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Louisville Football: 1st quarter of the season awards

By Derek Snyder

Sep 17, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Papa John
Sep 17, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Papa John /
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Sep 17, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive back Tarvarus McFadden (4) knocks Louisville Cardinals running back Brandon Radcliff (23) out of bounds to prevent a touchdown during the second quarter at Papa John
Sep 17, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive back Tarvarus McFadden (4) knocks Louisville Cardinals running back Brandon Radcliff (23) out of bounds to prevent a touchdown during the second quarter at Papa John /

Mr. Reliable: Brandon Radcliff (Running Back)

Radcliff has been one of the more reliable guys for Louisville over the past couple of seasons. While he may not be a name known across the ACC, we would argue that he is one of the better running backs in the entire conference. He is proving that so far this season.

Both Radcliff and Jackson have come a long way with the read-option in the first part of 2016. If you remember, they struggled at the beginning of last year, fumbling away many opportunities because of bad handoffs and bad reads. It looks like that is a distance memory now.

Here are Brandon Radcliff’s statistics for the first quarter of the 2016 season:

  • 27 carries (2nd on team)
  • 296 rushing yards (2nd on team)
  • 2 rushing touchdowns (3rd on team)
  • 321 yards from scrimmage (2nd on team)

Lamar Jackson’s running ability gets the most attention throughout the weeks, but Radcliff just keeps doing his thing and pounding the rock. Louisville is going to need him to be the closer in games where they need a few extra yards up front. If, for whatever reason, Jackson goes down during a game, Radcliff can step up and be the man for the Cardinals.

Next: Defensive MVP

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