It has been a season of ups and downs for the Louisville football team. Through the first part of the schedule the Cardinals have adjusted on the fly with injuries to key players, offensive line woes and inconsistent play overall. After a much needed bye week they head into the meat of their schedule and finally have some of those key guys back to full strength and seem to have some of the kinks worked out on offense particularly the offensive line. This couldn’t have come at a better time as the Cardinals prepare to play one of the biggest games of the season. This football team has their morale building win, had their momentum win and now it’s time for their monumental win.

On Saturday at high noon the Cardinals travel to play the #11 ranked Florida State Seminoles in the “Doak”. They aren’t the defending champs this season but are still arguably one of the best teams in college football. The Cardinals and Seminoles have played 15 times in their history. Florida State leads the series 13-2. Those two wins by Louisville came in the very first game between these teams and in a meeting back in 2002. The Cardinals won that game 26-20 in what was then the biggest win in the programs history. On Saturday the Cardinals will have another chance at getting another notch in their belt with what could be a season defining win. The Cardinals did win in Tallahassee on Oct. 4, 1952, 41-14. The great Johnny U led the way in that one with three touchdown passes. FSU has won eight-straight games at home versus the Cardinals since.

Florida State improved to 5-0 on the season after beating Miami 29-24 at home last weekend. They haven’t looked as dominate as they did a year ago, but they continue to find a way to win, and have a very deep football team with a lot of talent across the board. They have great players at all of their skill positions, offensive line, and defense. They are ranked 47th in the country in total offense with 2,162 yards and 19 touchdowns. They are ranked 22nd in total defense allowing only 1,551 yards and 8 touchdowns. The Seminoles have won 13 home ACC games, 17 consecutive home games and 27 straight overall matchups with ACC opponents. The Noles are also looking to go 6-0 for the third straight season.

The Seminoles have a pretty balanced offensive attack, and they do run the ball well and pass the ball with very good efficiency. Jameis Winston is now throwing touchdown passes for Tampa Bay, but the Seminoles still have a pretty good gun slinger in their backfield. Everett Golson is completing 66.7 percent of his passes for 1,077 yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions. Golson has a touchdown pass in five straight games, and also has 139 pass attempts without an INT this season. Florida State has gone 18 straight quarters without turning the ball over. Golson has a very good group of target to throw the ball to. They are all very rangy, fast and athletic. Jesus Wilson is their leader in receiving with 256 yards, and is tied for the team lead with two receiving touchdowns. Travis Rudolph has a team leading 23 receptions so far with 239 yards and 2 touchdowns. He torched Louisville last season in their comeback win with a 68 yard receiving gallop for a touchdown. Kermit Whitfield has 20 receptions and has recorded 531 all-purpose yards so far this season with 225 yards receiving.

The meat and potatoes of this offense going forward will be their ability to run the football. They are averaging 203.4 yards per contest, with RB Dalvin Cook leading the way with 792 yards and eight touchdowns. He is just the third Florida State tailback to have multiple 200 yard rushing games. He had the game-winning 38-yard TD run vs. Louisville last year with time running out. RB Johnathan Vickers will be their change of pace guy in this game and he is filling in for injured RB Mario Pender. Vickers has 2 touchdowns this season. Their bulldozing fullback Freddie Stevenson has 2 catches this season for 17 yards and 3 carries for 9 yards. This group has not lost a fumble on 177 rushing attempts.

Normally I wouldn’t mention a kicker in my game breakdowns but in this case I have to because Florida State has probably the best kicker in the country in Roberto Aguayo. He has made 97.4 percent 223-of-229 of his career kicks. He is 168-168 on PATs and his 168 straight PATs, set an ACC record. He is 55-of-61 on field goals for his career. When you have a guy like this who is pretty much automatic it makes a big difference in a game.

Task with stopping this Florida state offensive attack is a Louisville defense that will be coming off their best game of the season against NC State. They have gotten better every game and I look for them to take another big step forward on Saturday. The Cardinals are allowing 20.2 points and 323.8 yards per game and are ranked in the Top 20 nationally in fourth down defense (19th), first downs allowed (18th), kickoff return yards (14th), net punting (13th), punt defense (19th), and turnovers gained (20th). Keith Kelsey leads the Cardinals with 44 tackles, Sheldon Rankins has four sacks. Chucky Williams, Trumaine Washington and Josh Harvey-Clemmons have two interceptions and Louisville ranks 12th in the country and first in the ACC with nine interceptions total. Devonte Fields who has been gaining momentum since the season opener has 24 tackles on the season and I think he will play a big part of Louisville stopping the very good FSU rushing attack. This defense is giving up an average of 40.5 yards per game on the ground in their last two wins. And shut down a NC rushing attack that had been rolling. They need to continue this pattern to beat the Seminoles. Folks this Louisville defense has a lot of new faces this season and like a good chili it just had to simmer for a while. They are becoming a pretty solid unit.

This Louisville football team has found its offensive identity. It took Coach Petrino a few games to figure out how to best utilize all of his talent but I think he’s found something pretty good. Lamar Jackson has quickly made a name for himself rushing for 487 yards with five touchdowns and is just 69 yards away from breaking the rushing record for a true freshman at Louisville. He is also completing 53.6 percent of his passes for 598 yards, and three touchdowns which isn’t too shabby. This kid has been a difference maker and will once again be one of the fastest guys on the field Saturday. With some adjustments made on the offensive line they also seem to be moving in the right direction and that has got things moving in the Louisville ground game rushing for 288 yards versus Samford and 203 yards in the win over NC State. It’s the first time Louisville had 200 plus yards rushing in consecutive games since the third and fourth game of the 2013 season against Kentucky and FIU. Jackson will have all of his wide receivers healthy and ready to go on Saturday. Jaylen Smith and Micky Crum have led the way with 375 receiving yards and two touchdowns while James Quick has 11 receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown. I look for Quick to really have a big day Saturday and for Jamari Staples and Ja’Quay Savage to start getting more involved.

Task with stopping Lamar Jackson and the Louisville attack will be a very athletic and sound Florida State defense that is allowing 14 points and 310.2 yards per game this season. Leading the Seminole defense up front is LB Reggie Northrup with 33 tackles. Northup sealed last year’s win over Louisville with his late game interception. DE DeMarcus Walker has 14 tackles along with 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles over his last two games and he will really challenge the Cardinals lateral game with how well he attacks the edge. Leading the way for them in the secondary is CB Jalen Ramsey who leads the team with six pass deflections. He ranks 37th nationally with 1.2 passes defended per game. They also have two very good safeties. Nate Andrews is one of their most versatile guys in pass coverage, and Lamarcus Brutus is third on the team with 23 tackles. If Louisville has a shot at winning this game they’ll have to grab the momentum from this group early.

It is going to take a very good effort from our guys and things like turnovers, penalties, and mishaps will have to be kept to a minimum. We will really need Lamar Jackson to step up and lead the offensive unit and I think he could be the biggest key if our Cardinals can pull off this upset. This would be a monumental win for this group and for this season. Got a good feeling…

Louisville 34 FSU 31

Last weekend’s win against Samford was a great morale building win and it has our Cardinals headed in the right direction. They will attempt to keep that momentum going against the NC St Wolfpack. These teams don’t have a long history of competition but they aren’t strangers either. They have played five times and the Cards lead the series 4-1. The Cardinals won the very first game as ACC opponents against the Wolfpack last season 30-18 at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. The Wolfpack’s only win in this series was in the 2011 Belk Bowl. They came out victorious against the Cards in that one 31-24. Ironically the Cardinals started a freshman QB by the name of Teddy Bridgewater in that game and will also start a freshman QB Saturday. Louisville’s last trip to Carter-Finley Stadium came in 2007 when the Cardinals took home a 29-10 win.

COACH PETRINO ON NC STATE:

In its 45 years of existence, Carter-Finley Stadium has earned a reputation as one of the most exciting venues in college football. It is an off campus facility located about 15 minutes from all of the things Raleigh NC has to offer. People that have visited this venue say Wolfpack fans are the type that come early and stay late. I expect this to be the loudest crowd that Louisville faces all season. The Wolf Pack has positioned themselves as a dark-horse in the ACC and their fans have bought in.

NC State had one of the most balanced offensive attacks in college football last season and they are off to a pretty good start this season with 1036 yards rushing with 878 yards passing. They’ve had 20 rushing touchdowns and 6 receiving touchdowns. The Wolfpack are looking to get a 5-0 start and the guy leading this offense is Jacoby Brissett. He is a heady veteran quarterback who is dangerous passing and running, completing 77.9 percent of his passes for 809 yards, six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Brissett has a passing touchdown in 11 straight games. He also has 65 rushing yards with a rushing touchdown.

Brissett also has plenty of support with all-star candidates like Jaylen Samuels and Jumichael Ramos who have combined for 398 receiving yards and four touchdowns while Matthew Dayes has 15 receptions. Dayes also leads the way with 454 yards and nine touchdowns in the rushing attack. At 6-foot-5, 265 pounds, David Grinnage looks like a prototypical tight end. But he’s much more a deep threat and consistent pass receiver who has been quiet this season with 38 yards but has that big game potential. Shadrach Thornton who has 203 yards with 3 touchdowns this season has been kicked off the team. This guy played an important role in their rushing attack but Reggie Gallaspy II who has 110 yards with 2 touchdowns is more than capable at filling this gap.

The Cardinals defense is tied for #1 in the nation in pass interceptions with 9 in the first four games and now has 17 straight games with at least one interception. Chucky Williams (2 INTs), Trumaine Washington (2 INTs), and Josh Harvey-Clemons (2 INTs) are 3rd in the ACC in this ball hawking category and they will have to keep up their great defensive effort on Saturday for the Cards to have a chance in this one. The Cards who were giving up 3rd down conversions at almost a 50% clip did improve on this statistic last weekend giving up 3 of 11, but will have their work cut out for them this week with a NC state team that is ranked 2nd in the ACC converting on 28 attempts at a 53% average through 4 games.

The Louisville offense started to develop an identity in the last game and it is one that will see both Lamar Jackson and Reggie Bonnafon used in the Cardinal backfield. The athleticism and speed of this duo will be on display in full force against the Wolfpack. The Cardinals will also look to get their rushing attack moving forward as they still rank 9th in the ACC with 615 yards and 10 touchdowns. I look for this part of the Louisville offensive attack to keep getting better as Brandon Radcliff is a gamer and one of the most physically transformed Cardinals on the depth chart. I also think that the Louisville offensive line is showing improvement. The Cardinals receiving game has been pretty consistent over four games with 1019 yards and 4 touchdowns. They ranking in the top 5 in the ACC in most receiving categories and will only continue to improve especially with the return of James Quick. I look for him to have a big game in this contest.

Defensively, NC State is allowing 12 points and 205.8 yards per game. Experience and depth are abundant on N.C. State’s defense. Eight starters and 23 players who lettered last season return, including the entire secondary. Safety Josh Jones leads the Wolfpack with 17 tackles, while senior defensive end Mike Rose has 12 tackles. Other Defensive players stepping up for the Wolfpack this season are defensive end Darian Roseboro has 4 tackles with two sacks and Mike Stevens who has four tackles with two pass deflections. This NC State team is getting a lot of attention for their offense but their defense is legit and one of the best in the ACC.

NC STATE’S DAVE DOEREN PREVIEWS LOUISVILLE:

It is going to be a rain soaked day for this game and that will have an impact. It will all come down to which group wants it more. Our Cardinals are in serious need of that signature win of the early season to continue to build that momentum and the Wolfpack are in desperate need of that reassurance win to show that their dark horse pick has some legitimacy. It looks to be a wet and wild day in Raleigh North Carolina and I think our Cardinals are the more battle tested group and that will pay off.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 27 NC State 17

We have a short week Cardinal fans before we get to pour back into Papa John’s Cardinals stadium for another game. Hopefully it will be to get some redemption after the Cardinals heartbreaking loss on Saturday. It is a Black-Out game so hopefully the team can feed off of what will be an electric environment to pull off the upset. Just as it was last season when Louisville visited Death Valley for the very first time this will be the Tigers very first trip to Papa John’s Cardinal stadium. These teams have only met one time with Clemson winning that game 23-17. Clemson is 5-8 All-time in its first game in an ACC facility, and has a 5-9 record in ESPN Thursday Night games over the years. They have won four in a row, all under Dabo Swinney. Thursday nights have also been pretty good to Louisville with a 10-8 record during the mid-week showdowns.

Clemson will come into Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Thursday night ranked #11 in the AP Poll and #9 in the Coaches Poll. Most pundits have picked them to ascend to the thrown of the ACC replacing Florida State as the top dog. Coach Dabo Swinney will have one of the most explosive players in the country at his disposal on Thursday night. Dual threat quarterback Deshaun Watson is the real deal. He can hurt you with his speed and has a rocket for an arm. In their first two games Watson has completed 37-48 passes, a .771 completion mark for 442 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. That computes to a 184.6 passing efficiency, ninth best in the nation. He has 11 carries for 39 yards on the ground. If the Cardinals defense can’t put some early pressure on Watson it will be a long night for the home team.

This Clemson team is also pretty solid at the other skill positions. They have some long athletic receivers. Leading the way in the group are Artavis Scott (12 rec, 148 yards, 2 TD’s), Charone Peake (6 rec, 98 yards, 2 TD’s), Ray-Ray McCloud (9 rec, 84 yards) and Germone Hopper (3 rec, 50 yards). Scott played 49 plays against Louisville and had 10 receptions for 66 yards last season. The 10 catches were the most against Louisville in 2014. Tight End Jordan Leggett has 4 receptions for 40 yards this season, but was one of Clemson’s most effective players with three receptions for 43 yards against the Cardinals last year. They have a solid one two punch at running back with Wayne Gallman (29 car, 171 yards, 3 TD’s), and Zac Brooks (8 car, 53 yards, 1 TD). Gallman will be their feature back on Thursday night and Brooks will be their change of pace guy. The only hole I could find is that they lost their offensive mastermind Chad Morris. But make no mistake about it this is a very good offensive group with a lot of fire power.

Tasked with stopping this potent Clemson offensive attack is a Louisville defense that had a very dismal outing last weekend. They allowed 462 yards of total offense and allowed 11 of 22 in third down conversions to the Cougars. Tackling will have to improve and the intensity level will have to improve on Thursday night. The one bright spot for the Cardinals defense has been Josh Harvey-Clemons. He has 24 tackles and two interceptions in the first two games. Big time players love big time atmospheres and I expect him to shine Thursday night along with Shaq Wiggins (5 tackles), and Trumaine Washington (11 tackles, 1 Int) who have also started off with solid performances. This will be the third game back to big time football for former Big 12 defensive player of the year Devante Fields (11 tackles). I hope he has found his football feet again and can return to some of that past glory on Thursday night. Much was expected from the Louisville defensive front this season. They’ll have their hands full but will also need to have a big night. Tall task ahead for this group.

The Tigers defense led the nation in 11 categories last year, including total defense, pass efficiency defense, third-down conversion percentage, first downs allowed and yards per play. But this unit lost virtually the entire defensive front including six players with eight or more tackles for loss in 2014. Clemson is one of those programs that doesn’t rebuild they just reload and this year’s Clemson defense already has some high national rankings as well. They will be led up front by DE Shaq Lawson (8 tackles, 1 sack), DE Kevin Dodd (7 tackles), LB Ben Boulware (5 Tackles), and LB B.J. Goodson (12 tackles). They are led in the secondary by CB Mackensie Alexander, and S Jayron Kearse (8 tackles, 1 Int). This Clemson defense lost a lot but they still have a lot of athletes and speed on this side of the ball. A young struggling Louisville offense will have their hands full.

The Cardinals offense will be without wide receivers Jamari Staples, James Quick, and Alphonso Carter on Thursday night leaving a very young group to carry the load. I expect to see Devonte Peete, and Micky Crum to step up and have big nights. I expected a lot out of Brandon Radcliff this year and he is the type of player that is capable of putting an offense on his back. I think Bad Rad could really have a big night and that would really help to get this struggling offense going. The Cardinals have to get the running attack going if they are to have a chance in this game. We don’t know officially who the quarterback will be on Thursday night. Based on his performance Saturday and his ability to deliver the ball to the right guy I think that it will be Kyle Bolin. And I wouldn’t be shocked if we also see Lamar Jackson a few snaps. This group is still struggling to find some type of identity and they’ll have to do it against a very solid defense on Thursday night.

There has been a lot of Thursday night magic in Louisville. It will take some more of that magic for our Cards to pull off this upset. The defense will have to carry the load and the offense will have to find a way to move the ball. I think that the intensity of the Louisville crowd and the Black-out will carry over and this will be another one of those mid-week classics we are talking about years from now. This is the night when the ship gets turned around. I HOPE..!

The Optimistic Beak Prediction:
Louisville 20 Clemson 17

There’s no place like home and there’s nothing like the home opener of the College Football season. The smell of pigskin will be in the air on Floyd Street as Cardinal fans return to their favorite tailgating spots of the fall. Saturday will be a revival of sorts as fans gear up for another exciting home football slate.

Our Cardinals will try to get their first win of the season in front of the home crowd at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Saturday as the play host to the Houston Cougars. These teams have met 15 times in school history, with the Cardinals holding an 8-7 overall series advantage. This series dates all the way back to 1950. Louisville won the last meeting 20-13 in 2013 at Papa Johns in their first and only season in the American Athletic Conference.

The Houston Cougars have always been known for their explosive offenses and I expect that legacy to only improve with their new head coach former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman. Herman is fresh off Ohio State’s College Football Playoff championship run and you can bet he will have this Cougars team ready to go Saturday.

I expect to see a pretty balanced attack pass and rush from Houston on Saturday. Leading that attack will be QB Greg Ward Jr. Ward ranked ninth nationally in completion percentage in 2014, completing 67.3 percent of his passes, or 177-of-263 attempts with 2,010 yards. He is also pretty mobile scrambling for 573 yards on the ground last season. In their opener last week he had 107 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. He also threw for 275 yards and one touchdown.

Leading their ground attack is two of the better running backs in college football seniors Kenneth Farrow and Ryan Jackson.
Last season the duo rushed for 2,911 yards and combined for nine 100-yard games. Farrow is their feature back and he is coming off a career year that included 1,037 rushing yards, seven 100-yard games and 15 total touchdowns, which led the American Athletic Conference. He had a quiet day last Saturday only recording 11 carries for 49 yards but you can expect a healthy dose of him against the Cardinals.

Houston is task with finding some emerging talent at their receiver positions as they lost 5 of their most experienced guys last season. They do return Junior Demarcus Ayers who has 11 career starts and he was second on the team in 2014 with 33 receptions for 335 yards. He had a big game in their opener catching 10 passes for 121 yards. Much like in Louisville’s opener they had three players make their first career receptions against Tennessee Tech last Saturday. Chance Allen, Isaiah Johnson and Kyle Postma all got into the action for the first time. Postma had 4 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. They are also expecting a solid year out of junior tight end Tyler McCloskey who pulled in two receptions for 19 yards last weekend.

Another similarity they have with our Cardinal is their lack of experience on the offensive line. I expect Coach Grantham to attack this young group with a lot of pressure on Saturday. James Burgess had a tweet this week that insinuated he wasn’t too happy with his performance against Auburn. That’s not going to work out to well for Houston. I expect him to dominate. I think the Cardinals secondary could have a big day as well. What we seen out of Josh Harvey and Trumaine last Saturday was just the beginning and Chucky Williams is hungry after leaving a few interception opportunities on the field at the Georgia Dome. With the first game jitters behind him I expect a big day from Devonte Fields. Then there’s that guy named Shaq. #6 will be flying all over the place in his Papa John’s debut.

Task with stopping emerging superstar Lamar Jackson and the Louisville offense the new Houston defensive coordinator Todd Orlando will bring a 3-4 base that mixes up looks and brings pressure from all angles. He will also try to put a lot of pressure on a very young Louisville offensive line. Orlando has two solid guys up front in defensive tackle B.J. Singleton (11 starts) and defensive end Tomme Mark (15 starts). Houston’s defense has been one of the best in the nation with 73 turnovers forced over the last two seasons. A big reason why is their secondary. They return every starter in their secondary from 2014. This is a group that has 97 career starts and a group that had 19 of the 30 turnovers in 2014. Adrian McDonald (5 Int), Trevon Stewart (3 Int), Howard Wilson (3 Int), William Jackson III (2 Int), Lee Hightower (1 Int), and Earl Foster (1 Int). Last weekend Adrian McDonald led the defense with an interception. Linebacker Elandon Roberts led the team with 8 tackles. This is a very formidable defense.

Lamar Jackson said this week after practice that he wanted to showcase his passing game more on Saturday. I think he’ll get his chance as his scrambling ability along with Brandon Radcliff and Jeremy Smith running down hill will draw the secondary in and allow him to throw over it to the Cardinal receivers. Devonte Peete led the team with 3 receptions for 60 yards against Auburn and I look for him to have another great game this week. I look for JaQuay Savage to have a good game this week also.

This Houston team won’t be a push over as they have a very good coaching staff and some solid athletes. I just think our guys will keep building off of that strong second half showing in the Georgia Dome last weekend. I really think we have found something special with Lamar and our defense is going to be one of the best units in college football. Look for a big win Saturday.

The Beak Prediction:

Louisville 37 Houston 13

As I grow older I have come to realize that life is a series of beginnings and endings. I believe that much of this is to prepare us for some of life’s greatest challenges. We tasted the bitterness that came along with saying good-bye to some great players last season and getting our butts whipped in the Bowl Game. But on Saturday September 5th Cardinal fans will get to taste the sweetness of new beginnings. That Saturday afternoon starts a new era of Louisville football, and one that will surely be full of success.

This is the first game of all first games as our Cardinals travel down into SEC country to face the #6 Auburn Tigers. I don’t know about you folks but I love getting another chance at the SEC this fast. I’ve been looking forward to this one since walking out of a bitter cold Bank of America Stadium back in December. This game like that one will be a stiff test. Much of what these teams do or how these teams will perform on Saturday is up in the air as are most of the first games of the college football season, but I will give you an assessment based on my research and observations.

Coach Petrino Auburn pre-game:

(Video Courtesy TheCrunchZone.com)

The Head Coaches: Bobby Petrino and Gus Malzahn are two of the best offensive minds in college football. It is going to be great watching these two great minds at work in the Georgia Dome on Saturday. Both coaches design their offenses with an up tempo pace in mind. Petrino has a tendency to be more vertical than Malzahn but both of these guys love to attack and attack some more. Both have a knack for getting the most out of their quarterbacks and keeping defenses on their heels. I doubt we’ll see a very complex play book from these coaches on Saturday and both will make things as simple as they can for their teams in the opening game. I do expect fireworks from both sides and a bit of trickery wouldn’t surprise me either. This will be one of the best coaching battles of week one.

The Auburn offense lost a lot of talent including their starting QB and their top three rushers a whopping 85% of their rushing yards is gone. They do bring back a lot of talent on this side of the ball and it all starts with the dual threat quarterback Jeremy Johnson. Johnson’s snaps have been limited but he did have 436 yards with 3 touchdowns in 7 games last season with a 75.7 completion percentage. This kid is a freak athlete with size and ability who can run it; sling it down the field, and with great intermediate accuracy. He has 3 of Auburn’s top 5 receivers from last season to pass it to. D’haquille Williams 730 yards, 5 touchdowns last season, Ricardo Louis with 261 yards and 3 touchdowns last season and Melvin Ray with 182 yards and a touchdown last season. They are also expecting big things out of Jason Smith and he could be the X-factor in this group. I expect the passing game to be a huge part of this Auburn offense in the game on Saturday.

Running Back Roc Thomas who had 43 carries, for 214 yards with 2 touchdowns last season and Jovon Robinson juco back who was #1 in the country will power what has been a powerful ground attack for the Tigers that always produces under Gus Malzahn. Auburn is known for having 1200 yard rushers every season and this group won’t be any different. Most expect this Gus Malzahn offense to look like his 2009 season where they are throwing it around a lot more. This offense will look at what the defense gives them and not so much going to try and dictate. Most expect this Auburn offense to be more reactionary. Take away the pass and these guys will try to run it down your throat and stack the box they’ll try to throw it over your head. Much like our Cardinals they have a lot of important parts to replace at the skill positions including an offensive line that is still in doubt. They will replace a starting center and have two guys in Austin Golson and Alex Kozan along the line who didn’t see the field once in 2014.

Task with stopping this Auburn offensive attack is year two of Todd Grantham’s defense. Our Cardinals secondary was gutted but we have one of the best returning defensive fronts in college football this season. Five of the Cardinals front seven returns and I’m expecting a lot out of defensive end Sheldon Rankins who had 13.5 tackles for loss last season with 8 sacks, Keith Kelsey who had 87 tackles last season and James Burgess who had 10 tackles for loss last season. Joining Burgess and Kelsey at Line-backer is the former Big 12 defensive player of the year Devonte Fields. By all accounts he has looked really good during camp and should be ready to plug some of those holes on Saturday.

The key to stopping the Auburn attack will be to get quick stops for losses on first and second downs. Get off the field on third downs and don’t let the Auburn offense gain any momentum. I really like our defense against an offense that has a lot of new parts.

The Cardinal offense remains shrouded in mystery as far as the starting quarterback is concerned, but I have said all along that it will be Reggie. I really think his ability to run or pass will be a bigger asset in this game than any other on the schedule. I watched Reggie first hand in the spring and in camp and he has become a more accurate passer while appearing to be stronger and faster. I have also said all along that we could see either Will Gardner or Kyle Bolin in some form or fashion early in the season but if I had to guess it would be Will Gardner in this game. All of these guys have big game experience and could handle the environment that day in the Georgia Dome. There has also been a lot of buzz coming out of camp about Lamar Jackson. Don’t be surprised to see him lined up in some type of Wildcat formation with Reggie. I think this kid is a super athlete and I think Bobby has already figured out a way to use him in game one.

Running back Brandon Radcliff is the most physically transformed athlete on the Louisville roster. This young man is dedicated to perfection and he will be the lead back on Saturday. I also expect to see Jeremy Smith and LJ Scott in some capacity. Radcliff could be the ultimate key as we’ll have to get our running game going to open up things for the receiving corps. Speaking of that group that will be led on Saturday by James Quick who had 36 catches last season. I think the Louisville wide receivers might be the most underrated in the country. The world will get introduced to this group on Saturday and they will be pleasantly surprised at the length, speed and agility of this bunch. There has been a lot of buzz about transfers Ja’Quay Savage and Jamari Staples during camp and I think they give this group some much needed talent after the loss of Devante. I also expect Paul Harris, and tight Ends Charles Standberry, Keith Towbridge, and Cole Hikutini to have a huge impact in the offensive game-plan Saturday. I think Cole has a huge upside and will really flourish in the Bobby Petrino system.

When talking Louisville offense there is the elephant in the room and that is the offensive line. Coach Petrino says that there are 11 guys that have been rotating on the offensive front during camp. Let’s hope that those guys have had enough reps to develop the continuity they will need on Saturday. Tobijah Hugley and Aaron Epps will anchor the reconstructed line counting on guys like Pedro Sibea, Kelby Johnson, Skylar Lacy, Lukayus McNeil and Khalil Hunter to step up.

Gus Malzahn talks about preparing for Louisville:

Will Muschamp will get his shot at redemption after the Louisville offense dismantled his Florida Gators in the Sugar Bowl. And he has a very talented group to do his bidding. It’s questionable how effective his defense can be after losing most of his secondary and other great defensive players to transfer. And really how much of his stuff has he had time to get in with such a short period of time. This is an Auburn defense that gave up 30 points in eight of their last 9 games.

The main piece of Muschamp’s attack will be a guy returning from injury last season Carl Lawson. This young man is a monster who is disruptive, very agile and plays with an incredible motor and toughness. He will be a nightmare for the budding Louisville offensive front. Coach Petrino will game-plan to try and get this guy double teamed while Muschamp will feature him by trying to get him in one-on-one situations. Muschamp is the kind of defensive coach known for getting his best defensive players in opportunities to succeed. Like our Cardinals he also has a very talented front group anchored by guys like Cassanova McKinzy, Kris Frost, Jonathan Ford, DaVonte Lambert, Montravious Adams and Dontavius Russell. I expect the Tigers to be tough up front with solid recruits also. It’s what’s behind this group that has the Tigers a little concerned. Their secondary lacks experience and includes at least two true freshmen in Byron Cowart and Jeffery Holland. Our Cardinals will have their hands full and I expect this to be a very formidable defense on Saturday.

A lot of the talking heads and folks who know more than I do about college football think that on this day it will be the Auburn Tigers who’ll reign victorious. But you know that’s the thing about days… They tend to have a mind of their own. We’ve all been a part of days that had a mind of their own. Let’s just hope that September 5th is one of those days.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 34 Auburn 31

We are headed into the heart of the college basketball season, but before we throw our full attention to the hardwood we will celebrate another successful football season at the Belk Bowl in Charlotte. This will be the 5th straight season that we have ended a football season in a bowl game and are 3-1 in recent Bowl games. For the second time in three seasons the Cardinals will face an SEC team in a bowl game. The Cardinals beat Florida in the 2012 Sugar Bowl and will now face Georgia for the very first time in the program’s history. Both teams come into this game at 9-3 with Georgia ranked 13th and Louisville ranked 20th. Two very good football teams, with former Georgia players and the former Georgia defensive coach now on the Louisville sideline this one will have it all.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 34 Georgia 27

The Louisville football program has had a great season and provided many exciting moments along the way. They went 5-3 in their inaugural season in the ACC finishing 3rd in the Coastal Division, and are 8-3 overall coming off a huge win at Notre Dame. Now it’s time for the season finale and the annual battle with in-state rival Kentucky. It will be a chance to put an exclamation mark on a great regular season. 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 nation to watch 12:00pm Saturday on ESPN2 as this game will take its place at the table of rivalry weekend in college football. This game has been played 26 times over the years with UK leading the series 14-12, while Louisville has been the better team and program in the modern series leading 12-8 and winning the last three meetings. The last time Louisville won 4 straight in this series was between the 03 and 07 seasons.

UK dropped to 5-6, 2-6 in the SEC after losing to Tennessee 50-16 a few weeks ago. The Wildcats have lost five straight games after winning three straight over Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and UL Monroe. They have been blown out by LSU, Georgia, and Tennessee during their losing streak. Their offense is averaging 28.2 points per game, which ranks 72nd in the country. Their defense is allowing 30.1 points per contest, which ranks a dismal 89th in the country. They are 0-4 on the road this season.

Kentucky’s 2014 OVERALL FBS RANKINGS
-PASSING YARDS
236.2
54th
Overall
-RUSHING YARDS
153.5
79th
Overall
-POINTS FOR
28.2
72nd
Overall
-POINTS AGAINST
30.1
89th
Overall

Leading Stoop’s offense on the field Saturday will be quarterback Patrick Towles who has thrown for 2,542 yards to go along with 14 touchdowns and 7 interceptions this season. He is a very solid guy in that backfield who can make accurate throws while also being able to make plays with his legs. He has 295 yards and 6 rushing touchdowns. He will look to challenge the Cardinal defense with short passes in the flats and middle of the field.

Towels will also have some pretty solid run support on Saturday handing the ball off to running backs Stanley Williams and Braylon Heard who have combined for 714 rushing yards with 7 touchdowns this season. These guys will also catch passes out of the backfield. Williams has 149 receiving yards with a touchdown and Heard has 87 receiving yards.

Speaking of receiving yards Kentucky has an offense that likes to spread the ball around. They have five guys over 180 yards in their receiving corps. Leading the way in this group is wide receiver Ryan Timmons who has a team best 45 catches for 536 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Wildcats. He is followed by Javess Blue who has 516 yards with 5 touchdowns, Demarco Robinson 442 yards with 1 touchdown, Garrett Johnson 264 yards with 2 touchdowns, and Blake Bone with 183 yards with 2 touchdowns. Dorian Baker is done for the season with a knee injury.

Another guy that has also been very important to this Kentucky offense is All-purpose yards guy Jojo Kemp. He has caught some passes and has rushed for 325 yards with 4 touchdowns. They will line him up anywhere on the field including behind center to run the wildcat offense.
The Kentucky offense has thrown the ball over 2598 yards this season while rushing for 1689 yards.

Defensively, our Cardinals are allowing an average of 18.7 points per game, which ranks an impressive 14th in the country. They have only allowed over 27 points twice this season and that was against some very good units. The Louisville defense is much quicker and more talented than this Kentucky offensive group but their creativity will keep our guys on their toes. The Louisville defense will have to play disciplined football on Saturday and not take anything for granted. Defense has been the theme this season for the Cardinals and they will have to answer the call again. Gerod Holliman will be looking to break an NCAA record for interceptions on Saturday while solidifying his chance for a defensive player of the year award. I look for him to have a big day and he should see several passes coming his way. This defense will also have a group of seniors looking to go out on top. The leader of this unit Lorenzo Mauldin will put pressure on Towels all day, while B.J. Dubose, Andrew Johnson, Terell Floyd, and Deiontrez Mount will also look to have big games in this season finale.

The Kentucky defense has been the teams Achilles heel this season and they have been beyond dismal stopping the run. They are currently ranked 98th in the country in rushing defense. They have allowed forty rushes of 10 yards or more in the last 5 games. Their passing defense while not exactly great has been better as they are ranked 30th in the nation in passing yards allowed. The strength of the Kentucky defense comes from the defensive end position where they do have some very good talent. This group is anchored by seniors Alvin Dupree and Za’Darius Smith. Dupree had 15 tackles in their last game, and has 67 on the season. Smith has 51 tackles on the year. Louisville native Jason Hatcher is the heir apparent to Dupree and will also see playing time against the Cards on Saturday. He grew up cheering for the home team so he will be looking for a solid outing. He has 25 tackles this season. . I think Stoops will pick his poison when it comes to Louisville’s offense. He will load the box with 8 or nine guys to stop the run and hope that Reggie and the Louisville receiving group have an off day.

The Louisville offense is averaging 31.5 points per game, which ranks 49th in the country. Quarterback Reggie Bonnafon, has filled in well for the injured Will Gardner, throwing for 842 yards with 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in limited action this season. And he had a very good outing at Notre Dame last weekend. I do think that done a lot for the young man’s confidence. Wide receiver Devante Parker has caught 29 balls for 555 yards and 2 touchdowns in only 4 games this season due to an injury, and I know he wants his final game in Papa John’s to be special. I think he will have a huge day. Running back Brandon Radcliff has carried the ball 104 times for 581 yards and 9 touchdowns. Michael Dyer has carried the ball 103 times for 475 yards and 4 touchdowns. These guys were monumental in the win against Notre Dame and have come up big all season. They will face a loaded box on Saturday but I think they will again play a big part in the outcome of this one.

I don’t think the “Battle for the Bluegrass” will be much of a battle but it could be pretty competitive, especially early on. Emotions will be running high like they always are in this game. These emotions can make up for deficiencies early in sports competitions but ultimately the better team prevails. I don’t think that there is any question who the better team is here. The Cards ability and their execution are on a different level especially on defense. I do think that our arch rivals are on the road to that in the future, but their program is still in the early stages of being rebuilt and the score board will reflect that on Saturday afternoon.

Louisville’s 23 seniors will be honored beginning at 11:35 a.m. on Saturday. This senior class has been one of the best in school history, posting a solid 38-12 mark and will advance to their fourth-straight bowl game next month. They also haven’t lost against Kentucky and they won’t Saturday.

The Beak Prediction
Louisville 51 Kentucky 24

-(9-04-2010) Derrick Locke, RB@ Kentucky had 23 Carries, 104 Yards, for 2 TD’s
-(9-17-2011) Dexter Heyman, LB@ Louisville had 12 Tackles & 1 Forced Fumbles
-(9-02-2012) Teddy Bridgewater Louisville QB 19/21, 232 Yards
-(9-14-2013) Teddy Bridgewater Louisville QB 16/28, 250 Yards, 1 TD

The Cardinal’s have finished their ACC schedule and will now head to South Bend to face the Notre Dame fighting Irish for the first time in school history. This is the game I’ve had circled all season. Notre Dame stadium is the shrine for college football fans. There is so much tradition there. I’m looking forward to the Gold Helmets, Touchdown Jesus, the Play Like a Champion sign, and the Notre Dame our Mother school song. I’m also looking forward to watching the Cardinals play and get a win on that field.

Notre Dame is 7-3 after losing at home to Northwestern 43-40 last weekend. The Fighting Irish have lost three of their last four games, falling to Florida State, Arizona State, and now Northwestern. This will be Notre Dame’s final home game of the season and the Irish are 4-1 at home this year. Notre Dame’s defense is allowing 27.1 points per game, which ranks 66th in the country, and are averaging over 35 points per game on offense this season, which puts them in the top 30. This will be the 4th time head coach Brian Kelly leads a team against Louisville. The other three times he was the head man at Cincy and he holds a 2-1 record over the Cardinals.

Notre Dame’s 2014 OVERALL FBS RANKINGS
-PASSING YARDS
304.4
15th
Overall
-RUSHING YARDS
160.7
69th
Overall
-POINTS FOR
35.4
28th
Overall
-POINTS AGAINST
27.1
66th
Overall

Leading Brian Kelly’s offense this season is quaterback Everett Golson. While he’s struggled with some turnover issues here towards the end of the season he’s still a very heady QB. He has all of the weapons the arm, the mobility and the mind. He’s thrown for 3044 yards this season with 27 passing touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He has also rushed for 339 yards and 8 touchdowns. In lieu of his recent problems with turning the ball over and Notre Dame’s losing streak I look for Kelly to try and keep the offense simple for his senior QB this weekend. He will try to use his mobility and the short routes to penetrate the Louisville defense.

The Irish will also try to use their rushing attack to grind out and balance the offensive attack. They have a solid group in the backfield led by Tarean Folston who has 668 yards this season with 4 touchdowns. They will also use Cam McDaniel who has 241 yards with 4 touchdowns and Greg Bryant who has 208 yards with 2 touchdowns.

Notre Dame has great athletes and talent all over the field especially at the wide receiver position. They have six guys who have over 250 yards on the season. They are led at this position by William Fuller who has 853 yards with 13 touchdowns this season. He is followed by Corey Robinson who has 464 yards with 4 touchdowns, C.J. Prosise 412 yards with 2 touchdowns,
Chris Brown 397 yards with 1 touchdown, Ben Koyack 289 yards with 2 touchdowns, and Amir Carlisle 273 yards with 3 touchdowns.

The good news for the Cardinal’s defense is that Notre Dame’s offensive line is coming off some not so great performances. They had been pretty solid but Golsen has been running for his life in their last two outings. Also coach Petrino said he expects Lorenzo Mauldin and Pio Vatuvei to play this weekend. Having those guys back will give this unit some added spark. Gerod Holliman will be looking to break the NCAA record for interceptions Saturday and I can’t think of a better place for that to happen. Louisville’s defense is allowing only 17.8 points per game, which ranks an impressive 10th in the country. They will be ready to go all out on Saturday.

One huge area for concern for the Irish on Saturday will be their depleted defense. This unit has been plagued by injuries and they’ve been piling up in the last few weeks of the season. They had already lost several members of their secondary including leading tackler middle linebacker Joe Schmidt for the season along with safety’s Nicky Baratti and Austin Collinsworth. This week they added to that list as Sheldon Day, the anchor of the Irish’s defensive line, and freshman defensive lineman Daniel Cage went out. Cornerback Cody Riggs, is also expected to see limited playing time. Six of their starters on the defensive side of the ball are freshmen or sophomores. They will call on younger guys to step up in their final two games.

The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time for our Cardinals especially on the offensive side of the ball. It gave Reggie an extra week to get some consistency developed between him and the Louisville receivers. He and DeVante Parker should have a field day on Saturday. And I also think Saturday will be a great chance for Dyer and Radcliff both to go off for big-time yardage. Our offensive line should also be able to win the war in the trenches.

The University of Louisville, fans and the players have been looking forward to this game on Saturday since the schedule was released. I know we will all be caught up in the moment and be in awe of that place on our first trip there. I just hope that doesn’t funnel down to the players. Sure these guys have been on some big stages this season but let’s face it Saturday is as big as it gets.

It will be senior day inside Notre Dame stadium on Saturday. That adds a little motivation to their side and on top of that there’s no way the Irish want to lose three games in a row. They will be ready. Our Cardinals will have to overcome that initial surge of energy and face down their initial attack. If they can do that and keep the game ugly I really feel like we have a great shot at knocking the Irish off. I will be there covering all of the action from the sidelines. Win or lose it will be a good day but I really want to be writing the winning story on Sunday.

The Beak Prediction
Louisville 27 Notre Dame 23

It has been a season of ups and downs for the Louisville football team. Through the first part of the schedule the Cardinals have adjusted on the fly with injuries to key players, offensive line woes and inconsistent QB play. This week they head into the meat of their schedule and finally have all of the key guys back to full strength and seem to have all of the kinks worked out on offense particularly the offensive line. This couldn’t have come at a better time as the Cardinals prepare to play one of the biggest games in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium that they’ve had in a long time.

On Thursday night the #2 ranked Florida State Seminoles come to town for a mid-week showdown with the Cardinals. They are arguably the best team in college football and will be riding a 23 game winning streak heading into this game. The Cardinals and Seminoles have played 14 times in their history. Florida State leads the series 12-2. Those two wins by Louisville came in the very first game between these teams and in the last meeting back in 2002. The Cardinals won that game 26-20 in what was then the biggest win in the programs history. On Thursday night the Cardinals will have another chance at getting another notch in their belt.

Florida State improved to 7-0 on the season after beating Notre Dame 31-27 at home two weeks ago. The Seminoles have beat Oklahoma State, Clemson, and Notre Dame. Florida State has not looked as dominate as they did a year ago, but they continue to find a way to win, and have a very deep football team with a lot of talent across the board. They have great players at all of their skill positions, offensive line, and defense. The Florida State defense ranks 29th in points against, allowing an average of 21.6 points per game. The Florida State offense ranks 19th in points scored, averaging just south of 38 points per contest.

The Seminoles have a pretty balanced offensive attack, but they do rely a lot on their passing game. Leading that attack is a guy who hasn’t lost a game as a starter and while he may not win any awards for chivalry Jameis Winston is one helluva QB. He has thrown for 1,878 yards with 13 touchdowns and 6 interceptions so far this season. Teams have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at him on defense with little or no avail. He’s even thriving against the blitz completing 67 percent of his passes against it this year.

There’s a slight chance that the Seminoles will be without their leading rusher when they make the trip to Louisville Thursday due to some legal issues swarming around him, although Jimbo has said that he will play. He leads all rushers with 378 yards and 7 touchdowns and will be a big loss if he can’t play. Freshman Dalvin Cook who has 270 with 3 touchdowns, and Mario Pender who has 200 yards with 4 touchdowns are both very capable backups at the position.

FSU’s 2014 OVERALL FBS RANKINGS
-PASSING YARDS
316.7
14th
Overall
-RUSHING YARDS
125.9
104th
Overall
-POINTS FOR
37.9
19th
Overall
-POINTS AGAINST
21.6
29th
Overall

The Cardinals defense has allowed 13, 21, 10, and 18 points at home this season. They rank an impressive 4th in points against, allowing just an average of 14.6 points per game. They also boast the #1 Total defense in the country. Most folks outside of the Louisville circle have been skeptical about this defense being so highly ranked, but the Cardinals will get a chance to prove those skeptics wrong on Thursday if they can hold down this very potent FSU attack. Lorenzo Mauldin who has 35 tackles and leads the team with 11.5 tackles for loss and six sacks will be a big key in slowing down Winston. Gerod Holliman who leads the nation with 8 interceptions will also be key in slowing down the vertical attack of the FSU receivers. James Sample 3 interceptions, James Burgess 2 interceptions, and Charles Gaines 1 interception will all be key in this effort.

As I mentioned above the Florida State defense hasn’t been as dominate this season but they are still pretty darn good. At times this season they have lacked some discipline but they are a very athletic and capable group. Their key defensive guys in this game will be their two cornerbacks Ronald Darby who has 21 tackles, and P.J. Williams who has 24 tackles. They combined for 11 tackles against Notre Dame. Defensive back Jalen Ramsey has also been big for them on this side of the ball and he has 47 tackles on the season.

Their defense will have to contend with a fully healthy Louisville offense that will again feature spider man himself DeVante Parker. He returned to play against North Carolina State and had nine catches for 132 yards. He will be the best wide receiver that FSU will face this season and he will really open up the Cardinal offense on Thursday night. RB Brandon Radcliff and senior RB Dominique Brown are also primed and ready to help carry the load in the rushing game. Both have combined for over 760 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns out of the backfield for the Cardinals this season. The SEC version of Michael Dyer returned for a breakout game against North Carolina State and he had his best performance as a Cardinal with 173 yards and a touchdown. If he can give the Cardinals another effort like this Thursday it will really help.

It will be the day before Halloween when these teams lock up on Thursday and I am hoping that it will be a “Nightmare on Floyd Street” for the Florida State Seminoles. It is going to take a very good effort from our guys and things like turnovers, penalties, and mishaps will have to be kept to a minimum. We will really need Will Gardner to step up and lead the offensive unit and I think he could be the biggest key if our Cardinals can pull off this upset. Papa Johns will be rocking and the Cardinals will have the home crowd standing behind them all of the way on Thursday. I really feel like we can recapture some of that Thursday night magic that we’ve seen in the past and I look for Cardinals to pull out a close one.

I don’t imagine that you need to be hyped up for the game on Thursday but just in case here is an excellent hype video done by the guys over at Crunchzone.com.

It’s Homecoming weekend and the Cardinals will welcome in the NC State Wolfpack. These teams don’t have a long history of competition but they aren’t strangers either. They have played four times and the Cards lead the series 3-1. The last time these teams faced each other was in the 2011 Belk Bowl. It was the the Wolfpack that came out victorious against the Cards in that one 31-24. Louisville is 3rd with a 3-2 conference record in the Atlantic division and NC State is in last place in the Atlantic division with a 0-3 conference record.

The Wolfpack dropped to 3-4 on the year after losing to Boston College 30-14 at home last weekend. The Wolfpack have lost three straight games to Florida State, Clemson, and now Boston College after winning the first four games of the season. The Wolfpack are allowing an average of 28.7 points per game on the season, but they have given up 56, 41, and 30 points in their last three games. The NC State offense is averaging 30.9 points per game. The Wolfpack are producing an average of 225 passing yards and 188 rushing yards per game.