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Louisville HC Scott Satterfield Signing Day Presser (12/15/21)

Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Air Force Falcons

The Cardinals conclude their 2021 season against the Falcons in the First Responder Bowl.
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2021 SERVEPRO First Responder Bowl

Louisville Cardinals (6-6, 4-4 ACC) vs. Air Force Falcons (9-3, 6-2 MW)

- Kickoff: Tuesday, December 28 at 3:15 p.m. EST
- Location: Gerald R. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas
- Weather Conditions: Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy in the afternoon. High 78F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
- How To Watch: ESPN
- How To Listen: WHAS 840/790 WKRD
- Betting Favorite: Even
- All-Time Series: First Meeting
- Last Meeting: N/A

Depth Charts

Here are the depth charts for both teams ahead of their matchup: Louisville vs. Air Force

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Falcons, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of the Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Air Force

Uniform Report

Louisville will be wearing black helmets and pants with red jerseys, and Air Force will be wearing all white.

Game Notes

Louisville

  • For the third-straight season, the Cardinals were balanced on the offensive side of the football, averaging 230.6 yards through the air and 211.3 yards on the ground. Louisville is the only team in the nation to average over 200 and 200 over the last three seasons.
  • The Cardinals enter postseason play ranked 21st nationally in rushing offense after averaging 211.3 yards per game.
  • Quarterback Malik Cunningham is is 32 yards away from becoming only the third quarterback in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season and just the 17th player to rush for 1,000-yards in a season.
  • Satterfield owns a perfect 4-0 record in bowl appearances as a head coach. He defeated Mississippi State in the 2019 Music City Bowl in his first season at Louisville. While at App State, his teams defeated Ohio 31-29 in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl in 2015 and Toledo 31-28 in the same bowl in 2016. The Mountaineers also defeated the Rockets 34-0 in the 2017 Dollar General Bowl.
  • Offensive guard Caleb Chandler was the lone Louisville player to earn first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference accolades, becoming the first offensive lineman to garner top honors since 2019.
  • The Cardinals recorded 31 sacks on the season, the most for the program since totaling 30 during the 2016 season. Linebacker Yasir Abdullah finished second in the ACC with 9.0 sacks.
  • Tight end Marshon Ford, a third team All-ACC selection, led the team with 47 receptions for 530 yards and a pair of touchdowns — all career highs. The Louisville native has 15 career touchdowns since earning a scholarship in 2019.
  • The Cardinals averaged 5.4 yards a carry on the ground, which ranks seventh nationally heading into the bowl game.

Air Force

  • Air Force leads the MW and ranks third in the nation in fourth downs (.775/31-40)
  • Air Force has scored a touchdown on its opening drive in eight games this season
  • Air Force has outscored opponents 94-27 in the first quarter this season
  • Air Force rushed for a season-best 511 yards vs. UNLV and didn’t attempt a pass in the game for the first time since 2012
  • Air Force held the ball for 40:49 vs. UNLV, including 26:12 of the 30:00 in the second half... The Falcons held the ball 14:30 of the fourth quarter
  • Air Force rushed for 476 yards and had 499 total yards at Nevada
  • Air Force had 212 total yards on 17 plays in the first quarter at Colorado State...the Falcons had 15 carries for 120 yards and hit 1-2 passes for 92 yards
  • Air Force rolled up 1,576 yards of total offense during a three-game stretch earlier this season, averaging 525.3 per game...Air Force had 441 total yards vs. UNM, 516 vs. FAU and 619 vs. Utah State
  • Air Force had 619 yards of total offense against Utah State, the 15th most in school history and the most since the Falcons had 623 yards against New Mexico in 2018.
  • Air Force had three players rush for 100-plus yards against Utah State with Emmanuel Michel (133), Brad Roberts (113) and Haaziq Daniels (102) hitting the mark...the last time the Falcons had three top the 100-yard mark was 2017 at Nevada.
  • Air Force had a season-high 619 total yards and 437 rushing yards vs. Utah State
  • The Falcons ran 25 more plays and had a 13:36 advantage in time of possession in the win over Navy. The Falcons led the TOP battle in each quarter, posting times of 9:11 in the first, 8:33, 9:27 and 9:37.
  • Air Force is one of just six defenses in the nation to hold opponents under 300 yards per game
  • Air Force leads the MW and ranks third nationally in first down defense (178)
  • Air Force is allowing just 17.7 points per game over the last two seasons
  • Air Force has held 13 of the last 15 opponents to 21 points or less...the only two teams to score more than 21 are Utah State (49) and Nevada (39 in triple overtime) this season
  • Air Force has held its opponent below 300 yards of total offense in seven games...the Falcons have won six of the seven games when doing so
  • Air Force has forced a punt or turnover on the opponent’s opening drive 10 times
  • Air Force held UNLV to just 214 total yards...127 of those coming on two plays
  • Air Force held Wyoming to just 10 total yards and no first downs in the first quarter
  • Air Force held New Mexico to just 46 total yards and one first down in the first half...the Lobos finished with 226 total yards.
  • Air Force held FAU to just 214 total yards, including just 73 passing...FAU never entered the Red Zone in the game and the team’s touchdown late in the second quarter marked the first time in the game they reached Air Force’s side of the field...FAU was held to just 10 first downs and an 0-2 performance on fourth down.
  • Air Force held Navy to 68 total yards, which is the second-lowest total in program history and lowest since the record of 66 came vs. San Diego in 1956. Air Force held Navy to just 36 yards rushing on 34 carries. Navy averaged just 1.1 yards per rush and 1.5 yards per play overall. The Falcons forced Navy into 1-12 on third down and 0-2 on fourth downs. Air Force forced eight three-and-outs in 11 possessions and four possessions netting negative yards. The defense allowed just six first downs, the fifth-fewest in program history and fewest since Stony Brook had just four in 2018. It’s the fewest allowed vs. an FBS program since Colorado State was held to four in 1958. Navy managed just one first down in the first three quarters.

Additional Coverage

First Responder Bowl Players to Watch

QB Malik Cunningham

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62.0 Completion Rate, 3,702 Total Yards, 37 Total Touchdowns

OLB Yasir Abdullah

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14.5 Tackles for Loss, 9.0 Sacks, 52.0 Tackles

RB Brad Roberts

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1,279 Rushing Yards, 13 Rushing Touchdowns

OLB Vince Sanford

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17.0 Tackles for Loss, 9.5 Sacks, Nine QB Hurries

(Photo of Jalen Mitchell: Alton Strupp - Louisville Courier Journal via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

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