One player that can jump start Louisville football’s rebuild
Scott Satterfield has his hands full when it comes to rebuilding the Louisville football program, but there’s one player who could change everything in year one with a big season.
According to Oddsmaker, Louisville football is projected to win four games this upcoming football season. There is only one player that can guarantee Louisville will exceed those projections, it’s Jawon Pass.
This is an obvious answer but the magnitude of his potential resurrection is paramount to Scott Satterfield’s inaugural season.
The former 4-star recruit has the talent to rewrite the script on his Louisville career. and Pass has to play close to his potential if Louisville has any chance of exceeding low expectations.
Quarterback play and coaching were the culprit of one of the worst offensive seasons in Louisville football history. There is a perception that coaching caused Pass to struggle, but in sports, athletes have to bear the majority of the blame. They’re out on the field attempting to execute the gameplan.
Former head coach Bobby Petrino was known as one of the best quarterback gurus in college football. Every quarterback that played under Petrino thrived. If Pass played half as good as his potential, Bobby Petrino would likely still be the head coach of Lousiville.
Louisville’s offense ranked 108th in the country in 2018 and had moments where it was unbearable to watch. The Cardinals had the 7th fewest touchdown passes in the country with 10 and culminated that with a porous run game that totaled 1698 yards which ranked 101st in the country.
Pass threw for 1960 yards with a completion percentage of 54% and had eight touchdowns to 12 interceptions. He dealt with confidence issues as Petrino continuously played musical chairs at the quarterback position, rotating Pass with backup quarterback Malik Cunningham throughout the season.
Despite Pass’s struggles, all signs indict he will be the starter going into the season and will have an opportunity to redeem himself of a rough year.
Satterfield’s offense can help revive Pass’ game by running the football. Pass thrives when he is supported with an effective run game, and there is statistical evidence.
Against Florida State, Wake Forest, and Georgia Tech, Pass flashed his potential and his statical production was evident.
Against Wake Forest, Pass went 30-for-54 for 358 yards and one touchdown but their offense accounted for 176 yards on the ground with four rushing touchdowns.
Against Georgia Tech, Louisville rushed for 113 yards and one touchdown and Pass benefitted from the balance as he went 23-for-35 for 299 yards and two touchdowns.
Against Florida State, Pass threw for 306 yards with two touchdowns while the rushing attack complemented him with 115 yards.
Even though Louisville lost each one of those games, when Pass is paired with a running game, that is when he plays his best. Some quarterbacks can play well despite an ineffective run game, he is not at that point in his career to overcome that.
Here is an example, in a 38-20 loss against Boston College, Pass threw for a pedestrian 170 yards with an interception. The ground attack was nonexistent as the offense rushed for 47 yards on 32 carries.
The positive news for Louisville is at Appalachian State, Satterfield’s offensive scheme is based around the run game. At Appalachian State, they averaged 240 yards on 41 attempts per game. The commitment to the run attack is paramount because Louisville faces nine teams this upcoming season that finished in the top 60 in rush defense from the 2018 campaign.
The change of offense may be a benefit for Pass going from a pro-style offense to a modern-day college offense.
Appalachian State used pistol based runs, some outside-zone stuff, inside zone, which allows for an effective play-action attack. They were excellent at combining the main positives of pistol and shotgun alignments for the QB by utilizing the spread-option game from their big sets. Pass has demonstrated he can be a dual threat option and that will be a key component to his effectiveness this upcoming season.
An underrated player at each position for the Cards. dark. Next
Will Pass redeem himself this upcoming season? That remains to be seen, but he has the opportunity to thrive and if that happens, Louisville will win more than four games this year.