Louisville Football: 3 takeaways from gutsy road win over UCF

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Sep 9, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Malik Cunningham (3) carries the ball during the second half against the UCF Knights at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports /

2. The second-half version of Louisville needs to carry over

Watching Louisville limp to a lifeless 31-7 loss to Syracuse in the opener was tough. It was an uninspiring effort and fans had to be worried about the motivation against UCF on the road.

Traveling from one hostile environment against a mediocre opponent where the Cardinals only scored seven points in a blowout loss to another against a seemingly better foe had to give everyone an uneasy feeling. Would the Cardinals be able to hold their own on the road against UCF or would the atmosphere in Orlando eat them alive?

In the first 30 minutes, it looked like the same Louisville team from the Syracuse loss showed up and the Cardinals were rattled. The second half, however, was completely different.

A different team came out of the locker room at halftime and played much more inspired. The defense was flying around, Malik Cunningham was making plays, and the mistakes weren’t as prominent. Whatever Scott Satterfield told his team at halftime worked.

More of that second-half team moving forward, please.

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