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Louisville football: Five biggest needs of improvement after bye week

By Charron Elliott

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - SEPTEMBER 02: Jawon Pass #4 of the Louisville Cardinals throws the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on September 02, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - SEPTEMBER 02: Jawon Pass #4 of the Louisville Cardinals throws the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on September 02, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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LOUISVILLE, KY – OCTOBER 18: A Louisville Cardinals cheerleader waves a flag during the game against the Central Florida Knights at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on October 18, 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY – OCTOBER 18: A Louisville Cardinals cheerleader waves a flag during the game against the Central Florida Knights at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on October 18, 2013 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Limiting penalties late in the game

Two weekends ago Louisville played an inspired second half of football against the Seminoles but one of the main reasons they didn’t come away with the win was because of penalties they got in the fourth quarter.

The offensive line had numerous false starts and while there is never a good time to draw a flag, the fact that the Cardinals offensive line registered several of these penalties on third down really hurt Louisville late. I feel like they also had issues with false starts in the fourth quarter during the opening game against Notre Dame as well, which could have been due to adrenaline and a new playbook.

In the game of football, penalties are going to happen in but when it’s “crunch time” every mistake you make could be the difference between a win and a loss. Currently, Louisville ranks 97th overall in penalties per game (seven) and it was the third-worst team in college football when it came to drawing flags last season under Bobby Petrino.

Overall this team has looked more disciplined under coach Satterfield and if the penalties, especially on the O-Line, are limited it will definitely position the Cardinals for more wins. The main thing is the communication between the quarterback and the linemen has to be better but I think this can improve once players get used to the playbook.

Another thing is they will need to learn how to stay poised under pressure, you could sense that once both Notre Dame and Florida State starting to cease momentum against Louisville that the players started to get too anxious and as a result, they weren’t executing as well as they were earlier in those games.

With a week off Louisville’s guards should have time to get reps in to be better prepared for their next game. I expect the penalties to decrease once the QB decision between Pass and Cunnigham is settled later this season, and I expect Satterfield to continue to emphasize to his offense the importance of remaining calm in  “crunch time.”

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