ACC in fewest turnovers with 11. A big reason for this is having solid guys at all of their skill positions. Leading the way is QB Nate Peterman who over his past seven games has connected on 61% of his passes with 11 touchdowns and only one interception. He has thrown for 1,776 yards this season and 14 touchdowns. He is a QB that prefers to sit in the pocket and find his receivers but has the ability to avoid the rush. He has 194 yards on the ground this season. Pitt has a long history of producing some really good wide receivers and this season they have another special one in junior Tyler Boyd who has already established himself as the Panthers’ most prolific receiver ever. Boyd is Pitt’s all-time leader in career receptions with 232 and all-time leader in yards with 3,135. He has 700 yards this season with 5 touchdowns. Boyd also leads the ACC in receptions per game (7.7) and receiving yards per game (77.8). Boyd excels in more than just the passing game. He has also been a threat running the ball with 197 yards this season. This guy will be the biggest test of this season for the Louisville defensive backs.
Besides Boyd Peterman’s other favorite targets this season have been his Tight ends. They are responsible for 53% of Pitt’s touchdown catches through 10 games this season. The Panthers have thrown 15 touchdown passes thus far and tight ends Scott Orndoff (4) and J.P. Holtz (4) have caught eight of them. The other top targets in this very effective Pitt passing attack are wide receivers Dontez Ford with 421 yards and one touchdown and Zach Challingsworth with 138 yards and one touchdown. When they aren’t moving the ball through the air they are running it down your throat with tailback Qadree Ollison. Ten games into the year, the red-shirt freshman is now the Panthers’ leading rusher with 859 yards and nine touchdowns on 166 carries. He is averaging 85.9 rushing yards per game, which ranks fifth in the ACC. Behind every good offense is a great offensive line and Pitt boasts a combined 113 starts on the offensive line, led by junior tackle Adam Bisnowaty with 27 career starts.
Pat Narduzzi arrived at Pitt after establishing himself as one of college football’s top defensive coordinators during his Michigan State tenure. That has carried over to this Pitt program and they are ranked in the nation’s top 30 in four defensive categories quarterback sacks (13th, 2.90 sacks/game), fourth-down conversion defense (15th, 33.3%), fewest first downs allowed (16th, 166 total) and total defense (26th, 340.0 yards/game). Pitt has 67 tackles for loss this year and leading the way is defensive end Ejuan Price with 12. Junior linebacker Mike Caprara is second with 9.5 and linebacker Matt Galambos is third with nine. Leading the way in the Pitt secondary is freshman strong safety Jordan Whitehead who leads Pitt in tackles through 10 games with 82 total stops. Whitehead is averaging 8.2 tackles per game, which ranks eighth in the ACC. He is the only freshman among the league’s top 20 tacklers.
Saturday this Pitt team will pose a great challenge to both the Louisville offense and defense. But our Cardinals are heading into this tough road game trending upward on both sides of the ball. After averaging just 24.3 points per game in the first eight contests of the season, the Cardinals have returned to the Petrino glory days when his teams lit up the scoreboard. In a pair of wins over Syracuse (41-17) and Virginia (38-31), the Cardinals are averaging 39.5 points per game in the last two games. A reason for this offensive surge has been the ability of Kyle Bolin to come in and run the offense effectively. He has completed almost 60% of his passes throwing for 934 yards and 5 touchdowns. The return of James Quick and emergence of Jamari Staples has also helped. These guys have combined for 842 yards and 8 touchdowns. Tight ends Cole Hikutini, Micky Crum, and Keith Towbridge have also made a big impact on this offense with 354 yards and five touchdowns between them. And finally the Brandon Radcliff we all have been waiting for has returned. He led the rushing attack tallying a career-high 146 yards on 21 carries and equaled a career-best with two touchdowns in the last game, and has registered back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances for the second time in his career.
The Cardinals defense held things together for this team while the offense was finding its way. And this unit is now one of the best in the country. They are ranked 14th in the country in total defense, 11th in the country in rushing defense, and 7th in the nation with 15 interceptions. The Cardinals have totaled 40.0 tackles for loss in the last four wins, moving up to 17th nationally with 7.6 per game. The backbone on this side of the ball has been senior linebackers Keith Kelsey and James Burgess. The bash brothers have lived up to their nicknames this season… Kelsey has 86 tackles, which is just one shy of his career-high of 87 set last season, and Burgess has posted a career-best 76 tackles this season. Trumaine Washington has also been a big help. He is sixth on the team in tackles and is leading the squad with four interceptions, which also ranks second in the ACC. His three forced fumbles also ties him for third in the league and his nine passes defended ties him for eighth in the ACC. Trevon Young has been dominating over the last five games, recording 8.5 sacks. Shaq Wiggins, Josh Harvey-Clemons and Chucky Williams entered this season without ever starting a game in the Louisville secondary. They have really made their presence felt and the three players have totaled 7 interceptions. DeVonte’ Fields is also starting to show why he was the former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and has totaled 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in the last four games. If this group finishes strong the Cards might not lose another game.
The Cardinals will have to play really good football on both sides of the football on Saturday afternoon to come away with their 7th win of the season and it’s important to carry some momentum into the season finally against arch rival Kentucky next week. I think this group is finally firing on all fronts and have that cohesiveness that had been missing. The offense and defense are feeding off each other and are peaking at the right time. There is a lot of brotherhood in that locker-room. It won’t be easy but our guys will get the win in the Steele city.
It seems like we were just talking about opening up the football season in Georgia against Auburn and now here we are heading into the last home game of the season. This has been a frustrating season at times but I’ve had just as much fun following a cheering for this group as any I’ve covered so far. We will say goodbye to a 13-person senior class that has been one of the best in school history posting a record of 37-11. With a win on Saturday they’ll have a chance to extend their streak to six-straight bowl appearances. Louisville and Virginia will meet for the fourth time in school history when the two teams face off Saturday. Virginia owns a 2-1 series advantage after last season’s 23-21 win over the Cardinals in Charlottesville. They booted a go-ahead field goal with 3:42 left in the game to hand the Cardinals their first loss of the season. This will be the first meeting between the two schools in Louisville since 1988 when the Cardinals defeated the Cavaliers 30-28. Coach Petrino is a perfect 10-0 on Senior Day during his collegiate coaching career, including a perfect 5-0 as head coach of the Cardinals.
The Virginia Cavaliers are 3-6 on the season and 2-3 in the ACC, with losses on the road to Pitt, North Carolina and Miami. Five of the six teams that have beaten UVA in 2015 are all currently ranked. This has probably been one of the most inconsistent teams in college football this season. At times they have looked like they could’ve beat anybody in the country and then look the complete opposite the next quarter. They have rushed for 1,238 yards this season with 9 touchdowns, and passed for 2,069 yards with 13 touchdowns. They are ranked 90th in the country in total offense. Their passing offense is ranked 61st in the country and their rushing offense is ranked 104th in the country. On the defensive side of the ball they are ranked 81st in total defense. They are ranked 93rd in passing yards allowed and ranked 57th in rushing yards allowed.
Their offensive Coordinator Steve Fairchild learned his play-calling skills from Mike Martz the guy who created “The Greatest Show on Turf”. The Cavaliers are far from the greatest show on turf but they do a pretty good job at tossing the ball around. QB Matt Johns has thrown for 2035 yards and 13 touchdowns. Johns has thrown two passes this season that have gone for at least 75 yards. It marks only the third time UVA has completed two passes of 75 yards or longer in the same season. John’s favorite target this season has been WR Canaan Severin. He has 41 receptions with 583 yards in 2015 and 31 of them have gone for either a first down and/or a touchdown. That comes out to a 75.6 percent rate. WR T.J. Thorpe has 226 yards with 1 touchdown. The Cardinal defense will have their hands full with running back Taquan “Smoke” Mizzell. He is in the midst of a breakout season. Not only does he lead the Cavaliers rushing attack with 537 yards he leads the nation’s running backs with 539 receiving yards and with 54 receptions. Mizzell is the only running back in the nation with two 100-yard receiving games in 2015.
Virginia’s defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta is a UVA alum and has brought an aggressive makeover to the Cavaliers. At times they have shown they can be very good on the defensive side of the ball and have some defensive guys that have stood out for them. Line Backer Micah Kiser is No. 1 in the ACC in tackles (9.4 per game), while Safety Quin Blanding is No. 2 in the ACC in stops (8.9 per game). The duo is the only defensive pairing from the same school that rank No. 1 and No. 2 in tackles over the 10 FBS conferences. CB Demetrious Nicholson is tied for No. 6 in the nation (No. 1 in the ACC) among active players with 36 passes defended. And up front DE Trent Corney has picked up his production the past two weeks, tallying a combined 11 tackles and 4.5 tackles.
The Louisville offense has now found some consistency with Kyle Bolin at the quarterback position and that has earned him the start on Saturday. In only his second year receiving playing time, Bolin has thrown for 1,511 yards and eight touchdowns, while completing 101-169 (59.8) passes with six interceptions. . He threw two touchdown passes to tight end Cole Hikutini of 13 and 10 yards and also hit Keith Towbridge with a 12-yarder last weekend and I look for the big tight ends to be a part of the offense again on Saturday. James Quick has been a big lift to the offense since returning to the lineup. In five games since his return, Quick has caught 25 passes for 409 yards and four touchdowns. Another weapon that has emerged is Jamari Staples who is second on the team with 24 receptions for 386 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Brandon Radcliff rushed for 117 yards on 10 carries last weekend and I hope that he keeps trending in the right direction. If this group can get that running game finally established then they have a good shot at winning out the rest of the way.
The Louisville defense continues to get better and better. They have held six of their nine opponents to 20 points or less, and have allowed just 20 touchdown this season, giving up seven on the ground and 13 through the air, which is tied for 20th nationally. Opponents have had five scoring drives that were 30 or less yards in distance. Louisville has registered a total of 41 interceptions over the last two seasons after securing two more in the win over Syracuse last Saturday. It’s the most interceptions in the nation over the last two seasons. The Cardinals have had interceptions from eight different players this season. Look for that number to improve with a Virginia team who will look to pass most of the day. The Cardinals have totaled 30.0 tackles for loss in the last three wins, moving up to 25th nationally with 7.3 per game. A big reason why is guys like Keith Kelsey (Kelsey leads the team in tackles with 72 and ranks 81st in the nation and is ninth in the ACC), James Burgess (second on the team with 70 tackles after the first eight games of the season and ranks eighth in the ACC with 8.1 tackles per game), Sheldon Rankins (Rankins is fourth on the team in tackles with 37 and is fourth with 8.0 tackles for loss) and Trevon Young (Young is second in the ACC and is eighth nationally with 0.94 sacks per game).
Saturday the Cardinal football program will say good-bye to Corvin Lamb, James Burgess, Jermaine Reve, Darius Skinner, George Clements, Josh Appleby, John Wallace, Aaron Ahner, Kelby Johnson, Aaron Epps, Sheldon Rankins, Pio Vatuvei and Jon Brown. The senior class owns a combined record of 37-11 during their time at Louisville with three-straight bowl appearances. They will lace em up and run out of that tunnel to the Alma mater for the last time. Louisville fans will celebrate the contributions of each of these young men recognizing the significant role they have played in the program. There is no way this group walks off of that field on Saturday with a loss. Get out and show these guys some love and watch the Cards win big.
It’s been a football season that was filled with anticipation, had some disappointment and now Cardinal fans are just looking for some satisfaction. Louisville’s schedule is rated the 12th-most difficult in the country by Sagarin and with the win over Wake Forest, the Cardinals are just two wins away from qualifying for a post-season appearance, extending their streak to six-straight bowl appearances. The Cardinals will attempt to get one of those wins this weekend with the Orange coming to town. Louisville and Syracuse, former members of the Big East, will meet for the 14th time in school history, with the Cardinals owning a 7-6 advantage. Louisville won last year’s meeting 28-6 in the Carrier Dome and has been victorious in four of the last five meetings.
Syracuse has now lost 5 games in a row their latest being a 45-21 loss to Florida State. Syracuse has been struggling and their record has fallen to 3-5. The Orange is a young bunch in 2015. In the squad’s last contest at Florida State 19 of its 22 starters were underclassmen. 27 underclassmen have made at least one start this season. True freshmen have seen plenty of action on offense in 2015 for Syracuse. Through eight games, SU has accumulated 2,698 yards of total offense. True freshmen have accounted for 1,983 of those yards (73.5 percent). On the defensive side of the ball, more than half of the Syracuse starters have been freshmen or sophomores this year. At least seven starters have been freshmen or sophomores on defense in every contest this season. As a team, the Orange has registered 503 tackles in 2015. 344 of those tackles (68.4 percent) have been made by freshmen and sophomores. In addition, 443 of those stops (88.1 percent) have been made by underclassmen. Syracuse is ranked 115th in total offense with 2698 yards this season and 24 touchdowns. They are ranked 86th in total defense allowing 3363 yards of offense and 27 touchdowns.
Cuse has a pretty balanced scoring attack with 1319 yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground and 1379 yards through the air with 15 touchdowns. Leading the Cuse offensive attack QB Eric Dungey is 90 of 146 passing for 1,140 yards and 11 touchdowns, thus far this year. He currently ranks fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference and ranks 33rd in the nation in passing efficiency (148.0). Dungey has thrown for 11 touchdowns and ran for five scores. He is two touchdowns shy of breaking the Syracuse freshman record for touchdowns in a single season. Sophomore wide receiver Steve Ishmael has picked up right where he left off last season. Ishmael leads Syracuse with 26 receptions and 397 receiving yards on the year. He also has hauled in four touchdowns. Ishmael has been one of Syracuse’s top scoring threats, as of late. He has scored a touchdown in four of the team’s past six games. In addition, he has caught a pass in all eight games for the Orange in 2015. Wide receiver Brisly Estime has been one of the Orange’s top all-around threats on offense. Estime ranks sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 113.75 all-purpose yards. He the second leading receiver on the team with 233 yards and has 14 receptions with 2 touchdowns.
Syracuse’s hybrid backs and running backs have accounted for 514 receiving yards, more than a third of the team’s total. Ervin Philips with 198 receiving yards, while Ben Lewis has 129 receiving yards. Eight of the team’s 15 touchdown receptions have been hauled in by hybrid backs and running backs. Freshman running back Jordan Fredericks has made a name for himself through Cuse’s first seven games this season. Fredericks currently leads the Orange with 397 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns. The second leading rusher on the team is QB Dungey with 306 yards and 5 touchdowns. Syracuse offensive coordinator Tim Lester likes to spread the ball around and he will use his backs in the passing game. Don’t let their record fool you this Cuse offense is very solid. And it all starts up front where senior offensive lineman Ivan Foy, Nick Robinson, and Rob Trudo are Syracuse’s three most experienced players. Between the three of them, they have started 100 contests for the Orange.
Task with stopping this Orange attack is a Louisville defense that keeps trending upward. The Louisville defense is currently ranked 16th in the country allowing just 309.3 yards a game. They are ranked 7th in the country in interceptions with 13 this season. With the way Cuse likes to sling it around they’ll have their chance to improve on this number Saturday. The Cardinals have had 12 sacks over the last two games and are currently ranked 15th in the country with 24 sacks on the season. Junior Trevon Young has been a bright spot for this defense and he has 6 sacks in the last two games and 9 for the year, which is tied for seventh in the country. The Cardinals have held five of their eight opponents to 20 points or less and guys like James Burgess and Keith Kelsey are a big reason why. Burgess is second on the team with 65 tackles after the first eight games of the season and ranks eighth in the ACC with 8.1 tackles per game. Kelsey leads the team in tackles with 68 and ranks 48th in the nation and is sixth in the ACC. DeAngelo Brown has also emerged as a big-time run stopper this season and has been a leader up front on the Cardinal defense. He has recorded a career-high 30 tackles this season. And I have loved the progress of Devonte Fields who had 8 tackles and 1 sack in the last game. He now has 35 tackles on the season and keeps coming up big for this group. Shaq Wiggins and Trumaine Washington at cornerback, while Josh Harvey-Clemons and Chucky Williams have started at safety in each of the eight games this season. The four players have totaled 10 interceptions. Cuse will keep this unit on their toes but they are the glue holding this Louisville season together and that will continue Saturday.
The Louisville offense has been anything but consistent this season but there have been some bright spots. Superstar freshman Lamar Jackson has accounted for 14 touchdowns this season with six rushing and eight passing. James Quick leads the team with four receiving touchdowns in only six games played. While Jamari Staples is averaging 5.0 receptions and 76.8 yards receiving per game since entering the lineup after missing the first four Games. The Louisville rushing attack has struggled this season behind an offensive line that just hasn’t got it done. In picking up a pair of wins in the last two weeks, the Cardinals are averaging just 2.3 yards per carry in those wins. Watching him during the spring and seeing how much he had transformed his body I thought Brandon Radcliff would be a sure in for 1000 yards this season but that won’t happen. Now I’m just hoping to see him reach the 500 mark. Losing offensive linemen John Miller, Jamon Brown and Jake Smith have probably had the most negative effect on this year’s group. The guys up front have just been struggling. I have hopes that they can continue to get better but at this point in the season I think we have what we have. It’s an area that will need to be addressed in the off season. I do think this offense has enough fire power and weapons to win three of the last four games and contend against a good Bowl Opponent.
The Cardinals offense will face a Cuse defense that is ranked 86th in the nation, but they do have some very solid personnel on this side of the ball. Linebacker Zaire Franklin is the man in the middle for the Syracuse defense and leads with 52 tackles on the year. He has 7.0 tackles for a loss, which ranks third on the club, and has accumulated 3.0 sacks. Linebacker Parris Bennett is one of the many first-time starters on the Syracuse defense, but currently ranks second on the club with 44 tackles on the year. Senior Donnie Simmons has started all but one contest at defensive end for the Orange and he leads all Syracuse defensive linemen with 24 tackles on the year. In addition, he ranks sixth on the club with 4.0 tackles for a loss. In their secondary safety Antwan Cordy has certainly made his presence felt and ranks third on the squad in total tackles, with 43 stops. He had eight tackles against a very good LSU team. They have speed and talent all over the field with this group but I think the strength of this Cuse defense is up front. So the Louisville’s passing attack could once again pay off big this week.
This is one of two home games left on the schedule for a 2015 season that is down to the nitty gritty. Our Cardinals know they have to capitalize on these remaining home games and it is important to get these wins. Win these home games and we are going back to a bowl game. The Cardinals will also honor Elvis Dumervil’s No. 58 jersey during the game on Saturday. It will be fitting honoring a former defensive standout because like they have all year it will be the Cardinal’s defense that is the difference in this game. They’ll be too much for the Orange. Cards on their way to win number five on the season and will finally get over that .500 mark.
The Cardinals are coming off a week in which they won a defensive slug fest against Boston College and now look to carry some of that momentum into Winston-Salem on Friday night as they face the Demon Deacons for the first time on their home field. The game will kick-off the teeth of the schedule for Louisville and it is grind time. The opponent Friday night is one that will be a Trivial Pursuit Sports question someday if it isn’t already. “Who did the Louisville Football Program play in their first BCS Bowl Appearance?” The Wake Forest Demon Deacons will forever be a part of Cardinal lore after that 2007 Orange Bowl and now are a yearly conference foe. The Cardinals and Demon Deacons have only met twice with the Cards taking the 2007 Orange Bowl championship against them 24-13 and winning the game last year 20-10. Playing on Friday, Oct. 30, the Cardinals will be playing their 74th game in school history on Friday. Louisville owns a 44-28-1 all-time record in games played on this day of the week. The Cardinals are 3-4 on the season and 2-2 in the ACC.
Wake Forest is a team that is going through one of those complete program makeovers. They have a second year coach in Dave Clawson who was the former coach at Bowling Green. Wake Forest is the youngest team in the nation according to college football expert Phil Steele. Wake Forest has a total of 48 freshmen on the team (31 true freshmen, 17 red-shirt freshmen) and 26 sophomores (8 true sophomores, 16 red-shirt sophomores). A total of 74 of the 103 players on the team are either freshmen or sophomores, accounting for 72 percent of the team. Of Wake Forest’s 149 points scored this season, 143 have been by true freshmen, red-shirt freshmen or sophomores. Their six-member senior class is the smallest senior class in FBS.
On the offensive side of the ball the Deacons have young guys at all of the skill positions passer, rusher and receiver. Completely reshaping this offense Coach Clawson describes his coaching style as one that utilizes the available talent to maximize success. His philosophy focuses on getting individual play-makers more touches rather than sticking to a rigidly-defined system. His offenses have displayed components of the Pro-Style, Spread and Power Running attacks.
Like Louisville Wake Forest has used a few quarterbacks this season. Sophomore John Wolford was leading the ACC in passing yards before an ankle injury against Army in the 3rd game of the year knocked him out. He has thrown the ball for 1012 yards with 6 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Wolford is listed as the starter on their depth chart for Friday, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them also use Freshman QB Kendall Hinton who gives them a more mobile option. He is the team’s leading rusher with 330 yards and 6 touchdowns. He has also thrown for 812 yards with 2 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Of the two Hinton certainly looks to be far superior at evading pressure and making something happen out of nothing. The Louisville defense who recorded a season-high eight sacks last week and against Wake Forest the last time they played them will be bringing the pressure Friday night. A Louisville rush defense that ranks 27th in the country could also force Wake Forest to air it out Friday and that would seem to favor Wolford more.
There is only one Wake Forest rusher that is averaging more than 4.0 YPC this season (Kendall Hinton). Their next two leading rushers Tyler Bell and Matt Colburn are averaging 3.3 and 3.9 YPC respectively. Bell has 234 yards on the season with no touchdowns and Colburn has 204 yards with one touchdown on the season. While the Demon Deacons struggle in their rushing game they are much more effective in the passing attack. They are tied for second in the nation in the number of receivers with 22 or more receptions and spread the ball around. The Deacons are led in receptions by Cortez Lewis (35), Cam Serigne (35), KJ Brent (30), Chuck Wade (23) and Tabari Hines (22). Their top targets are K.J. Brent with 392 yards and 1 touchdown, Cortez Lewis with 390 yards and 1 touchdown, Cam Serigne with 372 yards with 3 touchdowns. Seringe is their Gronk type tight end who ranks third in the country with 35 receptions among other tight ends.
The Louisville Defense played arguably one of their best games of the season limiting Boston College to 79 yards of total offense and -14 yards rushing in the home win. It was the lowest total since limiting Wake Forest to just 100 yards last season. The Louisville defense is ranked 27th in the country in rushing defense allowing only 121.9 yards and are ranked 34th in the country in passing yards allowing only 193.6 yards per game. I look for Sheldon Rankins, James Burgess, Devonte’ Fields and company to have another big day up front while Trumaine Washington, Josh Harvey-Clemons and Chucky Williams will hold things down in the Cards secondary. Shaq Wiggins is going to have to step up his game this week as fellow CB Jaire Alexander will not play Friday night. This Louisville defense has started to get on a roll and I think their dominance continues this week.
The Cardinals offense is still finding it hard to develop any consistency or any cohesiveness as a unit. I think this is due to all of the new parts this season especially up front on that offensive line. I do like how Coach Petrino has started to use Lamar Jackson and Reggie Bonnafon in tandem. Jackson completed 15 of his 25 passes for 230 yards with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions. Jackson also ran for 15 yards and a touchdown. As a running back Reggie Bonnafon carried the ball 10 times for 56 yards against Boston College. They kept a very good BC defense on their toes all day and I think they’ll continue to have that effect on every defense they play going forward. It really helps things open up with these two great athletes on the field together at times. Jamari Staples, who missed the first four games due to injury, has caught 10 passes for 174 yards over the last three games, including four receptions for a career-high 96 yards against Boston College. He is starting to get comfortable now and he is going to be big down the stretch. James Quick is another guy who has been gaining a lot of momentum and he should have another big night on Friday.
Much like their offense the Deacons defense is going through some growing pains but they are not too bad on this side of the ball. Wake’s Secondary has proven to be the real star section of this group ranked 17th in the country in passing yards allowed this season, while the team is very mediocre in rushing defense ranking 76th in the nation and allowing 172.5 yards per game. LB Brandon Chubb and S Ryan Janvion are both among
the top 40 players in the NCAA in active career tackle leaders. Chubb ranks 17th in the nation with 285 career tackles. He also ranks 19th with 127 career assisted tackles. Janvion is 31st nationally with 248 career tackles and 15th in the country with 8.0 tackles per game for his career. Wake Forest leads the ACC in conference games only in red zone defense, allowing points on just 10 of 15 attempts for 66.7 percent. This group should pose a good challenge for the Louisville offense.
Like last week I must again mention special teams and a special kicker. Wake Forest has the best punter in college football in Alex Kinal and he owns the Wake Forest school records for punts and punting yards in a career. Kinal set the ACC record for career punting yards, and has had 104 punts fair caught, has 101 career punts inside the 20 and has 51 career punts of 50 yards or longer. Games are often won and lost in field position battles and Kinal is a good weapon to have.
On a Halloween week in Winston Salem the Demon Deacons will try to pull out all of their tricks to treat the Cardinals to their 5th loss of the season. But our Cardinals will have some tricks of their own and I look for them to keep their momentum going against the Deacons. Wake Forest has been very inconsistent while Louisville has shown signs of being a pretty good team. This game will be won by the team with the best athletes on the field.
Despite all of the basketball talk this week we are right in the middle of the college football season. Our Cardinals return to Papa John’s Stadium this week for another tough ACC game against Boston College. Louisville and Boston College will meet for the eighth time in school history, with the Cardinals owning a 4-3 series advantage. Louisville has won the last two games in the series, winning 38-19 in Chestnut Hills last season and 52-28 in Louisville during the 1998 season.
Coach Petrino and Reggie Bonnafon talk BC:
The Eagles have dropped three-straight games are 3-4 overall and 0-4 in the ACC after a 34-17 defeat at No. 5 Clemson last Saturday. The Cardinals are no strangers to the Eagles head man Steve Addazio as they also faced him when he was Temple’s head coach. He’s a very good coach who is affectionately referred to as “Vitamin A” because of his high-energy nature on the practice field, on game days and on the recruiting trail. He has the Eagles playing very good on defense. After seven games, Boston College is ranked fourth in the country allowing just 11.0 points per game and first against the run (51.7 ypg.) and first in total defense (196.1). The Eagles are also fifth nationally against the pass at 144.6 yards per game.
Through seven games, the Eagles have played three different quarterbacks this season, but freshman Jeff Smith seems to be the stand out completing 30.8 percent of his passes for 173 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Smith has 34 pass attempts in his last two games. His top targets Thadd Smith and Charlie Callinan have combined for 263 receiving yards and two touchdowns while Bobby Wolford has nine receptions for 80 yards. The Boston College Eagles ground game is averaging 206.1 yards per contest, and QB Jeff Smith leads the way with 270 yards and four touchdowns. RB Tyler Rouse has 249 yards with 5 touchdowns and RB Marcus Outlow has 241 yards with one touchdown.
Task with stopping a less than impressive Boston College offense is a Louisville defense that pretty much gave up during the second half last week against Florida State. There was talk of guys who just didn’t perform at the level they should have. I have to say that I’m surprised that the guys on the defensive side of the ball for Louisville didn’t perform to expectations as some of those guys are getting a second chance in college football with our program. Defensively, Louisville is allowing 23.7 points and 354.8 yards per game. James Burgess leads the Cardinals with 50 tackles, Chucky Williams, Trumaine Washington-and Josh Harvey have two interceptions and Sheldon Rankins has four sacks with 33 tackles. The former Big 12 defensive player of the year Devonte Fields was one of the players who appeared to lay down last week has 25 tackles and has vowed to give his best effort going forward. This Louisville defense has a lot of potential and they need to start living up to that during this final stretch of the regular season. If they don’t we will be staying home during bowl season.
The Louisville offense and offensive line put together their best effort of the season last week against Florida State. They need another solid performance and victory to climb out of a brutal 2-4 hole. Lamar Jackson is completing 54.5 percent of his passes for 905 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions on the season. Jackson has four touchdown passes in his last two games. In the receiving corps James Quick and Jaylen Smith lead the way for 523 receiving yards and four touchdowns while Micky Crum has 161 yards with 13 receptions. Devonte Peete has 150 yards with one touchdown, while Traveon Samuel has 136 yards and Ja’Quay Savage has 135 yards with one touchdown. The Cardinals ground game is averaging 152.8 yards per contest, and Jackson leads the way with 467 yards and five touchdowns. Brandon Radcliff has 265 yards with three touchdowns. This Cardinals offense is led by the youth movement as 52% of the all-purpose yards have been by freshmen, and 63% of the passing yards have been by freshman.
This Louisville offense will be facing one of their toughest challenges of the season as this Boston College defense is one of the best in the country. Defensively, Boston College is allowing 11 points and 196.3 yards per game. LB Steven Daniels leads the Eagles with 45 tackles, 3 sacks and one interception. LB Connor Strachan has 38 tackles, one sack and two interceptions and Matt Milano has 31 tackles with four sacks. They are really good up front and will pose a challenge for the Cardinals ground attack.
The Cardinals much like the fans were very dejected after last week’s disappointing loss to Florida State. A game like that can really zap the energy and the drive out of a football team. It is very hard to regroup after coming up short like that after a very good first half effort. I think that’s why a lot of folks are looking at the game Saturday against Boston College as one of those trap games. The outcome of this game will be determined by how these Cardinals come out of the locker room. Will they still have a hangover from a tough loss? I have total and complete confidence in our coaching staff and it is their job to make sure that doesn’t happen. I do think our guys will come out focused as they are still playing for a bowl game and still have a chance at finishing the season very strongly. This game will be a defensive slug-fest with our Cardinals winning a close one.
The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 23 Boston College 13
