Struggling Louisville needs better QB play
Two seasons ago, ESPN’s College GameDay was in Louisville for the titanic match-up of Top 15 Louisville vs. Top 5 Florida State in what was billed as Lamar Jackson vs. the vaunted Seminoles’ defense.
What a difference a couple of years make.
Louisville (2-2, 0-1 ACC) will square off against FSU (2-2, 0-2) in a matchup of unranked and underwhelming teams Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET at Cardinal Stadium (ESPN2). Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said the Cardinals can’t take Florida State lightly, despite their lackluster early record.
“We’ve got a great challenge coming up this weekend,” Petrino said.
“We’ll be excited for it. I know our guys will get ready to play. A lot of guys on our team know the players on their team, and we’ve always got a lot of energy going into this week. We have a lot of things to fix. They’re always going to be physical on the defensive front and fast in the secondary.
“And then, offensively, they’ve got a quarterback we know well, can really throw it, and they always have speed at receiver. So, it’s a good challenge for us. But, I do know that we’ll come back and work extremely hard and get this thing going in the right direction.”
The right direction seems like a start after Saturday’s dismal 27-3 loss at Virginia. It was the lowest scoring output in Petrino’s 169 games as a head coach, and Petrino wasn’t taking the loss lightly having just reviewed the film when he met with the media on Monday.
“That’s a hard video to watch. Probably as bad of a loss as I’ve had around here. Didn’t feel like we played the way we’re capable of playing. Actually, I know we didn’t play the way we’re capable of playing — primarily on offense.”
While Petrino hasn’t stated publicly which of his two quarterbacks he’ll start on Saturday, both will likely play vs. FSU, with sophomore Jawon “Puma” Pass getting the starting nod. Pass is just 38 of 75 for 454 yards on the season with five interceptions and two touchdown passes. Freshman Malik Cunningham is 22 of 34 for 198 yards with a TD and an interception, but he also leads the team in rushing with 209 yards and a touchdown on 43 carries.
Having been in the top five in total offense the last two seasons, Louisville is currently ranked 124th.
“Offensively, it’s hard to watch,” Petrino said. “We’re not doing what we’re supposed to be doing up front. We didn’t make good decisions and see things that we need to see at the quarterback spot.”