Louisville Cardinals
Big East
Coach Charlie Strong has done a great job turning around the Louisville program. Back in 2006 this team was a blown 18 point lead away from playing for the national championship. That was Bobby Petrino’s last year with the Cardinals. The next three years did not go very well. And that was what most expected from Louisville again last year when Coach Strong took over. But Louisville surprised many and reached a bowl game. And heading into this year the expectations remained low due to the loss of a lot of talent. But again Coach Strong pulled his group together and they exceeded expectations.
2011 Record: 7-5, 5-2
Last Bowl Appearance: 2010 Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl vs. Southern Miss (W 31-28)
Big Wins: 10/21 Rutgers (16-14), 11/5 at West Virginia (38-35)
Bad Losses: 9/9 Florida International (17-24), 10/1 Marshall (13-17)
Coach: Charlie Strong (14-11 at Louisville, 14-12 overall)
Bowl Record: 1-0 at Louisville, 1-1 overall
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Sanford
Defensive Coordinator: Vance Bedford
Strengths:
The more experienced defense has kept the Cardinals in every game they have played this year. The front four have done a great job getting into the backfield. Defensive ends William Savoy, Marcus Smith and Greg Scruggs give Coach Strong a very good rotation to keep his line fresh. The result is one of the better pass rushing groups in the country. Adding linebacker Dexter Heyman to the pass rush is good, but Heyman does a lot more than just rush the passer. He is a big time tackler who simply makes plays. Whether he is running into the backfield or dropping back into coverage, Heyman can do it effectively. When the Cardinals defense does get beat it is usually through the air, but cornerbacks Adrian Bushell and Andrew Johnson deserve a ton of credit after being forced into starting roles due to injuries and suspensions.
Weaknesses:
The Louisville offense has been a little disappointing. They were planning to rely on their ground game led by Victor Anderson, but he is not having a great year. Instead, Dominique Brown has gotten more carries and Jeremy Wright has been in the mix as well. Overall, none of them have been terribly effective and the ground game has been inconsistent. The poor passing attack has not helped the running game. Will Stein is the veteran signal caller, but freshman Teddy Bridgewater has taken over the starting quarterback duties. He will be a very good quarterback who can make plays with his arm and his legs, but for now he is still a freshman. Bridgewater is a decent short passer and has a strong arm, but his accuracy lacks down field at this point in his career. The good news is that Bridgewater has tight end Josh Chichester to hit on the short routes. Chichester is one of the best around, but Louisville needs to look for their big 6-8 target in the end zone more often.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Dominique Brown, RB, 482 yards
Passing: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, 1,855 yards
Receiving: Michaelee Harris, WR, 438 yards
Tackles: Dexter Heyman, LB, 83
Sacks: William Savoy, DE, 5.0
Interceptions: Dexter Heyman, LB, 3
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 121.92 (95th in nation, 5th in conference)
Passing Offense: 206.25 (79, 7)
Total Offense: 328.17 (104, 7)
Scoring Offense: 21.75 (100, 8)
Rushing Defense: 103.50 (13, 3)
Pass Defense: 224.33 (59, 3)
Total Defense: 327.83 (22, 2)
Scoring Defense: 19.17 (14, 2)
Turnover Margin: -.08 (65, 6)
Sacks: 2.67 (17, 5)
Sacks Allowed: 3.00 (112, 6)
