Louisville football: Where the ACC went right and wrong with All-Conference Teams

Marshon Ford, TE

Making the case: Just nine months ago, Marshon Ford was a name that not a single person in the ACC knew. Heck, most people in Louisville didn’t even know who the sophomore tight end was.

Fast forward to today, now on a full scholarship, and the sophomore out of Ballard High School did enough, in my opinion, to say that he was one of the biggest snubs from the list.

Miami’s Brevin Jordan was more than deserving of his first-team placement considering he was one of the Hurricane’s most consistent downfield threats, even at the tight end position. But Noah Gray, Hunter Long, Cary Angeline and Jack Freudenthal being included over Ford to me is a travesty.

Sure, he was a walk-on just nine months ago. Sure he wasn’t someone anyone knew (and still may not know). I’ll give you both of those. But you can’t tell me that what Ford provided to Louisville was less than what any of the guys who made the list gave their respective programs.

Ford finished tied second for the most touchdowns by a tight end in the ACC this season with five while racking up 17 receptions for 239 yards. I get that 17 receptions and 239 yards are by no means setting the world on fire, but nearly every time Ford touched the ball this season something good happened. Whether it was a touchdown, a big gain downfield or heck even a NASTY block to seal the edge, Ford was a difference-maker who deserved All-ACC honors.

Micale Cunningham, QB

Making the case: When it comes to all-conference teams, it’s hard for any quarterback to crack the list due to the sheer limited number of honorees. With only one QB being selected for each team, including honorable mention, it leaves just four spots open.

In the ACC, the QB battle starts and ends with Trevor Lawrence of Clemson. After that, it’s a free game. Lawrence was the obvious choice for first team, leaving Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman, North Carolina’s Sam Howell, Virginia’s Bryce Perkins, and Micale Cunningham as the other quarterbacks deserving of some sort of ACC recognition.

The ACC ultimately decided that Perkins was deserving of the second-team spot, which is a debatable call to me, with Howell earning third-team recognition and Newman being an honorable mention. It’s hard to argue that Cunningham was better than any of those, and the stats do sort of back that up.

But what isn’t taken into consideration is impact on a team. Cunningham was one of, if not the, biggest reason Louisville was able to take such a giant step under Scott Satterfield in year one.

While he finished behind all three quarterbacks in yards and touchdowns, Cunningham would have led the ACC in yards per attempt at 11.4 as well as QB rating at 193.6 BUT unfortunately didn’t throw enough passes to qualify. However, he did lead the ACC in most throw’s over 50-plus yards, which is a huge sign of his improvement.

"He was EASILY one of the most dangerous quarterbacks not only in the ACC, but in the country, due to his ability to accurately hit his receivers for deep shots and make plays with his legs. Jim Johnson of Southern Pigskin broke that down in a recent article on Cunningham, saying: Factoring in his rushing proficiency, he ranks 8th in the FBS in total offensive yardage per play, and second in the ACC, only behind Travis Etienne. His passer rating against FBS opponents ranks 4th, behind Tagovailoa, Burrow, and Hurts — one spot above Ohio State standout Justin Fields. His touchdown rate is higher than any of those four aforementioned passers, and his 11.8 yards per attempt are tied with Hurts for the best mark in America. Moreover, if he maintains that 11.8 YPA clip, that would also break Kyler Murray’s current record for the highest single season average ever, which he set last season with an 11.6 YPA average."

Time and time again when Louisville needed a spark or big play, they got one from Cunningham. Whether it was a deep shot to his trio of receivers, a big running play, or even making the simple check down or throw away, whatever was needed Cunningham did.

He was easily one of the top quarterbacks in all of the country, not in pure production, but efficiency and big plays – two things that are crucial to winning.