Louisville football: 3 takeaways from senior day win over Wake Forest

Underclassmen steal the show

On a day where the seniors had their day to celebrate all of their accomplishments in the football program and the classroom, it was the young stars that took center stage in the victory.

We already talked about the young freshmen at offensive line. But they were not the only youngsters trying to show out with their chance.

It was freshmen like wide receiver Jordan Watkins and safety Lovie Jenkins showing fans that they have a lot to be excited about in the next few years.

Dez Fitzpatrick, one of Louisville’s best seniors, agreed.

Watkins sprinted in for a score in the second half on an end around that sealed the win for the Cardinals.

Jenkins was involved early and late for Louisville showing off his ability to get downhill and help in run support. Early in the game, he almost came away with a pick and late he blew up a screen pass after running through two blockers and then the ball carrier.

One of the most unlikely freshman to get their shot was redshirt freshman tight end Francis Sherman who is a walk-on with the program. Sherman caught a touchdown, laid down a couple of pancake blocks on key plays in the game, and also was the recipient of a fake field goal attempt (although it failed).

Sophomore tight end Marshon Ford caught a touchdown.

Juniors Yaya Diaby, Yasir Abdullah, and Monty Montgomery all made sizable impacts in a game that continued to show that the future was bright despite a 4-7 record on the season.

We can appreciate star seniors Dez Fitzpatrick, Cole Bentley, Russ Yeast, and C.J .Avery while also noticing that this team has a lot of talent infused into it from the recruiting ranks that are ready to leave their mark.

Spring football is still a few months away, but several promising performances by underclassmen can give the fanbase something to look forward to during the waiting period.

The team should give themselves a big round of applause. Without the group effort of staff, players, leadership, and fans around the program, this season would not have been possible.

Successful on the field or not, getting through this season was a victory in and of itself.