Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Syracuse
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 2022 college football season is finally here, and Louisville (0-0, 0-0 ACC) will kick off their campaign under the lights, traveling to upstate New York for a road showdown at Syracuse (0-0, 0-0 ACC).
Here are some of the more notable storylines heading into Saturday's game:
Louisville Fully Healthy Following Injury-Riddled 2021
2021 was a disappointing season for the Cardinals, in part because of how brutal it was from an injury standpoint. Louisville lost cornerback Kei'Trel Clark, wide receiver Braden Smith and middle linebacker Monty Montgomery all to season-ending knew injuries, and had several other players over the course of the year. Even over the offseason, players like Evan Conley and Jermayne Lole were dealing with various ailments.
Fortunately, at least as of Tuesday's press conference with head coach Scott Satterfield, Louisville is completely healthy heading into their matchup with Syracuse.
"We've come out of camp healthy," he said. "We feel like all our guys are going to be ready to go, and that's a positive for sure. You want to be able to have your guys
Louisville Not Putting Stock Into Previous Syracuse Matchups, Preparing for 'Nasty' Road Environment
When looking at the series between the Cardinals and the Orange, it is one that has been dominated by Louisville as of late. They won 56-34 in 2019, 30-0 in 2020, then 41-3 last season, giving the Cardinals an average margin of victory of 30.0 points under Satterfield.
That being said, Satterfield isn't using his previous encounters with the Orange as a barometer for how successful his fourth time against them will be.
"I don't put any stock into last year, or the year before now. ... This is a new year. For us, it's all about what we have this year, what they have, and then who can go out and put the best game plan forward, and which guys are going to execute the best," he said.
Unlike the previous three matchups, which have occurred in Louisville towards the end of the season, this time it will take place at the JMA Wireless Dome (formerly known as the Carrier Dome) right off the bat. Satterfield knows it will be a hostile environment.
"It's our first time, my first time going to the Dome," he said. "We've played Syracuse three times here in a row, and at the end of the season. Now it's completely different. Now it's the first game, it's in their place. I know it's gonna be loud, and just a nasty environment. It's gonna be a big challenge. We're looking forward to it and excited about it, no question."
Syracuse Features Dynamic Two-Headed Rushing Attack
Last season, the Orange were one of the most prolific rushing teams in all of the FBS. Syracuse averaged 213.5 rushing yards per game, which was good for first in the ACC and 16th nationally.
A lot of that was thanks to All-American running back Sean Tucker. He is arguably the best running back in all of football, coming off of a season where he amassed the sixth-most rushing yards in FBS with 1,496, as well as 12 rushing touchdowns.
Quarterback Garrett Shrader is also a threat on the ground. While he might have completed just 52.6 percent of passes for 1,444 yards and nine touchdowns and four picks, that also came with 781 yards on the ground and 14 rushing touchdowns - the second-most in the ACC behind Malik Cunningham's 20.
"Anytime you go into a first game and they’ve got some new coaches, you really don't know what they're going to do. We know they're going to turn a hand the ball to that running back (Sean Tucker), one of the top running backs in the country," Satterfield said.
Louisville Anticipating Retooled Syracuse Offensive Scheme
After last season, Syracuse head coach Dino Babers made some changes in his offensive staff. He opted not to retain offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert, and brought in former Virginia offensive coordinator Robert Anae to replace him.
Anae was the architect behind the third-most offense in FBS at 515.8 yards per game, behind only Ohio State (561.5) and WKU (535.3). Quarterback Brennan Amrstrong was his instrument, averaging the second-most offensive yards per game at 427.3.
With the weapons that Syracuse has on the ground, coupled with a scheme that is sure to give a jolt to the passing game, Louisville has been busy studying film from both the Orange and the Cavaliers from last season.
"Those guys did a tremendous job running the football last year, one of the best in the conference and country," defensive coordinator Bryan Brown said. "UVA did a great job in the passing game with what they had. You bring in their quarterbacks coach and receivers coach over, and OC, so I would expect those guys to do some similar things (from) Virginia."
Competition Among Louisville Offensive Skill Positions Still Strong
Fall camp might be in the rear view mirror for the Cardinals, but even with the season nearly here, the competition among the running back and wide receiver positions is strong.
The battle for reps is more prevalent at running back. Tiyon Evans is listed as the starter for now, with Jalen Mitchell, Trevion Cooley and Jawhar Jordan all listed as the co-backup. Satterfield believes that every single one of those guys will be crucial, and earlier in camp, stated that Louisville will ride the hot hand when it comes to that position.
"We're evaluating those guys every day, not just on the football field, but everything they're doing," he said. "It's a great competition and it's ongoing, is not over. All four of those guys can play and help this football team and all of them are on special teams. ... I wouldn't be surprised if all four play running back and all four contribute on this football team."
Wide receiver is a little more established, with Tyler Hudson, Dee Wiggins, Ahmari-Huggins Brice and Braden Smith expected to be the core four at wideout. But Satterfield thinks that the two newcomers at wide receiver, Chris Bell and Chance Morrow, could crack the rotation later in the year.
"The couple of newcomers are really doing some great things, they just need a little bit of time," he said. "I think by the middle of season, they'll be in the mix. Those guys I think are going to have bright futures for us. How quickly they start grasping, it'll be determined how much they play, but they are certainly talented players."
Bryan Brown Confident in Defense Heading into New Season
Over the offseason, Louisville made numerous strides to get better on defense. They hit the transfer portal hard, and landed high-impact playmakers at positions of need, such as Jermayne Lole, MoMo Sanogo, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. and Quincy Riley,
It also helps to get several veterans back. On top of Kei'Trel Clark and Monty Montgomery - who are back following injuries - Yasir Abdullah is back, who had a tremendous year as pass rusher last season.
Plus, a pair of support staff hires also greatly bolstered Louisville's defensive capabilities. Satterfield opted to bring on former Florida secondaries coach Wesley McGriff as their co-defensive coordinator, as well as Georgia's Ben Sowders as the new strength coach.
Heading into year four of the Satterfield era, and year four under defensive coordinator Bryan Brown, the Cardinals feel good about the product they can put together on defense.
"This is the most confident I've been, and I think it's the most confident this group has been defensively, that they can go out and execute and compete at a high level," Brown said. "They feel like, 'hey, we deserve to be on the same playing field as everybody else.' This is the most exciting, as well as confident that we've felt since we've been here."
'Aggressive' Syracuse Defense Awaiting Louisville
Speaking of defense, something that occasionally gets lost in the shuffle when discussing Syracuse is that they featured one of the best defenses in all of the ACC last season.
They allowed only 330.3 yards per game, which was second in the ACC (Clemson) and 19th nationally, and tallied 3.08 sacks and 6.8 tackles for loss per game, which was 16th and 28th in the nation. Their 26.3 points surrendered per game did rank 66th, but that total over their first nine games was 22.6.
Syracuse returns eight starters from last season's defense, including their three top tacklers. Mikel Jones is coming off of a First-Team All-ACC season, tallying a team-best 110.0 tackles and 13.0 tackles for loss, as well as 4.0 sacks. Stefon Thompson and Marlowe Wax, who placed second and third on the team, respectively, in tackles with 79.0 and 60, are also back.
The Orange secondary also returns their two best assets from last season in cornerback duo Garrett Williams and Darian 'Duce' Chestnut. Williams logged 5.0 tackles for loss and 10 pass breakups, which was second in the ACC behind Clemson's Mario Goodrich (12), and Chestnut snagged three interceptions as a true freshman.
(Photo of Greedy Vance: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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