Louisville Football: Mark Ennis Previews Alabama with Big Red Louie

We sat down with one of the most popular radio hosts in the city to discuss Louisville football and their season opener against Alabama.

On weekdays from 3 to 6pm you can hear Mark Ennis, host of 93.9 The Ville’s “The Drive” on your airwaves. Over the last few years Mark has become one of the most popular radio hosts in the city, and personally somebody who I trust to provide solid opinions and analysis on all things Cardinal sports, especially Louisville football.

We sat down with Mark to talk about the upcoming football season, and in particular previewed the game against Alabama.

What position battles are key for Louisville? Who will be the defensive star? Favorite Louisville traditions? Mark Ennis shares his thoughts on this and much more!

Check it out!

Louisville doesn’t have a lot of returning experience on defense, but Bama has some questions to answer too. What are the position battles the Cards have to win to keep it competitive?

Mark Ennis: Louisville isn’t big up front, especially at linebacker. Alabama has a stellar offensive line and a stable of big, talented backs. If the Tide can pound the ball all game they will. To me that means Louisville will have to sell out stacking the box and run blitzing. For that to work, the retooled secondary is going to have to hold up one on one and free up people for run support.

Alabama has weapons outside even with the losses to the NFL but it seems to me with Russ Yeast, PJ Mbanasor, Rodjay Burns, Marlon Character, TreSean Smith, Dee Smith and the talented freshmen that enrolled early you have a ton of versatile guys who had legitimate offers from some of the best teams in the country. That’s the group most likely to hold up against Alabama.

Most people in Louisville act like it’s a done deal that Puma Pass will pick up where Lamar Jackson left off. How do you think Pass fares in his first game, and will he be asked to make plays or just limit mistakes?

Mark Ennis: I’d be shocked if Pass looks anything other than human against Alabama. And I won’t hold an ounce of it against him. Do I think Bobby Petrino is one of the best game planners and play callers in college football? Yes. Do I think Louisville has great receivers and a pretty good pass blocking offensive line? Yes. But recent history is littered with teams that could claim that and did absolutely nothing against Alabama. I think Pass will do ok. But Alabama is such a bear with its pattern-matching zone defense and the unique ways its defense gets pressure, it’s hard to imagine any first time starting quarterback having a great game.

Who is a guy on defense that you think can be a star this season?

Mark Ennis: I’ve always been a big believer in Jon Greenard and it appears Brian VanGorder and the team is now, too. Greenard was built to be an attacking edge rusher in an aggressive system but he was understandably behind two talented guys in James Hearns and Trevon Young. He’s the man now and I think he’ll flourish especially with Louisville getting so much bigger at defensive tackle. With Boykin and Goldwire adding size and strength inside to hopefully eat up more blockers I think he has a chance to be a star in 2018.

We’ve talked a lot about Louisville using a running back by committee approach. Who do you think gets the most touches in game one, and why?

Mark Ennis: I’ve talked myself into believing that Trey Smith really is going to get the majority of the snaps because he is reliable in terms responsibilities. If you look at Bobby over the years, early on, reliability and avoiding mistakes seems to matter the most hence Reggie Bonnafon playing over Lamar Jackson (for a half), etc.

For that reason, Trey Smith will start the year getting more carries but I expect four to five guys to play in every game and by a few weeks into the season, Dae Williams will be the primary running back. I can’t shake the feeling that Colin Wilson just can’t get out of Bobby’s doghouse in terms of conditioning and effort level. So for most of the year, Dae Williams and Trey Smith will be the primary backs.

Most of the country doesn’t give Louisville a chance in the opener. ESPN’s FPI gives the Cards a 15% chance to win which probably seems generous. Do the Cards actually stand a chance against the Tide or is there potential for another animal eating guarantee?

Mark Ennis: They absolutely stand a chance. Alabama is the best team in the country but they aren’t machines and they aren’t perfect and they don’t play perfectly on every snap of every game. Last year they played a wilting Texas A&M team to an 8 point game. They had to have a score on the last possession to win at Mississippi State. They aren’t perfect.

I expect Louisville will come out and look surprisingly sharp in the scripted portion of the game because of Alabama’s inexperience, they’ll be somewhat vanilla. The game will be determined by the second and fourth quarters and if Louisville helps Alabama at all by allowing special teams or defensive scores that make beating Alabama impossible.

You haven’t always been a Cards fan. What’s your favorite Louisville tradition and what’s one you’d like to see start around the program?

Mark Ennis: It’s simple but I really like the C-A-R-D-S chant. Particularly because there are specific times when it breaks out organically that stick out in my mind. At the last Big East Tournament at MSG as the big deficit was turning into a blowout win over Syracuse, Boeheim called a timeout and a C-A-R-D-S chant blew up in the Garden in a night where the crowd was overwhelmingly pro-Syracuse. That has always stuck out with me. Same as in the lobby of the hotel as the team left for the Sugar Bowl. The audio and video of that have always stuck with me. So give me that chant at exactly the right moment.

If we set the over/ under for wins this season at 7, which are you taking and why?

Mark Ennis: I would take the over simply because there are two games you figure they’ll almost certainly lose and the rest are some version of toss ups and likely wins. I think they’ll hold their own in those. Additionally, whatever characteristics you don’t like about Louisville also afflict the majority of teams on its schedule. Wake Forest is starting a true freshman quarterback and the game’s at home. I don’t believe Kentucky will be any better throwing the ball than it was a year ago when it barely tried against Louisville in a loss and the game’s at home.

NC State lost virtually all of its front seven that defended Lamar relatively well and the game’s at Papa John’s. Louisville has held its own against Florida State all four years against Florida State, the team will be in game four when they have to travel to Cardinal Stadium. I think they’ll win eight games. Give me the over.

We are just five days away from finally seeing the Cards take the field in Orlando against the defending National Champions, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Much like Mark said, I too believe Jon Greenard will be one of the most important players to watch this weekend. If UofL has any shot of pulling off the biggest upset in program history, the defense, particularly Greenard, will need to be all over making plays consistently against one of the most solid offenses in the country.

The matchup on the outside (on both sides of the ball) will be key and an area where I believe Louisville will show they aren’t too far behind some of the best programs in the country. Dez Fitzpatrick, Jaylen Smith (if healthy), and Seth Dawkins should be able to win their matchups against Patrick Surtain II, Saivion Smith, and Trevon Diggs. While PJ Mbanasor, Rodjay Burns, and the slew of other young corners should be able to stay with the likes of Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III.

To hear more from Mark Ennis, catch him and his long list of great guests on 93.9 The Ville (FM) Monday through Friday, 3 to 6pm.

Next. Cards Are Drowning Out the Noise Leading Up to the Season Opener. dark

Be sure to stay tuned to Big Red Louie throughout the week as we breakdown every facet of the game of football, relating to Louisville vs. Alabama.

Strap in folks as the Cards are ready to shock the world.

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