The Louisville football will need to find their defense this season. Here are some game-by-game predictions for the Cardinals 2017 schedule.
Head coach Bobby Petrino and the Louisville Cardinals could call the 2016 season an overachievement. However, in 2017, the team has some high expectations.
Their schedule favors a high regular season win total. Heck, after going 9-4 last season who knows what could happen this season. The Cardinals will have to do a better job of protecting quarterback Lamar Jackson. The offensive line gave up 47 sacks last season and only two starters return on the line this season.
The 2016 Heisman winner, Jackson returns looking to do more than use his legs to make plays. He’ll have to replace his top receiving targets but he’s still got the confidence of a top-tier quarterback.
With the college football season, right around the corner, let’s take a look at some predictions of the Cardinals schedule. Their strength of schedule is ranked 58th, according to ESPN’s FPI.
The Purdue Boilermakers and Louisville Cardinals haven’t met on the college football field since 1987. That season the two teams met on September 19 where the game ended in a 22-22 tie.
Fast forward to 2017 and things are a bit different for both college football programs. The Cardinals went 9-4 while the Boilermakers went 3-9. They’re not very good on either side of the ball and are going through a head coaching change.
New head coach Jeff Brohm will have his hands full in his first game as head coach. The Boilermakers allowed 38.2 points per game last season, 117th in the FBS. On top of that, the defense allowed 238.5 rushing yards per game.
It doesn’t look like a good formula for success when factoring in what Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson can do. For the 6th ranked scoring offense (42.5 ppg), they’ll pick up where they left off with Jackson under center.
Louisville has an opportunity to find a new running back and new targets for Jackson to get accustomed to this season. This game should be a tuneup of what to expect from the Cardinals offense.
Reggie Bonnafon should see a bulk of the carries at running back although he’ll still should be used at wide receiver. Senior running back Jeremy Smith should be back from a spring camp injury as well. The duo shouldn’t have a difficult time finding room to run against Purdue’s defense.
Final: Purdue 10 , Louisville 45 (1-0)
The North Carolina Tar Heels saw success with Mitch Trubisky as their starting quarterback. While they did finish 8-5, the team lost three of their final four games in 2016. Consider 2017 a time for rebuilding for them and head coach Larry Fedora.
Now that Trubisky is off to the Chicago Bears, the Tar Heels will have to find a new quarterback. It helps former LSU Tigers quarterback Brandon Harris is a member of the team. Adding to that, the Tar Heels lose both leading rushers from a season ago in Elijah Hood and T.J. Logan. Wide receivers Mack Hollins, Bug Howard and Ryan Switzer are gone as well.
Even if Harris wins the starting job, he may find it difficult to get an offensive rhythm going. He’s got senior receivers Austin Proehl and Thomas Jackson but they’re limited in the experience department.
Proehl has 70 catches for 928 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in three seasons. Jackson caught 17 receptions for 186 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in his first season with the Tar Heels.
The Louisville Cardinals haven’t met the Tar Heels since 2012. The Cardinals won that meeting 39-34 and have won three of the last four meetings. Lamar Jackson may have some difficulty at first but Louisville should win this game convincingly.
Final: North Carolina 14, Louisville 31 (2-0, 1-0 ACC)
The defending National Champion Clemson Tigers return in 2017. While they will have holes on offense, it will be their defense that will carry them this upcoming season.
The Clemson defense returns seven starters, including defensive tackle Christian Wilkins. Wilkins had 48 tackles, 13.0 tackles for loss, nine pass breakups and 3.5 sacks last season. The rising junior is prime for a breakout season and Louisville’s Lamar Jackson could be his next victim.
Jackson still had 162 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 295 passing yards and a passing touchdown in last season’s game. However, it was a game in which he had a career-high 31 rushing attempts. In fact, Jackson went 0-4 in games where he had more than 22 rush attempts last season.
If Jackson can develop a rapport with his wide receiving corps and show his development in the passing game by Week Three, things could get interesting here. Wide receiver Jaylen Smith could be prime for a big week.
The Louisville Cardinals lost last season’s matchup 42-36 after leading late in the fourth quarter. While this year’s game could come down to the final possession, the Cardinals may not have a chance if the offensive line can’t hold up.
The Cardinals are 0-3 against the Tigers since their ACC series began in 2014. Stranger things have happened, though. Louisville did put up 63 points against second-ranked Florida State in a Week Three victory. That game was at home, too.
Final: Clemson 42, Louisville 45 (3-0, 2-0 ACC)
The Kent State Golden Flashes return after posting a 3-9 record last season. They return seven starters on offense and six starters on defense but that’s pretty much the only positive. They’ve posted a 6-18 record in the past two seasons under head coach Paul Haynes.
Kent State averaged 20.6 points per game on offense (117th in the FBS) and allowed 28.7 points per game (67th in the FBS). When you give up more points than you score, you’re never going to win a lot of games.
Not to mention, their offense threw for just 141.7 passing yards while rushing for 167.5 rushing yards per game in 2017. The Golden Flashes do have their starting quarterback returning in redshirt senior Nick Holley. Holley led the team in rushing yards (920) and rushing touchdowns (10) last season.
Running back Justin Rankin had 511 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns as a true freshman. He led the team in receiving yards with 335 receiving yards as well.
Kent State is a young team so the ACC’s level of experience may be too difficult for them to overcome. Without much a passing game, the Louisville Cardinals should shut the Kent State offense down early.
It should be another tuneup game for Louisville on September 23. The teams haven’t met since 1973 and Kent State leads the overall series 8-9. The Golden Flashes won the last meeting 10-3.
Final: Kent State 14, Louisville 45 (4-0)
The Murray State Racers are another “cupcake” game for the Louisville Cardinals. They are an FCS squad, part of the Ohio Valley Conference.
The Racers went 4-7 in 2016, getting off to an 0-4 start before getting their first victory. On the bright side, the team returns nine starters on defense and eight starters on offense. They have no starting quarterback at the moment, so that edge easily goes to the Louisville Cardinals.
The Murray State quarterback last season, K.D. Humphries, led the OVC in passing yards (3,116) and passing touchdowns (23). Senior wide receiver Jordon Gandy caught 976 receiving yards to lead the OVC and was second in the conference in receiving touchdowns with 11. The Racers will need to replace the offensive production of Humphries to have a fighting chance against the Cardinals.
The last time the two teams met was during the 2014 season. Louisville won that game 66-21, leading 45-7 at halftime. They accumulated over 603 total yards of offense and held the Racers offense to just 292 total yards.
The Cardinals may be able to duplicate that again against one of the weaker FCS squads. It also gives them more time to gel together on both sides of the ball. By Week Five, Lamar Jackson should have established new targets in the passing game and a new leading rusher should have emerged out of the backfield.
It should give the Louisville Cardinals a boosted sense of confidence heading into three conference road games in the next four weeks.
Final: Murray State 24, Louisville 63 (5-0)
The North Carolina State Wolfpack have an offense full of weapons entering a Thursday night game. It bodes well for a school that’s expected to perform well in head coach Dave Doeren’s fifth season.
There’s Jaylen Samuels, a senior fullback/tight end hybrid. He had 55 catches for 565 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns last season. He’s due for a breakout season in both the run and pass game. Samuels didn’t play too well in last season’s matchup, but that was when the game was on the road. At home, the Wolfpack are a totally different team.
Defensively, senior Bradley Chubb should wreak havoc off the edge for NC State. Chubb had 21 tackles for loss, 10.0 sacks and three forced fumbles for the Wolfpack defense last season.
The defense only allowed 109.3 rushing yards per game in 2016. They return eight starters from that squad. On offense, they return nine starters including quarterback Ryan Finley. After a 7-6 finish, their veteran experience is expected to show up in a big way. Don’t count out the Louisville Cardinals, though.
Louisville is 6-1 all-time against the Wolfpack. They won last season’s game handily 54-13 behind four touchdowns from Lamar Jackson. The Cardinals put up 553 total yards (390 passing) and three passing touchdowns.
An improved secondary could change the Wolfpacks’ fate this season. Wide receiver Jaylen Smith will be the player to watch for Louisville. He had two catches for 90 receiving yards (74-yard touchdown catch) against NC State in 2016.
Final: NC State 31, Louisville 28 (5-1, 2-1 ACC)
The Louisville Cardinals may start the conference schedule 1-1 but their conference schedule favors them winning out. After a road trip to North Carolina, they host the Boston College Golden Eagles at home.
The Cardinals have won their last four games against Boston College. Although they finished last season 7-6 including a 36-30 victory over the Maryland Terrapins in the Quick Lane Bowl, the Golden Eagles won’t be very good offensively.
Defense will be carried by defensive end Harold Landry, the FBS leader in sacks (16.5) and fumbles forced (7). Landry will have his work cut out for him chasing Lamar Jackson all over the field. Things could get ugly in a hurry for them.
A player to watch on the Boston College offense is running back Jon Hilliman. He’s currently on the Doak Walker Award watch list but only if he can remain healthy. He only played three games last season before suffering a broken foot injury.
Louisville put up 52 points against the Golden Eagles last season. Lamar Jackson had seven total touchdowns before it was all said and done. By Week Seven, the Cardinals should have found a rhythm and with a collision with the Florida State Seminoles next week, a statement win should be in order here.
Final: Boston College 7, Louisville 56 (6-1, 3-1 ACC)
The Florida State Seminoles probably will still have last season’s 63-20 drubbing on their mind when the Louisville Cardinals travel to Tallahassee. It was Louisville’s first victory in the series since 2002 when they won 26-20 in overtime.
The Cardinals held no qualms in running up 63 points on the second-ranked team in the nation. Both teams could be ranked in the top 10 by the time they meet on October 21.
Louisville will have a hard time keeping Lamar Jackson off his back in what should be his toughest game of the season. The Seminoles have nine defensive starting returning and a trio of defensive linemen who combined for 26.0 sacks last season. That’s not including former ACC Defensive Player of the Year DeMarcus Walker’s 16.0 sacks.
It will be a battle of the quarterbacks when Deondre Francois and Jackson face off. It’s sure to give fans memories of the 42-36 battle former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Jackson had last season.
Forcing turnovers will be a key to the Seminoles’ success but it will all start with containing Jackson. With a strong returning core of players and an incoming wave of talent from the 2017 recruiting class, Florida State is sure to give the Cardinals a game.
The Cardinals are 3-14 all-time against the Seminoles with only two victories in the last five meetings. Last season was no fluke but this year’s Florida State defense is scary good on paper. The odds may be against Jackson this season.
Final: Florida State 42, Louisville 35 (6-2, 3-2 ACC)
The Wake Forest Demon Deacons could have difficulty returning to a top-tier defense, but on offense they should be okay. They return nine starters on offense but six on defense. Defensively, they allowed 22.2 points per game, 23rd in the FBS.
They finished the season with a bang, winning 34-26 in the Military Bowl over the Temple Owls. It was their first bowl appearance and first bowl victory since 2008. Head coach Dave Clawson is on to something in Winston-Salem. The 2017 season should be another bowl season for them.
However, by October 28, Wake Forest could be reeling from a series of conference losses. They face the Seminoles and Clemson Tigers, on the road, in back-to-back weeks before a bye week on October 14. Then after that, the Demon Deacons face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on the road.
The Louisville Cardinals are 4-0 since they first met back in 2007. Last season’s meeting was an interesting chess match, especially in the wake of Wakey Leaks. The Demon Deacons led 12-3 at halftime before the Cardinals put up 41 points in the second half, winning easily 44-12.
The Demon Deacons should put up fight on offense, but they may have a hard time keeping the Cardinals’ offense from scoring. Quarterback Lamar Jackson didn’t have his best game a season ago but a road game in-conference like this one should serve as a pretty good test for him.
Final: Wake Forest 24, Louisville 42 (7-2, 4-2 ACC)
The Louisville Cardinals have a bye week at a key time in their season. With three games remaining, they have an opportunity to avoid the final three-game collapse they faced last season. Granted one of their opponents isn’t the Houston Cougars, but the ACC is always full of parity.
The Virginia Cavaliers are still in rebuild mode in Bronco Mendenhall’s second season as head coach. That doesn’t mean a thing when it comes to facing the Louisville Cardinals though. Despite going 2-10 in 2016, they return eight starters on defense and a decent quarterback in Kurt Benkert.
The Cavaliers led late against Louisville 25-24 with 1:37 remaining before Lamar Jackson worked his magic. Louisville won 32-25 but it was a close game against a team that played arguably it’s best game of the season.
Virginia held Jackson to just 88 rushing yards but he also had 361 passing yards and four passing touchdowns. To place the close victory on his shoulders would be insane. The Louisville defense will need to play better and keep the Cavaliers out of the endzone to run away with this one.
The Cardinals have a defense, particularly in the secondary, that has an opportunity to be very good. If they can solve the pass defense issues that plagued them against the Cavaliers, this could be a much easier victory for Louisville.
Final: Virginia 24, Louisville 34 (8-2, 5-2 ACC)
The Syracuse Orange are a team that Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson had his way with last season. He had a 72-yard passing score and 72-yard rushing touchdown before the first quarter even ended. He finished with 199 rushing yards, 411 passing yards, four rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown in a 62-28 victory last season.
Barring a miracle season from the Orange in 2017, Jackson could duplicate that performance in this season’s meeting. Things could change though as Syracuse returns 20 total starters (9 on offense, 11 on defense) from a season ago.
Despite their 4-8 record, the Orange ranked sixth in the conference in offensive yards per game (440.9). Their 321.3 passing yards per game ranked second in the ACC just behind Clemson (333.9).
Quarterback Eric Dungey returns as do wide receivers Erv Phillips and Steve Ishmael. The two combined for 1,381 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. While Phillips caught six of the seven receiving touchdowns, Ishmael is prime for a breakout season after the numbers graduate transfer Amba Etta-Tawo put up in 2016 (94 receptions, 1,482 receiving yards, 14 rec. touchdowns).
The two teams met early in the season last year. This season, the Cardinals serve as Syracuse’ second-to-last game in conference play. Facing Lamar Jackson in their first ACC game of the season was no easy task in 2016. Meeting late in the season will be interesting for both teams.
Final: Syracuse 27, Louisville 38 (9-2, 6-2 ACC)
Rivalry Week, on the road in Lexington after falling 41-38 in 2016. It was the Wildcats’ first victory since the 2010 season.
The final game of the Louisville Cardinals’ regular season couldn’t have bigger implications. The Cardinals have an opportunity to win 10 games and it will have to come against the Kentucky Wildcats. Quarterback Stephen Johnson overtook the starting job in 2016. Against Louisville, he was the better signal caller, going 16-of-27 for 338 passing yards and three passing touchdowns.
Jackson, on the other hand, threw for 281 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. However, he also had three interceptions in the game. He did rush for 171 rushing yards and two touchdowns but turnovers turned the tide in the game. Louisville had four turnovers to Kentucky’s two in the game. Both teams accumulated over 500 yards of total offense and over 20 first downs.
This season’s matchup will need to see Louisville finish with a tougher defensive performance or they could fall in the final seconds again. Kentucky returns nine starters on defense and eight on offense entering 2017.
Last season’s game was the Cardinals’ worst defensive display in all of 2016. They didn’t even give up that many yards in their 29-9 Citrus Bowl loss to the LSU Tigers (394 yards allowed). The Wildcats will have an upset on their mind for sure entering their final home game of the year.
Final: Kentucky 28, Louisville 42 (10-2)
Final Record: 10-2 (6-2 ACC)
The Louisville Cardinals could push for a spot in the College Football Playoff by season’s end, but a major bowl bid and a 10-win season should be considered a success for this team. Finishing 6-2 in the ACC Atlantic Division (the tougher side of the conference) is nothing to fret about. Granted, they finished 7-1 in conference play in 2016, but still.
Next: Ranking the top 50 players in college football in 2017
A 10-win season would be their first since the 2013 season back when the team was 12-1 under former head coach Charlie Strong. Head coach Bobby Petrino is onto something with quarterback Lamar Jackson. If Jackson can develop weapons by season’s end, the Cardinals could have a much better ending than they did in 2016.