Several former Louisville football stars take big steps in week two of the preseason

Youngsters

Jaire Alexander – CB, Green Bay Packers

Opponent: Baltimore Ravens

Stats: 1 tackle 

Lamar Jackson – QB, Baltimore Ravens

Opponent: Green Bay Packers

Stats: 6/10, 58 yards, 2 carries, 14 yards

Josh Harvey-Clemons – LB, Washington Redskins

Opponent: Cincinnati Bengals

Stats: 8 total tackles (5 solo), 1 QB hit

Other youngsters  who suited up but didn’t record stats:

Geron Christian (OT) – Washington Redskins

Reaction: Lamar Jackson absolutely stole the show on Thursday night, after his incredible run on 3rd and 10 in the 1st quarter against the Green Bay Packers. Unfortunately for the Packers, a missed tackle that could’ve saved a touchdown (the play was overruled by a penalty) came at the expense of Jackson’s former teammate, Jaire Alexander, who was making his preseason debut.

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1162155025352859653

Aside from the jaw-dropping run that left social media in a tizzy, Jackson once again looked solid in limited snaps for the Ravens. He finished the night with six completions for 58 yards and carried the ball twice for 14 more.

Louisville fans just need to begin to accept that anytime Jackson makes a big run in the NFL that it is not always going to be met with warm and fuzzy feelings by the national media. We saw that Thursday night after the TD run that was called back, and it won’t be the last.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has been asked nonstop this summer about his plans for Jackson when it comes to running vs. passing, and he spoke a bit more after the game.

"“What are you going to do? He’s going to play. He’s going to play football. We’re not trying to run him. We’re not running those plays. He’s in the pocket, and he’s staying in the pocket a lot. It’s not like he’s trying to run, but sometimes…what are you going to do? You can’t hold him back forever.”"

Aside from the missed tackle where he saw Lamar Jackson jump over to him to what looked like a touchdown, Jaire Alexander looked fairly nice in his preseason debut. He didn’t give up any big plays (again outside of the run) and was good in run coverage when needing, recording a single tackle.

Cameras caught a great exchange between Jackson and Alexander after the game, which you can watch below.

Jackson also had a nice moment after the game with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whom he called “the goat.”

Rodgers gave Jackson the best piece of advice he could think of. Simply stating, “slide more.”

Redskins inside linebacker and former Cardinal safety, Josh Harvey-Clemons also continued to shine. He finished the team’s contest against the Bengals with eight total tackles, five of which were 1-on-1 tackles, as well as hit on the quarterback all while fighting through the remnants of a potential concussion as well as a sore knee.

All signs continue to point to him playing a major role for the Redskins defense in 2019-2020.