(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Cardinal Fans had waited a very long time for another moment. And tonight it looked like the home team would deliver. The Cardinals had a great chance at another one of those program defining wins tonight but fell short losing to the #2 ranked Florida State Seminoles 42-31. The series now stands at 2-13. The loss tonight will keep the Cardinals in third place in the Atlantic Division of the ACC at 4-3. Coach Petrino is now 47-12 all-time at UofL, 26-2 at home in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and the loss snaps a 22 game win streak as the Cardinals head coach.
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At first it looked like this was going to be one of those games like we witnessed in the Sugar Bowl where Louisville came out and just took over from beginning to end. But the Seminoles who had won 23 straight weren’t going down without a fight. Jameis Winston and the defending champs kept the nations #1 defense on the ropes during the second half gaining 370 yards of offense and scoring 35 points. Winston had 401 yards and 3 touchdowns and pulled off some heroics in the second half that Louisville fans had seen in the past with a guy named Teddy. With a record crowd of 55,514 behind them Grantham’s guys got their second wind in the 4th quarter and had a huge sack at the 5:55, but the offense couldn’t move the chains on the ensuing possession. That was all she wrote for our Cardinals as FSU would take the lead for good.
The post-game theme for our losses this season have usually fell along the lines of poor offensive line play, poor QB play, etc. Tonight the offensive line held their own with solid run and pass blocking. It was their best effort of the season as a whole. They only had one penalty that was a false start late in the 4th. This was a very encouraging takeaway from this game.
Will Gardner had some sloppy passes but had a pretty solid performance overall with 330 yards and one touchdown. His play tonight was also a very encouraging takeaway. And what can you say to describe Louisville’s version of “Thunder and Lightning” duo of Michael Dyer and DeVante Parker. Dyer appears to be back to his SEC form as he rumbled for 134 yards with 3 touchdowns while Parker bolted his way to a career best 214 yards. These guys have combined for 653 yards of offense in the past two games. It’s a shame we didn’t have these guys at full strength all season, but I’m really excited to have them for the rest of the way. I know the offense was only 1-11 on 3rd down conversion, but I do think they have improved every game.
If the blame falls anywhere tonight it would have to fall on the Louisville defense. For the first time this season they just gassed out and couldn’t hold serve for this Louisville team. I really think depth is an issue for this unit and that’s what separates the great defenses from the elite ones. 488 yards of offense and 31 points should be enough to win at home. There were some standout performances on this side of the ball. James Sample had 15 tackles and Gerod Holliman added two more interceptions to his national lead. He now has 10 on the year and is tied for the all-time record at Louisville. I still think this defense is among the best in the country. They just ran into Jameis Winston tonight and he’s a pretty good player.
My outlook for this team when the season started was to make it to a good bowl game and to retain the Governor’s Cup for a 4th straight season. We are bowl eligible and have some great games left. There is still a lot to look forward and I’m excited to watch this team finish out. We have a lot of great guys who are busting their asses and that needs to be enjoyed and celebrated. Losses are tough but there were a lot of positives to take away from this one. We are on the cusp of having a special football program here at Louisville. Go Cards!