Louisville football: 5 keys to defeating Florida State
Pass the ball efficiently
As I am writing this piece, we still aren’t sure who will play quarterback for the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday. After missing the WKU matchup due to an injury, Jawon Pass has been back out on the practice field this week – but it has been Malik Cunningham and Evan Conley taking the majority of the reps.
That makes the throwing game a bit of a question mark. Regardless of who is out there, they will have to be able to pick up yards through the air on passing downs.
This is easier said than done, which all Louisville fans are aware of since Lamar Jackson’s departure for the NFL. The Cardinals have struggled to find success through the air since he left, but what better time to solve these issues than this weekend.
The Florida State defense gives up 314.3 passing yards per game which ranks 123rd in the NCAA. Louisiana Monroe’s quarterback, Caleb Evans, threw for 241 yards on 23/38 in Tallahassee two weeks ago. He also ran for two touchdowns and threw 0 interceptions.
Caleb Evans had a solid performance in Week 2 in which the Warhawks nearly pulled off a huge upset at Florida State. pic.twitter.com/AC5ons2FH8
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 13, 2019
This is a great opportunity to finally get guys like Seth Dawkins and Dez Fitzpatrick involved. Both guys were expected to have big seasons and to be heavily relied on by this Louisville offense. They haven’t made much of an impact so far but Scott Satterfield knows that has to change.
Dez Fitzpatrick found the end zone last year against the Seminoles, catching four balls for 45 yards and a touchdown.
Whether it’s Jawon Pass, Malik Cunningham or Evan Conley this weekend, Louisville has to be able to put up numbers that are somewhat similar to this to win.