Louisville football team vs. Austin Peay: Three players to watch

3. Chris Bell

Wide receiver Chris Bell is someone who needs to step up with Caullin Lacy out for the first month of the season. Losing the guy who was supposed to be the best receiver on the team before he even takes a snap for the team is not exactly ideal. That's where Bell comes in.

Bell is the guy with the most production who returns for this team. He is someone who can be used in a variety of ways. He can play in the slot, which is where he will be most of the time. Bell can also line up on the outside too. How many targets he gets in this opener is going to be very interesting.

Bell is quick and shifty on the inside as a slot guy. He only caught 29 balls last year but without Lacy in the picture, he should be getting more targets early on. If he can develop some quick chemistry with Shough in this first game, that could set him up for the rest of the year.

I have no idea what to expect from Bell in this first game, especially if the weather is bad. How well is Shough going to be able to find Bell if it's pouring out? That's something that I am anxious to see. If the weather gets bad, that may not be a bad thing for this team. We need to know how well they can play in bad weather.

Those are the three guys to pay attention to in the season opener. If all of these guys can play well for the Cardinals in the first game, the early part of the season could go well. That includes the Notre Dame game too.