Stock up, stock down for Louisville football after losing to Alabama

Stock down – Rodjay Burns

If Averett was the MVP on Saturday, Rodjay Burns was likely the LVP (I hate typing that – local football gods please forgive me). Petrino had talked about how much he liked his corners through fall camp, and how much they had improved, which led everyone to be excited about the potential this season.

If you didn’t know that Louisville had a new DC you would have thought it was Peter Sirmon calling plays by the way that the Louisville corners, mostly Burns, were being burned by Alabama’s receivers.

A couple of factors went into that happening, but you can’t be optimistic about the season when Alabama’s new wide receivers, who aren’t even considered to be an elite group, are making Louisville’s corner look like they play for Kansas.

I could easily point out Cornelius Sturghill here as well, and maybe even PJ Mbanasor, but more times than not it was #10 that I saw chasing behind a wide open Alabama wide receiver.

I think Burns will be good this season for Louisville, but game one wasn’t his best.

Stock down – Trey Smith

A big dropped pass on 3rd and 3 during Louisville’s first drive really sucked a lot of momentum away from the Cards moving forward. While I’m not saying that if Trey Smith would’ve caught that ball that the Cards would have won, but I am saying is if he would have caught that I think Louisville likely scores on their first drive and maybe changes the way things go in the first half.

However, we’ll never know and there’s no reason to harp on it or bash Trey because of it.

That play was a huge misstep for Trey Smith, but it was the rest of the game and then his injury that has me passing on his stock.

The junior running back finished with just 11 yards on 4 carries, 7 of which came on one run.

Smith was applauded for weeks by running back’s coach Kolby Smith and even head coach Bobby Petrino because of his performance in fall camp. That didn’t really mean much to Louisville fans due to Petrino using a plethora of running backs, but what it did do was put higher expectations on the elder statesman in the backfield. Petrino told the local media,

"“As far as our offense goes, we have to establish a running game. We’re looking for an identity. We went into the game thinking we had that… Also, we’ve got to find out who our running back really is.”"

Bobby Petrino saying “we’ve got to find out who our running back really is,” isn’t really a good sign for Trey Smith moving forward. Yes it was Alabama, and yes Petrino did say that Smith did some “good things,” but after one game if the head coach is talking about finding out who the running back really is likely means it’s not Trey Smith.

Dae Williams finished the game with 9 carries, followed behind by Trey Smith with 4, with Hassan Hall and Colin Wilson finishing with two a piece. I think the pecking order will be as follows for Indiana State and Western Kentucky, and then after that it will be based on who sticks out.

1- Dae Williams

1a- Colin Wilson

2- Trey Smith

2a – Javian Hawkins/Hassan Hall

No matter who the running back is moving forward, Petrino and Kolby Smith HAVE to find a way to get that guy multiple carries before switching him out for the next guy. As a running back nothing is more important than establishing a rhythm in the offense, something that was nowhere near close to happening on Saturday.

There is a lot of work to do this week before the Cards are back on the field on Saturday against Indiana State, a game that should be over by halftime. If Petrino dials up some big plays on the ground and through the air, the defense shuts the opposing offense down, then all will likely be forgiven.

Struggle against one of the worst college football team’s in the region, than we’ve got another issue on our hands that will be worth talking about next week.

Until then, stay locked into Big Red Louie for daily content on the Cards as they prepare for Indiana State.