Louisville football vs. Austin Peay: Three bold predictions
By Ryan Stano
The Louisville football team is ready to start the 2024 season and prove the haters wrong. They made the ACC Championship Game last season. While they couldn't quite beat undefeated Florida State, they still have hope that they can win the conference this season.
Florida State's loss to Georgia Tech in Week 0 opens up the ACC. The Cardinals think they have a chance to win the conference and make the College Football Playoff. Even if they don't win the ACC, they have a chance to make it if they finish 11-1 this year.
They start out the year taking on Austin Peay from the FCS. It's the perfect game for them to start out with because of the number of offensive starters they have to replace from a year ago. They have to figure out who are going to be the playmakers on the team.
We will be giving you bold predictions for every game this season. We start with the season opener. Despite the possibility of bad weather, this Cardinals team shouldn't have too many issues winning this game.
The first bold prediction has to do with new quarterback Tyler Shough.
1. Tyler Shough will pass for at least four touchdowns
What's the best way to figure out who your playmakers are going to be on offense? Throw the ball around a lot against a bad team. That's what Jeff Brohm is likely to do early in this game as long as the weather permits. If it doesn't pour, Shough should have a big game.
Shough comes in as the starter after Jack Plummer moved on to the NFL. This is his final chance to be a starting quarterback in college football. When he's been healthy, he's actually looked pretty good on the field. The issue has been staying healthy.
Even with Caullin Lacy out for a month, I still think Shough can find enough guys to throw the ball to in this first game. I think he throws at least four touchdowns in this game and gives Louisville football fans some hope that he can lead this team back to the ACC Championship.
As long as the weather cooperates, Brohm is going to let Shough sling it around. The other part of this equation is how bad Austin Peay's defense is. They aren't very good on that side of the ball and they can't stop what Louisville presents on the offensive side of the ball.
The second bold prediction also has to do with a member of the offense.