Louisville Embracing Challenge of Shorthanded Passing Attack vs. Air Force
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program might have ended the regular season on a sour note, but they still have one more opportunity to right the ship before officially closing the book on their 2021 campaign.
The Cardinals will be heading on down to Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas, where they will be facing Air Force in the First Responder Bowl.
The bowl game will give Louisville a chance to rebound from their blowout loss to Kentucky, and head into the offseason with a little bit of momentum. But it will be a game where quarterback Malik Cunningham will have very few option to throw the ball to.
Shortly after the Kentucky game, Jordan Watkins - Louisville's leading wide receiver at 529 yards during the regular season - entered the transfer portal. Justin Marshall and his 322 yards soon followed, leaving Louisville without two of their top five pass-catchers for the bowl against Air Force. Shai Werts, who was limited by injuries, also left the program.
As a result, some major shuffling was in order at wide receiver. Ahmari Huggins-Bruce and Tyler Harrell were elevated to starters, and walk-ons Jordan Thomas and Elijah Downing were included on the bowl game two-deep. T.J. Lewis, a converted quarterback who hasn't played a single snap all year, even made the depth chart. Just four scholarship wide receivers were listed on the depth chart, with Demetrius Cannon as the lone scholarship player not to be listed.
However, Louisville is embracing that adversity and continuing to press onward.
"It's definitely a challenge, but coach (Gunter) Brewer always teaches next man up," quarterback Malik Cunningham said. "Those guys who will get a chance to play have been doing great for us in practice. They don't get to show it in games, but I see it in practice. So those guys are not gonna skip a beat."
Even with all the production that Watkins and Marshall would have brought no longer in the fold, the Cardinals still have some viable options. Harrell developed into a big play threat in his first year as a meaningful contributor, averaging 31.64 yards per reception with a team-best five touchdowns. Huggins-Bruce has shown tremendous flashes of potential as a true freshman, finishing third among wide receivers with 398 yards and four touchdowns.
Even running back Trevion Cooley is also a boost in the passing game, tallying 145 yards and a pair of scores. Josh Johnson has shown that he can be a reliable target at times, securing 81 of his 125 yards in the first two games of the season.
Oh, and while he might not be a wide receiver, you can't forget about Marshon Ford. The tight end leads all Louisville pass catchers with 530 yards on the season, and he also is giving a vote of confidence to the remaining receivers on Louisville's roster.
"We have a lot of guys in that receiver room, even though Justin and Jordan left, that are getting a chance," Ford said. "They're ready to step up and they're just ready to make plays. We're out there on a practice field, they're going hard, just treating it just like a game to get ready for you. I trust them. They know what they're doing, so ready to see them put on the show."
Since the 52-21 shellacking by the Wildcats, Ford and company has been helping relay a positive message to help Louisville get over that hump. Like they have all season, they have been preaching control what you can control, and just execute.
"Let's get better," Ford said when asked what the team's mentality is since getting back to practice. "We look we look forward to practice every day. We get the we get longer individual time to really work on our craft, and stuff like that. Just getting better, that's all we're worrying about."
Kickoff against the Falcons is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 28 at 3:15 p.m. EST.
(Photo of Ahmari Huggins-Bruce: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports)
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