Series History

The Cards and Eagles have met 6 times with the most recent contest in 1998 when the Cards beat the Eagles (52-28) to even series 3-3.  That game in 1998 was Louisville’s 1st ever win in its new Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and the 2nd ever game in PJCS.

In that match-up Chris Redman threw for 31-47 for 362 yards 4 Touchdowns and 1 Interception.  Arnold Jackson caught 9 passes for 120 yards & 1 TD, Ibn Green had 4 catches for 91 yards & 2 TDs.  Leroy Collins ran for 97 yards on 27 carries and 2 TDs.  Bobby Petrino was the Offensive Coordinator for the Cardinals for this game.

Prior to the ’98 match-up, Louisville fell to Boston College in Howard Schellenberger’s final season (1994) at UofL in Old Cardinal Stadium 35-14, and then also in 1991 in Boston 33-3.  The ’91 match-up was the last time that Cardinal Football has played in Boston.

But Howard was able to beat the Eagles in 1990 en route to a Fiesta Bowl Championship, in a 17-10 nailbiter at Old Cardinal Stadium, and again a year prior in 1989 in Boston, marking the last time Louisville beat BC on its home field.

Louisville also lost in 1986 41-7 to the Eagles.

Boston College Podcast

Stat Comparison

Louisville Boston College
Scoring Offense (ppg) 30.9 (57th) 27.4 (80th)
Total Offense (ypg) 383.4 (79th) 406.6 (68th)
Passing Offense (ypg) 237.3 (63rd) 131.7 (123rd)
Rushing Offense (ypg) 146.11 (89th) 274.89 (10th)
Scoring Defense (ppg) 17.7 (8th) 20.1 (19th)
Total Defense (ypg) 282.2 (7th) 312.4 (11th)
Passing Defense (ypg) 201.9 (32nd) 223.6 (58th)
Rushing Defense (ypg) 80.33 (3rd) 88.89 (4th)
Punt Returns (ypr) 7.28 (75th) 7.23 (76th)
Kickoff Returns (ypr) 22.95 (33rd) 22.22 (45th)
Opponent Punt Returns (ypr) 9.04 (82nd) 5.83 (42nd)
Opponent Kickoff Returns (ypr) 22.03 (89th) 18.7 (25th)
Punting (ypp) 40.98 (73rd) 42.78 (41st)
Field Goal % 80.0% (32nd) 66.7% (84th)
Opponent Field Goal % 87.5% (113th) 75.0% (73rd)
First Downs (per game) 19.9 (83rd) 19.6 (91st)
Opponent First Downs (per game) 14.3 (4th) 16.6 (13th)
Penalties (ypg) 48.7 (48th) 33.3 (7th)
Turnover Margin (season) +4 (31st) 0 (66th)
Time of Possession 33:00.33 (15th) 33:07.33 (14th)
Sacks (per game) 3.33 (12th) 2.78 (26th)
Sacks Allowed (per game) 3.11 (113th) 1.56 (36th)
Tackles for Loss (per game) 6.89 (30th) 7.67 (11th)
Tackles for Loss Allowed (per game) 7.56 (115th) 6.78 (100th)
Interceptions (season) 18 (1st) 6 (84th)
Passes Defended (per game) 6.67 (3rd) 3.89 (85th)
Fumbles Recovered (season) 3 (105th) 2 (116th)
Fumbles Forced (season) 4 (105th) 2 (123rd)
Fumbles Lost (season) 13 (126th) 2 (3rd)
Kicks/Punts Blocked (season) 1 (48th)
3rd Down Conversions (%) 37.06% (90th) 33.88 (108th)
Opponent 3rd Down Conversions (%) 27.74% (5th) 37.31% (48th)
4th Down Conversions (%) 58.82% (34th) 61.54% (24th)
Opponent 4th Down Conversions (%) 11.11% (2nd) 54.55% (77th)
Red Zone Conversions (%) 86.84% (38th) 89.29% (24th)
Opponent Red Zone Conversions (%) 68.18% (6th) 85.19% (86th)
RedZone TD Conversions (%) 71.05% (20th) 64.29% (54th)
Opponent Red Zone TD Conversions (%) 31.82% (1st) 66.67% (98th)
Kickoffs (ypk) 63.09 (21st) 58.33 (106th)
Plays 659 (9 games) 621 (9 games)
Yards Per Play 5.24 (91st) 5.89 (52nd)

Louisville Offense vs. Boston College Defense 

Louisville is fresh off of its best offensive performance of the season against Florida State.  If you read our preview last week, Louisville performing well against Florida State came as no surprise.  This week, statistics bear out a more difficult road for the Louisville offense against the Boston College Defense.

The Eagles are a very frugal defense and allow on average 68 fewer yards than their opponents have averaged on the season.  3 games in particular stand out for BC UMASS, USC, and NC State where the Eagles REALLY did an outstanding job of keeping those 3 teams off their averages by a great deal.

Louisville on the other hand has really been a chameleon to whatever the opposing defense typically allows with the exception being the most recent match-up against Florida State when the Cards gained 125% and 99 yards OVER what the Seminoles typically allow.

Still the range here is pretty tight from what we probably can expect for Louisville to gain against Boston College with the stats suggesting that the Cards will be able to gain around 315-328 yards on Saturday night against the Boston College Eagles.

Total Offense BC Allowed Deviation from Avg % Gained of Avg Allowed
UMASS 435.4 202 -233.4 46.39%
PITT 431.4 414 -17.4 95.97%
USC 458.9 337 -121.9 73.44%
Colorado State 469.3 430 -39.3 91.63%
NC State 395.2 217 -178.2 54.91%
Clemson 432 398 -34 92.13%
Wake Forest 213.5 261 47.5 122.25%
Virginia Tech 381.7 414 32.3 108.46%
Average -68.05 85.65%
Louisville 383.4 Projection 315.35 328.37
Total Defense UofL Gained Deviation from Avg % Gained of Avg Allowed
Miami (FL) 327.4 336 8.6 102.63%
Virginia 331.3 282 -49.3 85.12%
Florida International 343.4 336 -7.4 97.85%
Wake Forest 357 421 64 117.93%
Syracuse 357.4 352 -5.4 98.49%
Clemson 282.7 264 -18.7 93.39%
NC State 394.6 369 -25.6 93.51%
Florida State 388.6 488 99.4 125.58%
Average 8.20 101.81%
Boston College 312.4 Projection 320.60 318.06

Louisville Passing Offense vs. Boston College Passing Defense 

Boston College is stingy pass defense team, but it is probably Louisville’s best chance to move the football.  Particularly according to recent results.  The Eagles have allowed 240+ yards or more in 5 of its 8 games against FBS opponents (this is mostly due to BC’s stingy run defense, but we’ll get to that later).

Overall, Boston College limits its opponents to 55 yards fewer than they are accustomed and just 79% of their average.

Louisville on the other hand has actually gained more than what their opponents typically allow through the air by 28 yards or 115%.  The Cards have also played 4 of the Top 20 passing defenses, so Boston College’s 58th rating isn’t exactly a new problem but rather a welcome relief.

The range of potential gain through the air is quite staggering as Louisville should gain anywhere between 182-257 yards through the air, which is an extremely wide range.  The big spread makes the Louisville Passing game vs. the BC Passing Defense the battle to watch when the Cards have the ball.

Passing Offense Boston College Allowed vs. Deviation from Avg. % Gained of Avg
UMASS 331.2 147 -184.2 44.38%
PITT 183.8 111 -72.8 60.39%
USC 286.4 317 30.6 110.68%
Colorado St 317.3 268 -49.3 84.46%
NC State 221.1 174 -47.1 78.70%
Clemson 291.3 285 -6.3 97.84%
Wake Forest 179 242 63 135.20%
Virginia Tech 241.8 345 103.2 142.68%
Average -54.85 79.41%
Passing Defense Louisville Gained vs. Deviation from Avg. % Gained of Avg
Miami (FL) 180.6 206 25.4 114.06%
Virginia 225.7 203 -22.7 89.94%
FIU 192.7 324 131.3 168.14%
Wake Forest 179.8 206 26.2 114.57%
Syracuse 223.2 174 -49.2 77.96%
Clemson 167.3 212 44.7 126.72%
NC State 218 203 -15 93.12%
Florida State 240.6 330 89.4 137.16%
Average 28.76 115.21%

Louisville Rushing Offense vs. Boston College Rushing Defense 

Louisville’s Rushing attack has been much improved in 4 of its past 5 games.  The arrival of a healthy Michael Dyer to the line-up has made a tremendous impact to the Louisville running game.  Meanwhile, only Pitt & Colorado State have really been able to crack the Boston College Rushing Defense puzzle and the Panthers have one of the top rushing offenses in the country.   In fact, every opponent that has been able to gain 100+ yards against the Eagles are games that Boston College has lost (Pitt, Colorado State, and Clemson) so this is a huge point of emphasis in the game.

Boston College typically allows 64 yards fewer or 84% of what teams are accustomed to gaining on the ground.  Louisville on the other hand has been all over the map but has an average of 18 yards fewer or just 85% of what its opponents usually allow on the ground.

Statistically Louisville should be able to gain between 70-122 yards on the ground Saturday night.  The closer Louisville gets to that 122 number the better chance the Cards have to win.  Staying south of 100 yards is a bad recipe for the Cards.

Rushing Offense Boston College Allowed vs. Deviation from Avg. % Gained of Avg
UMASS 104.22 55 -49.22 52.77%
PITT 247.67 303 55.33 122.34%
USC 172.44 20 -152.44 11.60%
Colorado St 152 162 10 106.58%
NC State 174.11 43 -131.11 24.70%
Clemson 140.75 113 -27.75 80.28%
Wake Forest 34.5 19 -15.5 55.07%
Virginia Tech 139.89 69 -70.89 49.32%
Average -63.6 83.78%

 

Rushing Defense Louisville Gained vs. Deviation from Avg. % Gained of Avg
Miami (FL) 131.89 130 -1.89 98.57%
Virginia 119 79 -40 66.39%
FIU 156.89 12 -144.89 7.65%
Wake Forest 178.5 215 36.5 120.45%
Syracuse 130.56 178 47.44 136.34%
Clemson 101.38 52 -49.38 51.29%
NC State 171.11 166 -5.11 97.01%
Florida State 148 158 10 106.76%
Average -18.42 85.56%

 Summary 

It’s going to be a tough game for Louisville to move the ball.  The main thing here for the Cards is to not get frustrated or turn the ball over.  Boston College has not been a big take away team in 2014, but they do not give up much room at all.  The Eagles are not a stellar 3rd down team, and that’s where Louisville has really found problems in losses.  If Louisville can keep going in the right direction offensively that we’ve seen in the past few weeks and the Cards can actually begin to convert 3rd downs they can pull off the win on the road.

Boston College will be no picnic and it will seriously test this team’s mettle.

Boston College Offense vs. Louisville Defense 

Boston College’s offense is VERY different than anything Louisville has faced thus far in 2014.  Quarterback Tyler Murphy makes EVERYTHING go for the Eagles and uses a lot of deception….but it is almost entirely about the running game.  Murphy is a capable passer, but that’s not what Boston College really is going for.

The Eagles have gained over 400 yards in 4 of 8 FBS contests and average 15 yards more than opponents are allowing on the season or 103%.

Louisville’s Offense on the other hand has been equally outstanding minus the past two contests where the Cards allowed 351 yards to NC State and then following a BYE allowed 574 yards (almost all in the 2nd half) to Florida State.  That’s a bad trend, but even with those two outliers the Cards limit opponents to an average of 93 yards fewer than their opponents average or just 72%.

Based on what BC does on offense and what Louisville usually allows we can reasonably expect the Eagles to gain between 292-313 yards Saturday against the Cards.

Total Defense BC Gained Deviation from Avg % Gained of Avg Allowed
UMASS 458.3 511 52.7 111.50%
PITT 334.8 276 -58.8 82.44%
USC 400.9 506 105.1 126.22%
Colorado State 432.4 408 -24.4 94.36%
NC State 389.1 411 21.9 105.63%
Clemson 268.6 263 -5.6 97.92%
Wake Forest 358.3 367 8.7 102.43%
Virginia Tech 345.1 368 22.9 106.64%
Average 15.31 103.39%
Louisville 282.2 Projection 297.51 291.77
Total Offense UofL Allowed Deviation from Avg % Gained of Avg Allowed
Miami (FL) 436.9 244 -192.9 55.85%
Virginia 397.6 285 -112.6 71.68%
Florida International 289.8 205 -84.8 70.74%
Wake Forest 213.5 100 -113.5 46.84%
Syracuse 373.2 260 -113.2 69.67%
Clemson 432 229 -203 53.01%
NC State 395.2 351 -44.2 88.82%
Florida State 459 574 115 125.05%
Average -93.65 72.71%
Boston College 406.6 Projection 312.95 295.62

Boston College Running Game vs. Louisville Rushing Defense

BC’s Running Game is tremendous.  The Eagles have gained over 200+ yards on the ground in 6 of 8 FBS games in 2014.  That is OUTSTANDING production.  All of the action goes through QB Tyler Murphy but Murphy does have several Running Backs at his disposal that keep the offense fresh.

The game that really stands out is BC’s game against USC who allows an average of just 138.44 yards rushing yards per game (the best Run D that the Eagles have faced in 2014) and Boston College posted a HUGE 452 yards rushing.  The Eagles went on to beat the Trojans in Boston and that is Boston Collge’s best rushing game to date and by far the largest deviation from opponents average allowed rushing.

On the season BC gains 96.74 yards MORE than what opponents usually allow OR 161% which would factor Louisville’s 80.33 yards allowed into an expected range of 129-177 that we can statistically expect Boston College to gain on the ground Saturday night against the Cards.

Rushing Defense Boston College Gained vs. Deviation from Avg. % Gained of Avg
UMASS 200.56 338 137.44 168.53%
PITT 158 142 -16 89.87%
USC 138.44 452 313.56 326.50%
Colorado St 174.11 239 64.89 137.27%
NC State 171.11 310 138.89 181.17%
Clemson 101.38 120 18.62 118.37%
Wake Forest 178.5 202 23.5 113.17%
Virginia Tech 165 258 93 156.36%
Average 96.74 161.40%

Louisville’s Run Defense has been suffocating and Florida State has been the ONLY team in 8 FBS games that have achieved more yards on the ground than the season average.  Louisville allowed several uncharacteristic long plays from scrimmage that skew the FSU totals…..BUT those plays count like all the others…..

Still, Louisville limits opponents to 53 fewer yards than what opponents typically average…or just 52%.  Boston College averages 274.89 yards per game, and this moves the expected range much higher than what we saw above to 143-221 yards on the ground.

CLEARLY this is a huge spread and the biggest battle on the field Saturday night.  Can Louisville stop the BC rushing attack….Can the Eagles Running Game get any room against Louisville?  The answer will likely determine the winner of the ballgame.

Rushing Offense Louisville Allowed vs. Deviation from Avg. % Gained of Avg
Miami (FL) 199.33 70 -129.33 35.12%
Virginia 153.67 114 -39.67 74.18%
FIU 112.33 88 -24.33 78.34%
Wake Forest 34.5 -22 -56.5 -63.77%
Syracuse 163.33 59 -104.33 36.12%
Clemson 140.75 72 -68.75 51.15%
NC State 174.11 128 -46.11 73.52%
Florida State 131.75 173 41.25 131.31%
Average -53.47 52.00%

Boston College Passing Game vs. Louisville Passing Defense

BC doesn’t really want to throw the ball…….like at all.  The Eagles actually throw the ball less than option heavy Georgia Tech.  Tyler Murphy certainly has the ability in his skill set, but it just isn’t something Boston College does a lot.

Steve Addazio’s group has a low of 54 yards (a ton rushing, however) and a high of 173 yards against UMASS.  But BC typically gains about 81 yards fewer than what their opponents typically allow, or just 64.19%.  Given that Louisville generally allows 201.9 yards per game we can expect BC to gain 120-130 yards through the air on Saturday Night.

Passing Defense Boston College Gained vs. Deviation from Avg. % Gained of Avg
UMASS 257.8 173 -84.8 67.11%
PITT 176.8 134 -42.8 75.79%
USC 262.4 54 -208.4 20.58%
Colorado St 258.3 169 -89.3 65.43%
NC State 218 101 -117 46.33%
Clemson 167.3 143 -24.3 85.48%
Wake Forest 179.8 165 -14.8 91.77%
Virginia Tech 180.1 110 -70.1 61.08%
Average -81.44 64.19%

Louisville Passing Defense has done a really nice job all season minus the past two games of limiting opponents through the air.  Florida State once again is the major outlier, but the Cards still limit their opponents 40 yards less than usual or just 81% of the season total.

Boston College averages just 131.7 yards per game through the air so this range is a little lower than above at 91-107 yards.  Still unless BC needs to manage the clock late in the ball game I don’t expect the BC passing game to determine the game’s outcome.

Passing Offense Louisville Allowed vs. Deviation from Avg. % Gained of Avg
Miami (FL) 237.6 174 -63.6 73.23%
Virginia 243.9 171 -72.9 70.11%
FIU 177.4 117 -60.4 65.95%
Wake Forest 179 122 -57 68.16%
Syracuse 209.9 201 -8.9 95.76%
Clemson 291.3 157 -134.3 53.90%
NC State 221.1 223 1.9 100.86%
Florida State 327.3 401 73.7 122.52%
Average -40.19 81.31%

Summary

In the end Louisville needs to stop Tyler Murphy.  PERIOD.  Everything goes through Murphy and it mostly happens on the ground.  Louisville is somewhat beaten up defensively and that’s not a good recipe for a game that is going to see a ton of hard carries.  Louisville needs to bounce back after a very disappointing effort in the 2nd half of Florida State and Boston College is an extremely tough challenge.

My Prediction

This is a tough game for Louisville.  Boston College is stout against the run and will test a defense physically & mentality with the constant barrage of runs.  Mix in the fact that this is a November game in Boston (the Forecast is 48/40 with 10 mph winds) and Louisville has yet to have a true BYE week (just 12 days prior to FSU) is a bad spot for the Cards.

Additionally Louisville will have to stop BC’s run game without Lorenzo Mauldin & Pio Vatuvei.  I’ll be interested to see if the Cards play a base 3-4 or if they slide Deiontrez Mount over to Mauldin’s spot and stick in the Nickel with Jermaine Reve.  If UofL plays a lot of base defense they will need Trevon Young and Nick Dawson-Brents to contribute in a big way.  I also think Keith Brown will get his most significant work of the season due to his status as next-level run stopping linebacker.

Up-Front without Pio, BJ Dubose will have to play more snaps than usual (he’s having a great season) and that could have an impact in the 4th Quarter, especially if Louisville isn’t getting off the field and the offense is not maintaining drives.  Johnny Richardson played a lot of DE last week sliding over from his back-up NG position behind DeAngelo Brown and his presence will help a great deal.

Offensively we’ve heard of a significant suspension that we have yet to confirm that will impact the game if true (we’ll certainly report it once confirmed).  But a key to Saturday night will be Louisville having success moving the chains and possessing the ball.  The Cards can not afford to have quick, empty possessions and send its defense onto the field against the BC offense.  If Louisville can keep its defense fresh, they have an outstanding chance to win the game.

Petrino has said that Louisville needs to run the ball on BC.  I can understand his desire to do this in order to keep the Eagles’ pass rush occupied with the Louisville Running Backs, but Louisville’s best chance to move the ball on Saturday is through the air.  The Cards do need more than DeVante Parker in this game.  It’s time for Gerald Christian to post a big one along with Eli Rogers, Kai De La Cruz, or even Michaelee Harris.

The weather shouldn’t affect this game at all, Boston College isn’t a huge turnover team, but this is a very tough football team the Cards are playing.  Steve Addazio has done an outstanding job with the program and BC is just going to continue to improve.

I do expect for this game to be CLOSE but I do think this team has the mental toughness to close out a game and prove it to themselves that they can execute in crucial late game situations.

Louisville wins a close one 21-17

Pre-Game Videos

Steve Addazio Talks Louisville- Transcript 

Opening statement…
Well, obviously we’re getting ready to go into the 10th game of the season. Last week’s game was a great game for
our team. We played really good team football. We watched the tape and there were a lot of great plays that were
made. There were actually some left of the field that could have been made. But we’re playing good team ball right
now. We’re improving in a lot of areas and getting better.

In terms of defense last week, we held them to 39 yards rushing. I know the fake punt got counted against the defense
in rushing stats. But seven three-and-outs, forced seven punts, had a fourth-down stop, a blocked field goal and three
drives started on the opposite side of the 50 in the second quarter. There were a lot of positives. On offense, we scored
33 points, 258 yards rushing, no turnovers for the [second time] and eight explosive plays – five run and three pass.

Right now on our plan to win we talk about being able to run the ball. We’re averaging 274 yards a game which is ninth
in America. We’re 10th in the country with eight total turnovers. Scoring in the red zone, we’re 23rd in the country with
89 percent scoring in the red zone. So there are a lot of real positive things and a lot of really great things that are
going on right now. We have to continue to develop and continue to improve and continue to play good team football
and hopefully stay as healthy as we can.

On upcoming opponent Louisville…
We’re getting ready to play a Louisville team right now. Let’s start on defense. They returned five starters on their
defense. They’re seventh in total defense and eighth in scoring defense in America right now. They’re third in rushing
defense and 32nd in pass defense, and really an elite team. They’re super talented. They had a 21-point lead on FSU
and without the unbelievable effort by the Heisman Trophy winner, I don’t know what would have happened. There are
athletes all over the field on defense. It doesn’t matter where you start – No. 94 Lorenzo Mauldin, he’s got six and a
half sacks. No. 98 Sheldon Rankins, he’s got five and a half sacks. No. 55 Keith Kelsey, their middle linebacker, has 58
tackles and their free safety’s got 62 tackles, [James] Sample. They’re talented at every position. They’re big and big
inside run-stoppers and they’ve got big athletic ends on the edge. They have a really great scheme and Todd Grantham
does an unbelievable job. I remember he was the coordinator at Georgia my last year at Florida and he’s a super coach
and a terrific scheme strategist. Their defense plays great fundamentals and they’re tough and they run to the ball;
they’re run-stoppers. I am very, very impressed with Louisville on defense.

On offense, they’re explosive. You could start wherever. We’ll start with Michael Dyer. He’s a great back. He was
dinged up earlier in the year but he looked terrific against FSU. You’re talking about a guy that at one time was the
MVP of the National Championship game. He’s a talented guy. I remember him coming out of high school. You’ve got
Brandon Radcliff, a sophomore who’s also an outstanding running back. He’s averaging 5.2 yards/carry. Their
quarterback, Will Gardner, a sophomore, is 114-for-202 with almost 1,500 yards, 12 touchdown; he’s just a great
player. Then you go to the receivers. DeVante Parker is healthy and he was a completely dominant force in the game
against Florida State. You’re not talking about a good player, you’re talking about a great player. He’s an elite player;
he’ll be a first-round draft pick. James Quick is a sophomore with 31 receptions for 500 yards and three touchdowns,
averaging almost 15 yards a touch. Eli Rogers is a senior with 31 receptions and 330 yards. So they’ve got great skill
on the perimeter, their quarterback does a great job of getting them the ball. They’ve got two outstanding running
backs, they’ve got a relative veteran offensive line.

On defense they’re full of playmakers. They had a few injuries earlier in the season which I think hurt them, but they’re
at full strength coming in this week with two extra days of preparation. So our challenge in front of us is mighty. Those are the facts. Put the tape on, watch the film and you’ll be nothing but unbelievably impressed by this team. They’re
one of the elite teams in the conference. We’ve had the great fortune of playing some of the best teams and will play
some of the very finest teams in the conference on our side. We’re going to end up playing them all and it’s a great
challenge. We’re looking forward to it.

On playing against another elite defense in the ACC…
You’re not going to get shocked by the elevation of play. But it’s just really tough to move the ball on these defenses.
We put up 31 points last week [at Virginia Tech], but it was really tough. And that’s where we are. The defenses are
mighty. The difference this week is not only the defense is mighty, but the offense is really talented. So our defense is
going to really get challenged by the skill level of their offense. That’s another piece coming into this now, we’re
playing one of the better offenses. They’re talented and well-coached on both sides. Coach Petrino’s got a great
football mind. He’s won everywhere he’s been. Their defensive coordinator is outstanding. It adds to the challenge
here. They’re one of the top three most talented teams in our conference right now. Without a doubt you’re talking
about FSU, Clemson and Louisville in terms of just pure talent.

On the difficulty of running against Louisville…
They’re going to play a lot of multiple defenses out of [the 3-4] and play a nickle, four-down look. They’re going to play
a three-down which is kind of like a bear look. They’re going to play under, cover-one, a lot of man read. They can
match up in the secondary and they’re going to load the box to stop the run. But their front is big, physical, good
looking players. It’s tough sledding in there. It’s one thing to load the box, but they’re going to load the box with a
bunch of good players up front. It’s not something we haven’t faced though .Defenses in the ACC, at least in the
division that we’re in – I can’t speak to the other one; I’m not there – are really good.

On Louisville’s offense…
We’ve got to find a way to move the ball on offense and find a way to stop their offense, which I think is pretty
explosive. It might be to this point the most explosive offense we play. Colorado State had a pretty explosive offense.
The quarterback, running back, receiver tandems there were pretty good. Obviously Pitt was a real running team.
Colorado State was an explosive team, offensively. Clemson certainly is, but their quarterback was out. Louisville is
healthy. This is a full complement Louisville team with a couple extra days because they played on Thursday evening.
They’re in full force.

On Louisville’s loss to Florida State…
That loss right there was a hard emotional loss, but that was the Heisman Trophy quarterback and a perfect storm that
helped [Florida State] come back in that game. That Louisville team took it to [FSU] pretty good. Anything less than
Jameis Winston, that wasn’t going to happen. My eyes are on the talent level of this Louisville team. I knew they were
talented, but I didn’t know they would be this talented.

On Louisville against dual-threat quarterbacks…
They haven’t really faced a guy like Tyler [Murphy] right now. He’s a little different. We’ve got a different element to
us. We’ve got a power element to us. Within that you’ve got Tyler’s ability to run out of that. We pose a different threat.
It’s hard to watch the tape and see too many other teams like us. They’ve got the playmakers to do the job though.”

On the play of defensive back Manuel Asprilla and the defense …
We’re playing the best we’ve played in the back end. Manuel [Asprilla] played arguably one of his best football games
at BC ever. We are tackling better and we are improving in the back end. We lost John Johnson which hurt us and
we’re hoping we get him back. But we’re playing better for sure. I thought last week, [quarterback Michael] Brewer
made some great plays. We had him down several times and we weren’t able to finish him off and it hurt us. I thought
our back end played pretty well. We lost a couple guys in man coverage at the linebacker level.

They’re going to get challenged this week. To this point this will be their most talented opponents. Justin Simmons is a guy who can take on the quarterback. Justin is really playing as good of football as anybody out there right now. I think Manny is playing well; I think Justin is playing well. We’ve got to play well on Saturday night. We’re going to get challenged. A lot will come down to our ability to create pressure on the quarterback, whether it’s in a four-man or a five-man or a six-man rush. It’s a huge piece of this.

On the adjustment to the defensive system in year two…
We’re year two in this system of defense. Obviously the kids fundamentally, technique-wise, schematically, are
growing with this. We’ve got young players that are really adapting well. We’re suffering from depth right now. We’re a
couple of corners down with injuries. But I really like where they’re at. They’re going to go against a bona fide, big time
threat here. Now, we’ve played other big threats, it’s not the first one, but it will be challenging. We’ve got to get the
quarterback.

On freshman running back Jon Hilliman…
He’ll be available. He’ll get better each day. He was ready to roll last week; he just wasn’t quite at full strength.
Hopefully we’ll get him close to that this week. Those kind of deals, you need a bye week to flush them out. I’m
grateful that we have one right around the corner. We need it.

On the red -one pass touchdowns…
[Virginia Tech] was playing zero coverage and loading the box. It’s not a big shocker; everybody is going to load the
box. We continue to improve each week in our throw game and our play action game. I feel like we’re throwing and
catching the ball better. It’s been a good weapon for us.

On the abilities of the wide receivers…
[Shakim Phillips] looks good and feels good. And Marcus[Outlow] has got exceptional hands as well as really good
running ability. Those are two playmakers. Tyler [Murphy] is throwing the ball well and that part of our game is really
picking up. Charlie [Callinan] got behind them a couple times, against Fuller who is considered a top corner. Charlie is
really playing well. A lot of these young guys are really starting to come on. It’s an exciting future. Thadd Smith is an
exciting receiver, as well as Gabe [McClary] and [Sherman Alston]. We’ll continue to grow.

On earning the sixth win to become bowl eligible…
Last year we had to go to New Mexico State to get our fifth and we were a game or two behind from where we are
right now. As I said to the team, certainly a marker is to win your opener and the next marker is to get bowl eligible. I
felt like a year ago that defined us. It was such a goal to get back there. I think the foot came off of the accelerator,
which is just human nature. Getting bowl eligible this year is a great accomplishment for the second year in a row, but
it’s not going to define us. It’s a great marker to get there. Now we want more. That’s part of the development of our
program, getting that done with the losses that we took last year from a personnel standpoint. It’s a great mark of this
team. Now here we are: We’ve got three games left to play, four really. We’ve got to go out and win on Saturday, and I
think our kids are really in that mindset. We’ve got some serious challenges, but we know we will be playing in the
postseason. It’s great for our football program. That’s how in college football: You continue to develop. You have more
practice time and more time to develop.

On being in the national spotlight by playing in a bowl…
When you get bowl eligible, it helps you in all avenues. That’s why it’s great when that happens, especially when you’re
in the stage that we are. We’re in year two of a four-five year turnaround deal. We’ve got one recruiting class in place
here. Sixteen of them are playing. We need to keep recruiting. One of the thrilling things is to watch the older guys
develop a personality. The juniors and seniors are developing a personality. It’s exciting to watch. It’s been a lot of fun
to be a part of the development of this team over the last couple of years. We’ll continue to be in that development
stage. You like to think that you need to get four classes in place before you get the program back up.
Right now, what’s in front of us is being who we were, which is a fighting, scratching team. We have to come in here
at our home field team and play a really fine team. Talent wise, Louisville will be in that conversation.

On making BC a tough team…
That’s BC. That’s what BC was and what BC will continue to be. So that was important to get that done. I say done; it’s
a work in progress. We haven’t had that game this year where we’ve laid an egg. The Pitt game was our worst
performance wise, but we came storming back in. Every year, you have one of those games and it has a tendency to
show up at this time of year where you are banged up and nicked up and you don’t have a lot of depth. You have to
fight like heck to not let that this raise its head on us.

We’ve got three big games coming up. The kids have a good attitude. We have to do a good job of practicing. That’s
my job. I think we did a good job last week in the structure of our practices. We have to make sure our tank is full on
Saturday.

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@UofLSheriff50. Louisville native, University of Louisville Business School Grad c/o 2004. Co-Founder of TheCrunchZone.com

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