Scouting Louisville
Louisville had few things going in a positive direction in 2018, but new head coach Scott Satterfield has turned around the program in quick order.
The Cardinals went from 8-5 in 2017 with superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson to 2-10 last year, leading to head coach Bobby Petrino to get fired. Louisville’s offense struggled in 2018, the defense allowed at least 50 points in seven games. NC State crushed Louisville 52-10 on Nov. 17, 2018.
Not all the problems have been solved this season, but the Cardinals have established a ground game, become a big-play offense and need just one win over their final three games to become bowl eligible — at NC State, versus Syracuse and at Kentucky.
Louisville (5-4 overall, 3-3 ACC) plays against the Pack (4-5 overall, 1-4 ACC) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium on the ACC Network.
Here is a full scouting report on Louisville.
Five Louisville Players To Watch
Sophomore wide receiver/punt returner Tutu Atwell — The 5-9, 153-pound Atwell is an enigmatic player because he has incredible game-breaking speed, but also will make costly mistakes that lead to drops or turnovers. He leads the Cardinals with 47 catches for 810 yards and eight touchdowns, and he has four punt returns for 84 yards. He also had a costly fumble against Miami at punt returner. Atwell has reached 100 receiving yards in four games, including six catches for 142 yards and a 80-yard score against the Hurricanes.
Junior inside linebacker C.J. Avery — The 5-11, 221-pounder is tied for the team lead with 62 tackles, including a season-high 13 stops against Wake Forest Oct. 12. He also has 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack, four passes broken up, one fumble recovery and two quarterback hurries. He was second on the squad last year with 56.
Junior left tackle Mekhi Becton — The massive Becton checks in at 6-7 and 369 pounds and has 31 career starts in three years. He even scored on a one-yard touchdown run against Indiana State last year. He’s listed as “day to day” after suffering an injured ankle against Miami last week. The Highland Springs, Va., product, who was a Rivals.com four-star prospect, was named the ACC offensive lineman of the week for Oct. 7 for his effort against Boston College. He earned a spot on the Outland Trophy watch list.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Micale Cunningham — The 6-1, 192-pounder has been splitting time with freshman Evan Conley, but Cunningham got dinged up against Miami. He has completed 66 of 105 passes for 1,228 yards with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions, and he’s electric as a running threat. He has rushed 71 times for 305 yards and five scores this season. Before he got hurt against Miami, he was 12-of-18 passing for 219 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Redshirt freshman running back Javian Hawkins — The 5-9, 182-pounder is a speedy slasher who tries to get to the edge of a defense and turn up the sideline. He has rushed 180 times for 978 yards and six touchdowns, which is an impressive first year for the Cardinals. Hawkins has topped 100 rushing yards in five games, and had a combined 131 all-purpose yards against Miami last week. He tallied a career-high 25 carries for 172 yards and a score in the 41-39 win versus Boston College Oct. 5. Despite catching a 40-yard pass against the Hurricanes, he hasn’t been a factor in the passing game with just three catches for 54 yards.
What To Watch From Louisville
1. Big play offense. Whether running the football or throwing the ball, the Cardinals ooze team speed at the skill position players. Louisville leads the ACC with 21 plays of 40 yards or more, and fourth nationally with 12 plays of at least 50 yards. Quarterback Micale Cunningham and running backs Javian Hawkins and Hassan Hall are blazers in the running game. Hawkins’ longest run is 66, Hall has a 58-yarder and Cunningham has a 48-yarder to his credit. UL has 18 runs of at least 20 yards this season, with Hawkins having 10 of them.
Tutu Atwell is as fast as anyone in the ACC in the open field, if he can hang on to the ball. But he’s not alone. Fellow wide receivers Dez Fitzpatrick (74-yard score at Florida State) and Seth Dawkins (77-yard reception versus Boston College) also have good speed. The big plays have helped Louisville average 6.64 yards per play, which ranks 19th nationally. UL had five plays of at least 30 yards against Miami last week.
2. Big men up the middle. Between fifth-year senior nose tackle G.G. Robinson and his backup Jared Goldwire, the Cardinals have 581 pounds in the middle and both have five starts apiece. The 6-4, 295-pound Robinson has 17 tackles, four tackles for loss and three sacks.
The 6-6, 286-pound Goldwire is an imposing presence who runs well for his size. He has modest statistics with 14 tackles, two sacks and two passes broken up. Goldwire had sacks against Clemson and Eastern Kentucky.
3. Some special teams mistakes. Louisville had some glaring miscues on special teams that helped open the door for Miami last week. One Miami punt returner took a low punt and had nobody around him and went 38 yards to the Louisville 14-yard line to set up the Hurricanes’ third touchdown of the game. Atwell fumbled a punt at his own 23-yard line that set up another Hurricanes score in the second quarter. Louisville’s punter also had a kick tipped.
Fifth-year senior kicker Blanton Creque suffered a season-ending knee injury against Virginia Oct. 26. He had been 51 of 62 in his Cardinals’ career. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Chalifoux is the new kicker, but he hasn’t tried a field goal yet. He has 4 of 5 on extra points.
Three Keys To The Game
1. Can NC State cornerbacks hold up? There aren’t any ACC teams with better receivers than Clemson’s, but Louisville has some weapons. NC State cornerbacks De’Von Graves, Malik Dunlap, Cecil Powell and Kishawn Miller will get tested by Tutu Atwell’s big-play speed, but also by the smoothness of junior Dez Fitzpatrick. The 6-2, 204-pound Fitzpatrick enters the game with 26 catches for 490 yards and five touchdowns, but he had a three-game stretch earlier in the year against Wake Forest, BC and FSU where he snagged 17 passes for 366 yards and four touchdowns.
2. I know you. Louisville is averaging 4.9 yards per carry and has allowed 26 sacks this season. Both statistics have been impacted by new offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, who head coach Scott Satterfield reunited with at Louisville. The two worked together at Appalachian State, but then Ledford was hired to coach the offensive line at NC State. After three successful years with the Wolfpack, he took his “Band of Brothers” philosophy to Louisville. The Cardinals averaged 4.3 rushing yards per attempt last year, and gave up 43 sacks.
3. Find either quarterback. Micale Cunningham and Evan Conley will both play for Louisville. Both can elude the pass rush, but Cunningham is the much more gifted runner of the two. As previously mentioned, Louisville has allowed 26 sacks this season, and NC State ranks 12th in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season in averaging 3.22 sacks per game. Senior defensive lineman Larrell Murchison is third in the ACC with seven sacks and the Wolfpack have 28 as a team. Conley, who is from Marietta (Ga.) Kell High, was originally slated to go to Appalachian State, but followed head coach Satterfield to Louisville on National Signing Day.
Three Louisville Numbers Of Note
0 Losses for Louisville when leading at halftime. UL is 4-0 when leading going into the third quarter, but 1-4 when trailing or tied.
45 Wins under coach Scott Satterfield when his offense scores at least 30 points. He has gone 45-3 over the last seven years.
481.8 Yards allowed by the Louisville defense in road games this season.
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