Syracuse Football: Orange add to Louisville’s mounting losses

1. Louisville’s problems go deeper than just losing Lamar Jackson

Louisville was destined to have a down season after 2016 Heisman winner Lamar Jackson earned a first-round draft pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. As the offense handed off to Juwon Pass, some regression to the mean was to be expected.

Syracuse allowed Louisville to score just 23 points on Friday night, as the Orange consistently stymied the Cardinals when they had the ball on the road. Pass went 13-of-24 for 196 yards and a touchdown. Pass threw an interception, as did sophomore backup Sean McCormack.

Offense, though, has been the least of Louisville’s worries this year. The defense has shouldered the bulk of the issues. The Cardinals entered the week averaging more than 40 points allowed per game, and the 54 points conceded to Syracuse marked the fifth time this season that Louisville gave up at least 50 points to an opponent.

They also struggled to maintain discipline. The Cardinals suffered a blocked field goal and missed an extra point, leaving four points on the field. They also took a ridiculous 18 penalties for 125 lost yards.

Jackson wasn’t an ironman player on the field, after all. There are major question marks about what Bobby Petrino and his staff have done to fortify a flagging defense and even more questions about whether the staff has lost control of the program. The loss to Syracuse might end up being the beginning of the end of the Petrino regime.