Florida State vs Louisville Recap: 3 Things We Learned

The Atlantic Coast Conference and the rest of the nation are now on notice, this Louisville Cardinals football team is pretty good. After their victory over the Seminoles, here’s what we learned…

The Louisville Cardinals scored on their first drive for the third straight game and never looked back. Louisville and quarterback Lamar Jackson drove the Cardinals six plays down the field for 75 yards for a touchdown.

Cardinals running back Brandon Ratcliff opened the game with a 31 yard rush and it was clear from the beginning Florida State would miss the presence of safety Derwin James.

Ratcliff finished the game with 116 rushing yards and a touchdown.

It was a game where we learned a lot of the Lousiville Cardinals as they continue to climb the Top 10 rankings and take the college football landscape by storm.

The Louisville Cardinals are the new ACC Darlings

The Atlantic Coast Conference has enjoyed a power struggle in the past two seasons with Clemson and Florida State alternating titles. That, however, is no more as Louisville has solidified themselves as a top ACC team with today’s victory.

The Cardinals defense only allowed 10 points and held the Florida State Seminoles to 244 total yards of offense. This was a statement game for Louisville, the message: Louisville is pretty good!

The Cardinals defense set the tone early and often. They registered five sacks and forced two turnovers in the game. Louisville held the Seminoles to 2-13 on third down conversions.

The Cardinals have certainly put the rest of the ACC on notice: Don’t take Louisville lightly anymore.

Lamar Jackson Will Be a Heisman Finalist

It was the Lamar Jackson Show for the Lousiville Cardinals as the quarterback was unstoppable all game, scoring five total touchdowns.

This game certainly puts Lamar Jackson at the top of the Heisman Trophy list. If Jackson continues to bless fans with performances like these, he’ll be the first Heisman Trophy winner in Louisville history.

Jackson ran for four touchdowns and 146 rushing yards while passing for 216 yards and a touchdown. The Seminoles had no answer for Jackson or the Cardinals’ rushing attack in general.

The Cardinals rushed for seven touchdowns on the ground. Jackson set the tone early, he scored a rushing touchdown on the team’s opening drive.

Next: Lamar Jackson High School Highlights

The Florida State Seminoles Defense Is Not the Same Without Derwin James

The presence of safety Derwin James was dearly missed by the Florida State Seminoles. Derwin James replacement whiffed on a tackle on a first play of the game, a 30 yard rush by Brandon Ratcliff.

It was the largest margin of defeat in Florida State history.

A highly rated Florida State defense gave up seven rushing touchdowns and 317 rushing yards. The special teams even had a time of it, giving up a 69 yard punt return for a touchdown.

If anything, this game was a wake up call for the Florida State Seminoles defense. Now its clear they’re not as good as they think they are. With injuries now, they’ll need to make some adjustments and fast.

The Seminoles still have UNC, Miami, Clemson, and Florida on the schedule.

Highlights

https://twitter.com/abdulamemon/status/777220053007601664

The Cardinals will try to continue this incredible start with a much easier matchup next week against the Marshall Thundering Herd.