OPPOSING COACH'S TAKE
"If you're going to win a championship, you'd better have a good quarterback. And they do in Lamar Jackson, one of 18 starters back from a year ago. He can throw it, and he can beat you with his feet. He's dangerous because he creates so many issues for opposing defenses, especially when he gets out of the pocket. You've always got to account for him with an extra defender in the box, which puts even more pressure on your secondary. Bobby Petrino's a great offensive coach, and while you may think he's going to throw it all over the place, he's got a very physical team, one that's going to run the ball first.
They've got tons of athletes defensively. Their team speed is tremendous, and they're very physical up front. Their secondary does a really good job in coverage and in taking away the easy-access throws. [Senior] safety Josh Harvey-Clemons is so big at 6'5" that he looks like he should be lining up at end. Their defensive backs dare you to beat them one-on-one.
That's just the nature of coordinator Todd Grantham. He's an aggressive guy who likes to blitz. But it's imperative that you don't let his high-pressure tactics make you one-dimensional offensively. That's what he wants."
FAST FACTS
6
Wins in their final seven games of 2015, lifting them to 8--5.
3
Consecutive years the Cardinals have ranked in the Top 25 in total defense.
960
Rushing yards last season for Lamar Jackson as a freshman, breaking the school's career record for a quarterback.
27
Minimum point total for Louisville in each of its final five games, raising its scoring average from 24.4 points to 28.7.
638
Receiving yards in '15 for then junior Jamari Staples, a UAB transfer, which led the team.
[The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.]
5 YEAR TREND
GAMES
WINS
15
12
9
6
3
7-6 (BIG EAST CHAMPS)
11--2 (BIG EAST CHAMPS)
12--1
9--4
8--5
YEAR
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
FREAKIEST ATHLETE
At 6'4" and 242 pounds, senior outside linebacker DEVONTE FIELDS has been timed at 4.62 in the 40, which explains how the TCU transfer was able to collect 11 sacks and 22½ tackles for loss last season. With added strength and a year under his belt in Todd Grantham's defense, he'll put up even more staggering numbers.
2016 SCHEDULE
THURSDAY 9/1
CHARLOTTE
FRIDAY 9/9
AT SYRACUSE
SATURDAY 9/17
FLORIDA STATE [KEY MATCHUP]
SATURDAY 9/24
AT MARSHALL
SATURDAY 10/1
AT CLEMSON [BIGGEST GAME]
BYE
FRIDAY 10/14
DUKE
SATURDAY 10/22
N.C. STATE
SATURDAY 10/29
AT VIRGINIA
SATURDAY 11/5
AT BOSTON COLLEGE
SATURDAY 11/12
WAKE FOREST
THURSDAY 11/17
AT HOUSTON [KEY MATCHUP]
SATURDAY 11/26
KENTUCKY
KEY MATCHUP
BIGGEST GAME
