Know Your Foe – Louisville Edition
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Alabama fans of all ages, get ready for some football. After 32 long, agonizing weeks, football is back. And, the Alabama Crimson Tide are headed to Orlando, Florida to face the Louisville Cardinals in the Camping World Kickoff game. This is the time of year when those spring practices, mini-camps and two-a-days in the hot Alabama summer heat pay off.
When the Tide faces off against the Cardinals, the questions surrounding the quarterbacks will be answered. Also, the new coaches on the staff will be fully prepared to make their mark on the nation’s most prestigious football program. All of the preparations will be finalized, and the defending champions will begin the journey for back to back titles. Alabama fans should “Know Your Foe”. Here is what to watch for at 7 pm on Saturday, September 1st.
Post-Heisman Quarterback
The Cardinals have several challenges facing them in the 2018 season with the departure of 2016 Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson sitting at the top of the list. However, Louisville has Jawon “Puma” Pass, a Redshirt Sophomore from Columbus, Georgia. The 6’4, 220-pound Carver graduate saw action in six games in 2017 and put up some pretty good numbers. In those six games, he completed 70% of his passes for 238 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was also able to show off his ability to run by gaining 62 yards on 13 carries and adding another Touchdown.
Although “Puma” seems poised to lead the Cardinals into a new era, he has a very difficult task ahead of him for the season. He has the opportunity to lead his offense onto the field against the top-ranked team in the nation for his first start. It suffices to say that he will have his hands full and will have to be on top of his game in order to put up some points on the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Air Attack
Even though Jackson is gone, Pass is going to have plenty of targets downfield. Not only do they have plenty of depth and experience at receiver, but the size of the receivers will pose a problem for mismatched defenders.
- Jaylen Smith is a 6’4” 223-pound senior. Last season he was Jackson’s “go-to” receiver pulling in 60 receptions for 980 yards. Smith is currently listed as questionable due to an abdomen injury.
- Seth Dawkins, a 6’3” 210-pound junior had 42 receptions for 642 yards in 2017.
- Dez Fitzpatrick is only a sophomore, but the 6’2” 202-pound receiver had 699 yards on 45 catches.
These three explosive receivers made their way through ACC defenses last year combining for 20 touchdowns. The question for this receiving corps which has three more top receivers on the depth chart is whether or not they can successfully attack an Alabama secondary that lost several key players to the NFL draft.
Pounding the Rock
With Louisville operating in a pro-style offense, a well-balanced running attack is very important to maintain the passing game. Junior Running Back Trey Smith has only 124 yards on 24 carries in his career. But, according to reports from Louisville, Smith has had an outstanding summer training camp. With Alabama having to start new players in key defensive positions, the 6’0, 225 pound Smith could pose a threat if he has improved as much as reports have shown. The depth of the backfield is equally impressive as the Cardinals’ depth at receiver with two more fast, bulky backs in Dae Williams and Colin Wilson.
The running game is only as good as the offensive line, however. Louisville appears to be doing well in this area as they are returning four starters:
- C Robby Bell – 6’5”, 298 pounds
- LG Kenny Thomas – 6’6”, 320 pounds
- RG Lukayus McNeil – 6’6”, 300 pounds
- LT Linwood Foy – 6’4”, 299 pounds
- RT Mekhi Becton – 6’7”, 359 pounds
Judging from the size of the right side of the line, expect Louisville to attack the Tide defense on that side.
Defensive Rookie Issues
Louisville is replacing some key starters on defense and unfortunately for the Cardinals, they don’t have the luxury of replacing those defenders with the top talent the way that Alabama does. Although none of Louisville’s starting defenders are younger than sophomores, most have been playing behind others during their career. This most definitely will not be beneficial for this defense against a team like Alabama.
This roster isn’t weak though. After being lackluster in pass defense a year ago, a change isn’t going to hurt Louisville either. As time goes on and as the defense gains experience, they are sure to get better. But, time is something that they no longer have. Here are the projected defensive starters for Louisville:
- RDE Tabarious Peterson – RS Sophomore
- NT G.G. Robinson – RS Junior
- DT Henry Famurewa – RS Senior
- LDE Jonathan Greenard – RS Junior
- OLB London Iakopo – RS Senior
- MLB Dorian Etheridge – Sophomore
- OLB C.J. Avery – Sophomore
- CB Russ Yeast – Sophomore
- FS Dee Smith – Senior
- SS Khane Pass – RS Junior
- CB Lamarques Thomas – Junior
There have also been some defensive coaching changes that could cause some issues. Brian VanGorder has taken over as the Defensive Coordinator for the Cardinals. Although he has an extensive coaching background, the recent carousel of defensive coordinators may cause a problem. Most of the defenders began their time at Louisville under Todd Grantham and then he was replaced by former Tennessee Titans Linebacker Peter Sirmon. Now, the Cardinal defense has the task of learning VanGorder’s defensive scheme. With that instability, it’s hard to stay focused on the job at hand.
Bottom Line and Prediction
The Bobby Petrino led Louisville team are currently 25-point underdogs to Nick Saban and Alabama when they meet this Saturday in Orlando. A three-touchdown spread seems a bit much, however. With the turnover of the coaching staff and key positions at Alabama along with the slight quarterback drama, it’s a bit unclear what kind of team will take the field on Saturday. There are some certainties though.
1. If Louisville cannot establish a running game against the Tide’s defense, it will make the Cardinals one dimensional thus making it easier to defend the pass that Petrino is so apt to go to.
2. Assuming that Saban goes with Tua Tagovailoa as expected, it is a safe bet that Coach Saban has seen enough in practice to give him the nod and he will pick up where he left off against the Georgia Bulldogs back in January.
3. Don’t bet against Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban.
Alabama will feel themselves out early but will pull away soon after the half. Bama wins 31-17.
