(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
It was homecoming in Louisville on Saturday and over 50,000 fans watched the Cards beat the Wolfpack 30-18. The Cardinals extend their overall lead in this series 4-1. With this win Coach Petrino is 47-11 all-time at UofL, 26-1 at home in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and has won 22 straight as the Cardinals head man. The most important thing about the win on Saturday is that it makes the Cardinals bowl eligible for a fifth straight year.
Things really started to come together for the Louisville offense on Saturday and it was probably the most encouraging day of the season for this unit. The first notable difference was on the offensive line. They did an incredible job in pass protection and really hit their marks in their run blocking also. These guys had made a lot of mental mistakes over the past couple of weeks, but today they didn’t have a single penalty. The offense only had 4 penalties total for 33 yards. I could see a big improvement in the execution today.
On a day where coming back is celebrated it was Michael Dyer and DeVante Parker who came back to the Cardinal line-up that will be remembered the most. Both of these guys have been battling injuries through the first half of the season and today both of them showed signs that they are healthy and ready to take the Louisville offense to the next level. Having his best day with the Cardinals since transferring in Dyer had 24 carries for 173 yards and 1 touchdown. He became the 4th Cardinal running back this season to have a 100 yard day.
DeVante tied a career high with 9 catches for 132 yards in his first game back from the toe injury. These guys accounted for around 80% of the Cardinals offensive production on Saturday combining for 305 yards. Really makes you think about what could have been had these guys been available all season.
I also thought that Will Gardner had a solid game on Saturday. He seems to gain more confidence with every throw. He had 203 yards with 2 touchdowns.
The #1 defense in the country again lived up to their reputation and held the Wolfpack out of the end-zone for most of the game allowing only one late touchdown. James Sample had 11 tackles, and James Burgess had 8 to lead their unit. Four different players had a sack and Gerod Holliman got his 8th interception of the season. These guys have been playing lights out and they give so much of themselves every weekend. The bye week is going to be great to give these guys a chance to rest up for the final push of the season. The biggest games of the season are on the horizon. Lorenzo Mauldin had a hamstring issue but reports after the game indicate that it might only be a minor issue.
The Cardinals will now take a great defense, improving offense with the return of Parker and Dyer into the bye week. We watched this team take a very positive step forward on Saturday and I’m looking forward to seeing what our guys will have for Florida State in a couple of weeks. Hopefully the best is yet to come. Go Cards!