Stock up, stock down for Louisville football after Virginia
By Jacob Lane
Rodjay Burns
If there was an MVP award handed out 1/3 of the way through the Louisville season it would likely go to Rodjay Burns, the standout cornerback for the Louisville Cardinals.
Burns struggled week one against Alabama, being torched a couple of times in 1-on-1 coverage, but with Tua at QB and Jerry Jeudy (former 5-star receiver) being the guy Burns had to cover, he gets a pass there.
Since that game Burns has shown everyone why Ohio State came rushing in at the last second during his recruitment. His punt return against Indiana State in the pouring down rain was a thing of beauty, one that really kept the Cards in the game in the first half.
On Saturday Burns had a beautiful interception during the first drive for Virginia in the second half. After picking off a ball that bounced off of a wide receiver, Burns turned on the burners and returned the ball all the way to the Virginia 3 yard line.
Burns wasn’t the only one, but was a played a huge role in keeping “do-it” wide receiver/play maker, Olamide Zaccheus, to just 4 catches for 29 yards. In a season where the offense has been absolutely atrocious, Rodjay Burns – a local, homegrown kid who transferred back to play for his team after spending time at OSU – is a lone, bright star.
After showing some wheels on a punt return for a touchdown and close to TD interception return, it may be worth it to explore putting the ball in his hands more – wherever on the field you can do that.
Dez Fitzpatrick
We finally had a Dez Fitzpatrick showing on Saturday! Coming into the game, the wide receiver who once said that “Louisville had a mismatch” against Alabama, had been fairly quiet to start the season. After putting up HUGE numbers in the first three games of the season last year as a redshirt freshman, Fitzpatrick had yet to show anything that may remind people that he was once looked at as the star on this team.
To his credit, being a wide receiver can be tricky. In order to make plays you have to rely on your quarterback to be able to get you the ball – something Louisville hasn’t been able to do at all this season. But to say we’ve all been disappointed would be an understatement.
On Saturday against Virginia Dez Fitzpatrick showed up in a major way in the second half, becoming the reliable target that Puma Pass needed. He caught 5 passes for 62 yards, including an 18 yarder.
The Cards looked inept offensively for most of the game, but when Puma Pass started looking the way of #7, things looked different for the Cards. If Petrino can somehow get anything out a QB this season, they MUST and I mean MUST get the ball into the hands of their most electric weapon, Dez Fitzpatrick.
His route running skills were on full display against a weak Virginia secondary, yet no QB could really take advantage of it. In a season that may prove to be a very long one, getting Fitzpatrick involved will be a crucial part in turning things around.