Louisville Football: 5 Cardinal players to watch vs. Indiana State

Puma Pass – QB

It seems kind of obvious that you would list the starting QB  making his home debt as a player to watch. But after a strong showing against a dominant Alabama defense what Puma Pass does against Indiana State is somewhat important.

Coach Petrino talked about how Pass stood tall in the pocket, made some nice throws, took big hits and didn’t crumble, and did some other “good things.” That’s all great, and trust me I was extremely impressed, but I also saw some inaccurate throws, a couple where the ball was pointed down on the way to the receiver, two picks, and a 51% completion rating. Most importantly I saw no rhythm between Pass and his top two receivers, Jaylen Smith and Dez Fitzpatrick.

What I’ll be watching for from Puma is his ability to make throws all over the field. Against Bama he had no time to throw, and most of his receivers were covered, so he spent the majority of game tossing check downs and short passes. If he’s going to thrive as a Louisville quarterback he’s going to have to show the ability to hit receivers deep over the middle, in tight spots in the redzone, and in the intermediate game. I also want to see him inside of a 2 minute offense, in redzone situations, etc.

I’d also like to see him begin to get comfortable and built rapport with the team’s number one wide receivers, Jaylen Smith and Dez Fitzpatrick. As I noted in the game recap, Alabama did everything right to keep these two big time receivers from getting involved, and it showed. Louisville needs both of these guys to have BIG seasons in order to compete in the ACC, and Saturday will begin to show if Pass can get them involved.

If this game goes according to plan, Puma will likely end up playing 2-3 quarters allowing for Malik Cunningham and Jordan Travis to get snaps in a blowout. In an ideal world I’d like to see him finish with 250+ passing yards, 2-3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Is that too much to ask? We’ll see.