Louisville Cardinals College Football Season Preview

So far, so good as Charlie Strong has done a fabulous job taking over the Louisville Cardinals. 7-6 and a bowl victory could not have been any better for Cardinal faithful in year one. It was the first bowl game for Louisville since Bobby Petrino went 12-1, winning the Big East and the Orange Bowl over then ACC Champions Wake Forest in 2006.

2006 was a tough year as Louisville led Rutgers 25-7 before collapsing and losing 28-25. That loss cost them a possible BCS National Championship and the Cardinals have not really been the same since. They had a pair of receivers that year in Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia as well as a loaded backfield with Michael Bush and Brock Bolden. The offense was simply unstoppable with their signal QB Brian Brohm. The question remains as to whether or not the Cardinals will ever become that potent again. 

I NEED MORE BELL COW!!

In 2011 there will be only 3 starters back on offense. They have a brand new QB and only one OL is back. The 2010 offense was just 71^st averaging only 369 YPG.

The running game was usually not an issue as they ranked 34^th by averaging 175 YPG thanks to Bilal Powell (11^th in the nation at 117 YPG) and Victor Anderson. Anderson missed three game due to shoulder surgery but is now at 100 percent.

Anderson only ran for 286 yards in a few games last year and Jeremy Wright was the one who actually had a more productive season.

Anderson is a solid speedster at 5’10, 189 whereas Wright is an inch and ten pounds more. They lack that bell-cow back with Bilal Powell graduating. Powell had 1,405 yards and 11 TD's! Those bell-cow runners are often needed, but many are looking for the passing game to improve.

Quarterback Quandry

The passing offense better improve because it was atrocious averaging only 194 YPG. Justin Burke was the main QB for the bowl game, but Adam Froman also saw some time during the season.

Teddy Bridgewater, a 6’2, 193 lb true freshman who was in for spring ball, takes over as the starter and is a true duel threat. He will be backed by Will Stein who actually played in four games last year.

Stein is only 5’10, 176 so he struggled in the passing game which helps explain just how awful the team was one season ago. Bridgewater is much bigger and can escape pressure when the pocket collapses. 

Defensive Improvement

The defense does have seven starters back with three of them up front. The line is still the weakest link on the defense as the same can be said on offense (4 brand new OL).

Greg Scruggs and BJ Butler provide a solid pass rush off the edge. Butler, just a sophomore, notched 2.5 sacks and 3.5 TFL’s in his freshmen campaign. Throw in DT Brandon Dunn who is also an incoming sophomore and this unit could be improved from last season (144 YPG rush D allowed- 52nd).

The LB core and the secondary are the two best units on this squad. The LB’s are loaded with depth for ‘Ville standards. Clemson transfer Tarik Rollins is providing depth for the three starters: Daniel Brown, Dexter Heyman, and Deon Rogers.

The secondary is led by SS Hakeem Smith and FS Shenard Holton. The team only plucked nine balls last season (ranked tied 89th) which means you can expect the production to improve. Smith has the makings of a 1^st Team All-Big East selection this season.

Drama's Forecast

The schedule is tough with road trips to Lexington and Chapel Hill (funny since those two are the top basketball schools in America) and that is not even counting trips to Tampa, Morgantown, Cincinnati or Storrs, where they are set to defend their Big East crown.

Still, even with only 10 returning starters they will be bowl bound once again in year two of the Charlie Strong era. 

Predicted Finish: 6-7, 3-4

Predicted Bowl:  Pinstripe Bowl   

Predicted order of finish in Big East: Fifth