Offensive Line Garnering Early Praise From Louisville Coaches & Teammates
Under year two of the Scott Satterfield era, Louisville's offense is off to yet another hot start. Through two games of the 2020 season, the Cardinals are averaging 34.5 points & 501.5 yards per game - the latter of which ranks eighth in the nation.
Much of this early offensive success can be directly attributed to performance of the offensive line. They the highest-graded Week 2 offensive line by PFF following Louisville's 35-21 win over Western Kentucky, then turned in another solid performance in the 47-34 loss to Miami.
"We started off with Western Kentucky who we thought had a very solid defensive line, then of course Miami with the two defensive ends they have and they defensive tackles - we thought that front was really good as well," head coach Scott Satterfield said Monday in his weekly press conference. "I think that our guys have played good up front. We did a decent job of protecting the passer on a Saturday (vs. Miami)."
Louisville has surrendered just four sacks in their first two contests of 2020: one vs. the Hilltoppers and three vs. the Hurricanes. However only two sacks against Miami can be directly attributed to the offensive line, as the third one came in the game's waning moments when quarterback Malik Cunningham fumbled on fourth down.
"I like me O-line against any D-Line in the country," Cunningham said. "Those guys for Miami were really good up front, but I fell like we handled those guys well."
He wasn't the only offensive player who benefited from the offensive line's effort against the Canes. Running back Javian Hawkins accumulated 164 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, and the shifty back gave all the credit to the offensive front for opening up holes for him.
"The whole game, they dominated really," Hawkins said after the game vs. Miami. "The holes were there all game honestly."
As good as they have been to start the season, there is still some room for improvement. The offensive line gave up 10 tackles for loss against both Western Kentucky and Miami, just ahead of their 9.85 average from a season ago. Fortunately, the line recognizes that this is still an issue, and are exercising their due diligence to get it fixed.
"I think that we have taken those steps and are doing a good job of eliminating something that we said we need to be better at this season," offensive coordinator Dwayne Ledford said. "We're practicing better now I think than we have at any point last season. That's a lot of maturity on those guys to understand that it's not just showing up on Saturday, it's putting the work in day in and day out."
Louisville is set for their first road matchup of the season when they travel to face the Pitt Panthers this weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26 at 12:00 p.m. on ABC.
(Photo of Malik Cunningham, Cole Bentley, Nesta Jade Silvera: Atlantic Coast Conference)
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top righthand corner of the page. Also be sure to like us on Facebook & Twitter:
Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter - @LouisvilleOnSI and Matthew McGavic at @GeneralWasp
