Stock up, stock down for Louisville football after Virginia
By Jacob Lane
The Louisville football program was on the opposite end of an embarrassing beat down on Saturday against Virginia. Whose stock is up, and whose is down?
Where do I even begin to describe what took place on Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville? In what was one of two to three games where Louisville football “had a shot” to win remaining on the schedule, the Cards went down in flames, getting blown out by Virginia 27-3.
In what was seen by many to be the Malik Cunningham show, the Cards offense quickly sputtered out, gaining less than 50 yards of total offense in the first quarter, eventually leaving to the benching of the redshirt freshman.
Puma Pass re-entered the game and was given a chance to once again show that he was the guy everyone thought he could be. Unfortunately, Pass didn’t do much to keep the frustration from seeping onto the field and through the fan base, throwing multiple passes into the ground, fumbling, and throwing a poor interception.
The Cards offense was shutout, putting up just 214 yards compared to the 401 from Virginia, causing fans to begin seriously question whether or not Bobby Petrino is the right guy to the lead the program forward. There was nothing about the offense that screamed “Bobby Petrino, offensive genius,” and in fact, it was just about the exact opposite.
While they ended up giving away over 400 yards of total offense, the defense did their best to hold the dynamic offense of Virginia at bay, but stopping a dynamic runner/passer in Bryce Perkins deemed to be difficult.
After holding the Cavaliers to just 6 points at half, the Cardinal defense began to wear down as the offense couldn’t stay out on the field long enough to give them rest. In the second half they gave up 21 points, multiple big plays, and two unfortunate Lamar Jackson-esque hurdles.
Now as the Cards head into week five, they’ll begin to try and pick up the pieces and attempt to get back up from absolute tail-kicking. They’ll get a Florida State team who has been in a very similar position thus far this season, and will come into the game 2-2.
Let’s take a look at the Louisville stock report post Virginia.