Louisville vs. Auburn: Ticket Info, Date, TV Schedule and Live Stream
Transition is the name of the game for two of college football's bigger programs Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET when the Louisville Cardinals clash with the No. 6 Auburn Tigers at the Georgia Dome.
It's year No. 2 for Louisville coach Bobby Petrino, who orchestrated a nine-win campaign a season ago and finds himself armed to the proverbial teeth with options under center. Gus Malzahn is one year ahead of the pace with his Tigers and hoping to improve on last year's miserable 4-4 SEC record.
In short, it's a befitting showcase to help usher in the new season between two teams more than capable of making some serious noise in their respective conferences.
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Below, let's take a look at the top storylines and more.
Cards Close to Vest
Petrino isn't abiding by the normal rules.
No, the Cardinals have decided to buck conventional wisdom and keep the starting quarterback a mystery for the sake of gaining an advantage against their SEC opponent.
Steve Jones of the Louisville Courier-Journal provided the details:
"Petrino reiterated that he knows personally whom the Cardinals will start at quarterback and is comfortable with the pick, but he sees 'no advantage' in announcing it publicly before the game. U of L's depth chart on Tuesday said only that any of Reggie Bonnafon, Kyle Bolin, Will Gardner or Lamar Jackson could be the starter.
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ESPN.com's Brett McMurphy offered a humorous take on the unconventional situation:
It's a large amount of options. Will Gardner started last year and threw for 1,669 yards and 12 touchdowns to three interceptions. Where he's a stout pocket passer, though, Reggie Bonnafon is a versatile threat who threw five scores last year and rushed 72 times for 164 yards and five touchdowns.
The diverse options might just work, too, as the Cardinals needed an equalizer to Auburn's defensive athleticism and the return of defensive mastermind Will Muschamp as coordinator.
Who starts and how they perform will play a large role in how the contest unfolds.
Back to Basics
Auburn isn't masking what it wants to do on offense.
Nick Marshall is gone, meaning 20 touchdown passes and the team's second-leading rusher from a season ago won't be back. In is Jeremy Johnson, though, who looked good in spot duty with 436 yards and three scores on 37 attempts.
The team's leading receiver, Sammie Coates, is also gone, but that just means more opportunities for D'haquille Williams, who caught 45 passes last year for 730 yards and five scores. He's listed on the injury report, but not in a concerning way.
For Malzahn, it sounds like the transition at certain spots isn't as difficult as just getting his guys to tune out the preseason hype.
"We have the same approach and I like where our guys are at," Malzahn said, per the Associated Press' John Zenor. "They're not reading the press and predicting, all this stuff. They're worried about this first opponent, and they've got a good mindset."
There's hype because the players who step into bigger roles this year have looked great in splotches. Hype because a Malzahn offense always moves the ball. Hype because Muschamp is back and bringing big-name recruits.
Saturday looks like a major test for the program, because the Tigers can either come out looking like a finished product or take care of business against an opponent most expect them to beat.
Viewing Info
When: Saturday, September 5, 3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
Television: CBS
Live Stream: CBSSports.com
Tickets: ScoreBig.com
Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):
- Over/Under: 55.5
- Spread: Auburn (-10.5)
Team Injury Reports
No listed injuries for Louisville.
| D'haquille Williams | WR | Prob Sat |
Injury reports via USA Today.
Prediction
Las Vegas seems in line with how this one should pan out.
The fact Louisville wants to give itself an advantage by not announcing a starting quarterback shouldn't rattle Muschamp, as the difference between one of the two likely starters is swapping out a linebacker for a nickel corner or vice versa.
Auburn has a proven leader under center and more talent at the skill positions than Louisville can handle. A Malzahn offense isn't going to stagger out of the gates like Louisville might, so expect the Tigers to jump to an early lead and slow things down.
Prediction: Auburn 35, Louisville 27
Statistics courtesy of ESPN unless otherwise specified.
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