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This week the Q&A returns as we chat with CardinalStrong from the SB Nation site in Louisville, Card Chronicle John gives us an overview of how things have changed since Scott Satterfield took over and how things could improve for the Cardinals after a disappointing start to the season He also joined us in missing out on what Lamar Jackson did at the college level You can read my answers to their questions here
1) I’m jealous of hiring Satterfield and can’t believe Tech didn’t even interview him after Johnson retired After crating at the end of Petrino’s tenure what can you say of Satterfield and his staff for an early turnaround? The Cards look like an entirely different and new team in such a short time
It’s amazing what ‘give a shit’ can actually do for your program Although it’s hard to completely denigrate Petrino 20 in Louisville (thanks for Heisman and Lamar) the more and more information that has leaked after he left made it mildly infuriating the way he let the program and his energy fade into oblivion From players not knowing where his office is in the football complex, to local high school coaches who never hear a thing from the guy, to players saying they felt like he didn’t really care about them It was embarrassing Satterfield arrived, made it a home environment first, showed the guys he was invested in on and off the pitch, and motivated them to play football again This buy-in led to players with new energy and players who got their first real shot to play under the new staff
The closet wasn’t empty when Satt came in, especially on offense, but the roster was completely mismanaged and these staff are just starting to see a balance in the trenches and get reps of young guys I kind of expected a drop this year from a win-lose standpoint as they had some luck in one-scoring games last season, but last week was the first sniff. from « the honeymoon is over » I heard from the fan base He’s racked up a lot of equity in a short period of time, but he needs a win this week
2) I have to admit I haven’t watched Louisville much so far this season – Cunmingham looks useful as a QB in terms of stats, so what needs to be improved to win close games like loss by Pitt?
He needs to settle in and be consistent He was pretty amazing last year and his expectations for 2020 were at « I’m getting Heisman pre-season ratings » He lost over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns in both western Kentucky and Miami, but struggled against a very good Pittsburgh front that had a lot of pressure Although I don’t blame Cunningham for the struggles of the O line, he missed some wide open guys last week with the deep ball and middle lanes He looked downright shaken and hitting them was the difference between winning and losing this game He barely cracked 100 yards in the air and had 3 interceptions This can’t happen again Plus although Cunningham is not a Lamar he can hurt your legs and it helped open up the passing lanes for the last season He’s only played four games in 2019 where he finished with 25 rushing yards or less, this season he already has three He has to keep that front seven honest when they put the pressure on
3) What does the defense of the Cards look like under the new regime? Who do we have to watch out for on that side of the ball?
Ahhh… so many unsafe adjectives for work come to mind. In all fairness, defense has improved? this year in a few key areas, and has remained just as bad in some others Last season they wanted so badly to pressure the QB but couldn’t do it no matter what they tried This year Louisville already has seven sacks and 27 tackles for loss, good enough for 8th in the country Also, at the time of this article, linebacker Dorian Etheridge leads the country in tackles for loss (85) Him, with CJ Avery helping to lock midfield and Monty Montgomery is an away support who can be a real problem for back court pressure offenses The front seven in general, in my opinion, played relatively well but the secondary had some difficulties They still give up too much of the big game (5 games over 40 yd, 3 over 50 yd, 2 over 70 yd) and have sometimes hit a “Falcons in 4th quarter” frustration level for many of us They have good players, but assignments and consistency need to improve
5) After a difficult start to the season (we know everything about that too), what is the ceiling for this Cards team this year?
I thought they would steal one from Pitt (probably should have), but looking at their remaining schedule I still think they can win six of their last eight They will probably be favored in at least the six that j ‘ve circled and beyond Virginia Tech and Notre Dame they have the talent to beat everyone A seven-game winning season would be nice… nothing amazing, but another good season for a staff still trying to put the pieces together At some point I would love to go back to a disappointing seven-win season, but it’s not that year
6) And finally, who wins this game and how? Will this game be worth watching for the casual fan?
Friday night, ACC football on national television? Heck yeah people gotta watch What else did you do, the TGIF “Family Matters” and “Step By Step” marathons? While not a Pastner-Mack type battle, it should nonetheless be a fun night
For the cards to win they need to get things going on the field to open the pass and let Cunningham eat on a secondary that has a few holes Look for coaches to get Tutu Atwell (WR) more involved and he’s too big a weapon to be held in check for weeks in a row I think we still have a baseball game in the fourth, but the cards hit a late one to socially outrun the point differential, then head to « Magic City » for the Lou Williams Special Cards 38-27
Well, I hope things get better than that Otherwise, we can just go to Magic City and drown our sorrows in the wings!
Thanks again to CardinalStrong for answering my questions! Make sure to head over to Card Chronicle to read my end of Q&A and maybe also remind them of the last time these two teams met on a Friday night.
Georgia Tech Football
World news – United States – Georgia Tech Football 2020 – Q&A: Louisville
