Louisville QB Malik Cunningham Carted Off Field in Loss vs. Pitt
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A scary sight emerged from the gridiron of Heinz Field on Saturday, one that could potentially have long-term repercussions for the Louisville football program.
Toward the end of the Cardinals' 23-20 loss to the Pitt Panthers, quarterback Malik Cunningham suffered what appeared to be a head/shoulder injury after being taken down by Pitt defensive lineman Calijah Kancey. He would eventually have to be put on a stretcher and carted off the field.
With less than two minutes to go and facing 4th-and-4, Cunningham scrambled to his right to throw what would wind up being the game-sealing interception. In the process of being taken down, he appeared to slam his head and right throwing shoulder into ground.
"He kind of stepped up on that play, obviously they had some pass rushers there. He steps up and he's trying to make the throw, and it looked like he got his feet caught up underneath a couple of their defenders and kinda got twisted a little bit when he threw the football," head coach Scott Satterfield said.
Cunningham would lay motionless for several minutes, with both teams kneeling as the training staff worked on him. He began to move his hands as the trainers turned him over onto the stretcher, eventually mustering enough energy to give the "thumbs up" sign as the cart pulled away.
Fortunately, the injury does not appear to be as serious as initially thought. Satterfield said that Cunningham had complete feeling of his body and extremities, and that bringing out the cart was out of abundance of caution.
"The positive news is that he was moving everything when he was on the ground, had feeling in everything," Satterfield said. "The medical team takes every precaution that we need to take."
Through three games, Cunningham has completed 54 of his 91 pass attempts and thrown for 757 yards, seven touchdowns & five interceptions. Last season he was one of the most accurate passers in college football, as his 194.79. passer rating set a single-season Louisville record and was just one attempt shy of qualifying nationally for second place (Joe Burrow).
Louisville heads into its first bye week, and will resume its three-game road trip on Friday, Oct. 9 at 12:00 p.m. vs. Georgia Tech.
(Photo of Malik Cunningham: Atlantic Coast Conference)
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