Big Red Louie Louisville Football Roundtable: 1,000 Foot View of the Cardinals Season

The Louisville football program will get their season underway on September 1st in Orlando against the defending National Champion, Alabama Crimson Tide. We get a four part roundtable series under way today, looking at the Cards season from a 1,000 foot view.

We are now officially less than 4 weeks away from Louisville football. I can already smell the grills going, hear the music blaring, and taste the sweet nectar of Bud Light and every brand of Kentucky bourbon under the sun at the legendary Cardinal tailgates, if I try hard enough.

While 27 days seems like a lot, it’s really not, and now is the time that local and national media outlets really start digging into the football season. If you’ve been above ground for the last three months, hopefully you’re aware of what we’re doing here at Big Red Louie. We’ve spent all summer looking at the 2018-19 Louisville football season from every angle possible. You need depth chart previews? We got ’em. You need to know who the breakout players are? Done.

Myself, and 8 other big time Cardinal fans, have come together to provide you with the best, in-depth, most entertaining, and extremely opinionated pieces on all things Louisville sports. Today is no different. We put together the best of the best roundtable to talk about the upcoming football season and what we expect to happen.

Enjoy Cardinal family.

The Cards were voted to finish fifth the ACC Atlantic division, and no one outside of Louisville has very high expectations. That being said, what are reasonable expectations for UofL this season?

Good Time Charlie: When was the last time the feelings on UofL football team was so wide ranging? The fan in me says best case is 10-2 with a worst case of 7-5. The reasonable expectation has to be somewhere in the middle. With that I am going on record with an 8-4.

Presley Meyer: I think that 8 wins is reasonable. Although losing your two most productive players hurts, this team will be much more balanced than last year. People predicting this team to only win 5-6 games are looking at Louisville’s absolute floor. The ceiling is probably 10-11 games, and I think they fall somewhere in between.

Maddie Wood: I may be the only one who thinks this statement is considered “reasonable”, but let’s go for it. Outside of Alabama and Clemson, I believe the Cards can and should win every other game on their schedule. Growing pains may cost us a marquee win over the Tigers or the Tide, but I don’t think they’ll hand us a loss to anybody else. We are going to be better than expected.

Ty Spalding: We as fans would like to think Louisville football is an established program. With that, comes expectations. This year shouldn’t be any different. This team should reasonably finish at 8-4 or 9-3 with no problem.

Jacob Lane: Part of me wants to follow in the foot steps of the national media, and those pessimistic Cardinal fans that we all can’t stand and say 7-5, but I really think this team is going to shock people. For the first time since joining the ACC, there aren’t super high expectations, meaning this team won’t be everybody’s top focus, and Bobby Petrino is going to be able to get back to balanced football. I think Louisville can win all the bottom tier’d ACC games (Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Syracuse), take two of three between Florida State, North Carolina State, and Boston College, and then of course beat UK, Indiana State, and Western. That puts them at 9-3. Not too bad huh?

Aside from the obvious with Lamar Jackson, what will be the biggest difference between this year’s team and last year’s team?

Good Time Charlie: I think the biggest difference is going to be the national media focus. Last 2 seasons the attention, deservedly so was on Lamar. This year there will be more focus on the team as a whole. The offense without Lamar has as many questions as this defense under its third new defensive coordinator in 3 seasons.

Presley Meyer: The biggest difference will be tempo, and time of possession. Louisville’s offense was 56th in the country in TOP in 2017. Lamar Jackson is a dynamic player, and when he was on he was REALLY on. But, when he was off, it threw the whole team off.

In games where Louisville struggled, the defense was on the field way too much, either because the offense scored quickly, turned the ball over, or went three and out. This resulted in inconsistent offensive play, and added insult to injury on defense. Look for the Cards to have a lot less quick-burst plays, and have longer, more sustained drives.

Maddie Wood: Besides some actual aggression on the defensive end? Because I can’t hope any harder for that. The biggest difference will be style of play. Look to see a more balanced offense with a heavier use of the run game, as well as more play action pass with Puma airing it out downfield.

The offense without Lamar has as many questions as this defense under its third new defensive coordinator in 3 seasons.

Ty Spalding: I think we will see a return of true “Bobby Ball”. We will see the run game get established leading to play action. Also, on defense we will see VanGorder let the dogs eat.

Jacob Lane: Speed, speed, and more speed. Adding guys like Tyler Harrell, Marcus Riley, Tutu Atwell, Chandler Jones, Yassir Abduallah, Marlon Character, Boosie Whitlow, should help to change the focus and dynamics of this team. Not to mention you bring back guys like Dez Fitzpatrick, and Jonathan Greenard. Like Bobby said at Media Day, this should be his fastest team ever.

What is the biggest question mark you have about this team going into the season?

Good Time Charlie: The defense. There were games last season where some would say the offense scored enough points to win. The system was under fire from a lot of the fan base last season so the new regime will be under the microscope.

Presley Meyer: Can Brian VanGorder implement his system quickly enough? I think BVG is a great fit with Petrino, but his schemes can often be complicated and hard to grasp. Louisville is fielding a talented, but inexperienced defense. If BVG can get them to mesh early, this could be a great season for the Cards.

Maddie Wood: Defense – without hesitation. I’m curious to see if VanGorder can get these guys to play with a chip on their shoulder, regardless of what scheme they’re playing. We have to bully our opponents. Also, I know our offense will be good, but my next biggest question is: just how good will Jawon Pass be once everything rests on his shoulders?

Ty Spalding: This a simple and quite obvious question and there is no way around that. The biggest question mark for me is how Jawon “Puma” Pass will play. We haven’t seen hardly any game action from the new starter.

Jacob Lane: I think we can all agree about the defense, but I’m going to go the unconventional route and say the run game. The run game has been centered on Lamar Jackson the last three years, so how does everything change when an actual pounding run game is needed? I think having potential stars in Colin Wilson and Dae Williams, along with other guys like Trey Smith and Tobias Little is huge, but can they stay healthy? So far we haven’t seen that happen, so I’m a bit concerned.

What team from the schedule scares you the most?

Good Time Charlie: Boston College. The Cardinals fans where really shocked by Steve Addazio’s Boston College team at Cardinal Stadium last season. Going on the road this season UofL fans will be expecting a statement of revenge in 2018.

Presley Meyer: Boston College. I think there are some teams on this schedule that are just obviously better than Louisville, but Boston College sets up to be a game that is much tougher than many expect. They bring back preseason ACC player of the year, AJ Dillon, and a really solid defense. UofL will be coming off of Florida State and Georgia Tech back-to-back at home, and will likely play a noon or 3:30 game after a long week in what should be their first true cold weather game of the season. General sentiment is that Petrino won’t let BC sneak up on the Cards again, but this will be a tricky mid-season test.

Maddie Wood: Clemson. Alabama is at the forefront of everyone’s mind for good reason, but they’re relatively unknown and Bobby Petrino is really good in openers. Clemson is the standard in the ACC and they have been for years. They always seem to play at a higher level against us, and we have been starving for a win against them for what seems like forever. So yep, Clemson.

Ty Spalding: Outside of Clemson and Alabama, the one team that scares me is Georgia Tech. Stopping the run was an issue last year, and if this team isn’t much improved, Georgia Tech will be a tough task.

Jacob Lane: They say great minds think alike, so Ty and I are clearly the ones with great minds here at BRL. The game I have circled on the calendar with the most fear is Georgia Tech. This will be the first time the Cards get a matchup with the Paul Johnson led Yellow Jackets, which means it’ll be the first time seeing the unique triple option. Can the Cards be disciplined, tackle well, and stop the run? Nothing from last year would lead me to believe they can. Not to mention the matchup is just five days after the Cards take on Florida State, and the week before the big rematch with Boston College. Everything thing about this screams bad news to me.

If this team finishes in the top 3 of the Atlantic Division what will be the biggest reason?

Good Time Charlie: Everything clicked. Defense performed at a high level, forcing turnovers and shorting the field. Puma was everything we expected and more. The A.F.R.O.S lived up to their names and Dez Fitzpatrick becomes a fan favorite and maybe even an All American.

Presley Meyer: The defensive line. This is a unit that must stay healthy for the Cards to have success. They have to do a better job this season of getting pressure on the opposing QB, as well as outside containment. We can talk all we want about the secondary, but their job becomes a lot easier if the line gets pressure. This is what made the defense so impressive in Louisville’s first two years under Grantham. When you get to the quarterback and plug holes on the line, it changes the entire dynamic of the team. Look at Clemson, Alabama, Georgia, or any other elite team. They are all fantastic on the D Line.

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Maddie Wood: Jawon Pass. I would say the defense, but this is a bridge year for us on that end. We have a lot of talent at our disposal, especially on offense. Puma’s ability to lead, plus his competitive attitude should permeate the rest of the team. We’ve got to put points on the board, and I believe we will do that at a high level if Jawon Pass plays with confidence, and the team has confidence in him.

Ty Spalding: The running game. With an offensive line that is essentially all returning, and a stable of running backs, if Louisville can establish the running game that will take a lot of pressure off new quarterback Jawon Pass.

Jacob Lane: Brian VanGorder and play makers emerging from the defense. We know the offense is going to pick up right where they left off in 2017-18, just with a new QB and new look. However, if guys like Jon Greenard, Mike Boykin, Marlon Character, Rodjay Burns, Booise Whitlow, and Dorian Etheridge can provide big impacts on the defensive side of the ball, and BVG can nip all the issues from last season in the bud, this team can be extremely good. I wouldn’t be surprised with a 10-2/9-3 finish, but if those things don’t happen and the defense struggles again, I can see a 7-5 finish as well.

Like what you read today? Good, because the staff from Big Red Louie will be back three more times before the September 1st season opener against Alabama, with more roundtable conversations previewing the upcoming season. We’ll take a look at the offense, defense, and even make a few lofty predictions.

Our beloved Cards have a big year ahead of them with a lot up in the air, and our promise here at Big Red Louie, is you won’t find more in-depth analysis anywhere else like this for free. Keep on coming back, and we promise to keep on giving you the good stuff.