2011 Louisville Cardinals Football Preview

Charlie Strong took a Louisville program at its lowest point on over a decade and immediately turned it around. After reaching the highest point in school history in winning the Big East and winning the Orange Bowl, the Cardinals suffered through three long years with Steve Kragthorpe at the helm. A three years that saw them never reach the postseason and an utter erosion of the championship caliber program that had been built by prior coaches. In his first season, Strong took positive steps toward restoring the program to previous levels by riding a large and experienced senior class to a 6-6 season and a win in the Beef O’ Brady’s Bowl. With two recruiting classes under his belt, the team now has the caliber of athletes he desires – that should pay some dividends, even if the team is young.

The biggest question on offense centers around the new quarterback and who will protect him. Adam Froman and Justin Burke both played well in 2010 but both are now gone, and the job falls to the diminutive Will Stein or freshman phenom Teddy Bridgewater. Both battled it out in spring practice, and while the consensus seems to be that Stein will be the starter at least at the beginning, Bridgewater will not give up and will be too talented to not see the field at some point this season. The challenge of replacing four senior offensive linemen will be much more daunting. Center Mario Benavides will be the anchor of the line and is a Rimington Award nominee heading into the season. Senior Ryan Kessling and redshirt freshman Jake Smith will man the ride side while the left remains an open competition. Several true freshmen may have the opportunity to play early.

The challenge of replacing 1,400-yard rusher Bilal Powell is real, but not overwhelming. Senior Victor Anderson is healthy for the first time since 2008 when he was Big East Freshman of the Year. He will team up with promising sophomore tailback Jeremy Wright to share the running back duties in Strong’s power-running offense. At receiver, Josh Bellamy returns; after that, there are nothing but questions facing the Cards. Several highly-rated true freshmen such as Eli Rogers and Devante Parker could see significant snaps from the outset. There were not nearly enough big plays in the passing game in 2010 and rectifying that will be a goal in 2011.

It should come as no surprise that in just over a year on the job, Strong – a longtime defensive coordinator – has completely retooled what was one of the worst defenses in college football before his arrival. Strong patiently redshirted some players and even played others out of position in 2010 to better position the team for 2011, and these moves should pay off. The Cardinals lost only Rodney Gnat from a defensive line that helped the Cardinals finish seventh in the nation in sacks per game. The Cardinals will have a formidable tackle rotation of Randy Salmon, Roy Philon, Jamaine Brooks, and freshman Jamon Brown. They will move senior Greg Scruggs back to defensive end to pair him up with sophomores B.J Butler and Marcus Smith, who had excellent spring sessions.

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The back seven has both talent and its fair share of uncertainties. Coaches were frustrated that no one had stepped up and truly grabbed hold of either of the open cornerback spots. It’s a sore spot that, should it linger, could hamper Strong’s desire to field an aggressive, blitzing defense. The safety spots are solid with Big East Freshman of the Year Hakeem Smith at free safety and junior Shenard Holton at strong safety. The linebackers return intact led by Dexter Heyman and Daniel Brown and were joined by talented freshman Brandon Golson in January. Golson is a rangy, athletic outside linebacker who should see the field early.

The schedule is brutal for a team that could be forced to play so many young players in key positions. Virtually every tough game – Kentucky, North Carolina, West Virginia, and South Florida – is on the road. The Cardinals also face Cincinnati on the road, though the game will be played in Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium. The Cardinals will need to hold court at home if they hope to exceed last year’s win total.