Louisville Football: Cardinals going downhill fast
Lamar Jackson‘s departure has hit Louisville football harder than anyone could have expected, sending the Cardinals into a tailspin of epic proportions.
What Lamar Jackson did for Louisville football cannot be understated. Jackson produced back-to-back seasons with 3,500 passing yards, 27+ touchdowns through the air, 1,500 rushing yard and 18+ touchdowns on the ground.
Neither Jawon Pass or Malik Cunningham were ever going to come close to replicating those stats, but the absolute cratering of the Cardinals’ offense caught everyone off guard. Following a disheartening 27-3 loss to Virginia in Week 4, both quarterbacks have combined to throw three touchdowns and six interceptions.
Including a 51-14 massacre at the hands of the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide, Louisville is averaging 9.5 points per game against Power 5 opponents, and neither of their touchdowns against Alabama came until garbage time.
The biggest problem for Louisville is there is no quick fix. Bobby Petrino’s offenses have always been productive. With that fixture wobbling the Cardinals’ secondary is getting exposed. There isn’t any particular facet of this team that is truly elite, and that’s going to be a problem as they enter conference play.
Starting 0-1 against Virginia with games against Florida State, Georgia Tech and Boston College looming in the next three weeks doesn’t bode well. This could turn into more than just one rebuilding year at Louisville. The lack of Petrino’s high-powered offense makes this team look mediocre at best.
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Petrino has fielded one team in his coaching career that failed to reach a bowl game. In his first year at the helm of the Arkansas Razorbacks in 2008 he went 5-7 before improving to 8-5 and 10-3 in successive seasons. The 2018 Louisville team is going to be lucky if they can win five games.