Dez Fitzpatrick: Louisville WR’s are Better Than Alabama’s DB’s
Louisville football wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick made some strong statements about the Cardinals offense during media days. But, is he wrong?
Louisville football media day took place over the weekend, and one of the Cards’s most prominent offensive players, redshirt sophomore Dez Fitzpatrick, made national headlines with some “bulletin board material.”
When asked how he feels about going up against Alabama’s defense, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick did not shy away from giving his honest opinion.
“Every receiver in our receiving core can beat every one of their DB’s in one on one coverage,” Fitzpatrick said in a video from WLKY’s Dan Koob. “I feel like just straight talent-wise, we have the upper edge- 1000%.”
At first, people are going to scoff at these comments. Alabama crazies are having a field day with this, and it will certainly be brought to the attention of everyone in the Crimson Tide locker room. But, what if Fitzpatrick is right?
What Does Louisville Bring to the Table?
The Cards return the deepest wide receiving core in the nation. In addition to Fitzpatrick (who had 700 yards and 9 touchdowns last season) the Cards return preseason All-ACC receiver Jaylen Smith (980 yards, 7 TDs) and Seth Dawkins (642 yards, 4 TDs).
“Every receiver in our receiving core can beat every one of their DB’s in one on one coverage, I feel like just straight talent-wise, we have the upper edge- 1000%.”
Louisville returns over 2,300 yards of production from its receivers in an offense where the quarterback often ran on pass plays, or didn’t complete progressions. Additionally, they bring back sophomores Corey Reed and Josh Johnson, who accounted for 200 yards in clean up duty last season, along with veterans Emonee Spence and Cornelius Sturghill. Devante Peete was impressive early on in his career, and is finally healthy.
In addition, the Cards will have redshirts Chris Taylor-Yamanoha, Keion Wakefield, and Justin Marshall vying for time out wide, while a slew of speedy freshmen figure to compete for reps.
Chatarius (we’ll always call him by his real name, Tutu) Atwell has generated serious buzz in the offseason as a true freshman quarterback turned wide receiver who will not be caught if he finds holes in the opposing defense. Jatavious Harris, Marcus Riley, and Tyler Harrell are all names that have drawn the eye of Bobby Petrino in the preseason.
That’s 15 guys who are all competing for playing time, with 6-7 that will play serious snaps in the opener against Bama.
Of the half dozen that return nearly 3,000 yards of production from 2017, the numbers and tape speak for themselves. When Lamar Jackson was able to get his feet set and remain in the pocket, it was almost automatic last season. Receivers get open in the Bobby Petrino offense, and they get even more open when you are as talented and deep as the Cards. Now, Petrino has his guy in Puma Pass behind center, and a seemingly unlimited amount of potential in the passing game.
What does Bama Bring to the Table?
Alabama doesn’t bring back anyone that played serious minutes last season. But, Bama is doing what they do: reloading.
The Tide lost 6 players in the secondary to the league last season, but they bring in a world of talent.
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Alabama signed the top high school corner back in 5-star stud Patrick Surtain, and the number one JUCO cornerback in the country, Savion Smith. They figure to supplement those two newcomers with former high school freaks Jalen Armour-Davis and Eddie Smith.
Bama lost a terrific secondary, but all of a sudden, you look up and there are 4 or 5 more 5-star players taking the field game one against Louisville. And they will be good.
But as good as Louisville’s wide receivers? That is the question at hand, after all.
The answer, talent-wise is probably yes. Just because Jaylen Smith and Dez Fitzpatrick are likely draft choices in 2019 does not mean that the Tide can’t go toe-to-toe with the Cardinal receivers.
The X-Factor
If there is a talent gap between Alabama’s secondary and Louisville’s receivers, it is marginal. We looked at how the Cards have a clear depth gap. But what about the X-factor? The thing that separates Bama normally from the other upper-echelon teams.
That’s the Bama affect. Fitzpatrick isn’t buying into that though. “When we watch film, and other players play Bama, it’s not like Bama’s beating them. It’s like they are beating themselves. Dropping balls they don’t normally drop.”
It’s true. Much of what Alabama will bring to the table on September 1st is that Bama “mystique.” Sure, the Tide are the most talented team in the country, but talent doesn’t always translate into wins. Against the Cards, the Tide will bring a much larger crowd, a team superior in size, and the majority of times it is superior in confidence.
That’s where Louisville isn’t sweating, though. “At the end of the day, it’s just football. We’ve been doing it since we were seven years old,” explained Fitzpatrick. “At the day, they are just human like us.”
The Tide are 26 point favorites, but that isn’t taming the Cards’s confidence. They will have to exploit the Alabama defense, and the receiver-secondary match-up is the place to do it if they are going to have a fighting chance.
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Getting into the Crimson Tide secondary isn’t an insurmountable task. Especially when you have the weapons that the Cards do. Fitzpatrick may be right that Bama is exploitable. After all, they are only human.