4 midseason grades for the Louisville football team

We take a look at the midseason report card grades for the Louisville football team through the first six games of the year.

What a fun year that this has been so far for the Louisville football program and their fans as the Cardinals are currently 5-1 and the seventh ranked team in the country. Other than a close loss to Clemson, the Cardinals have been playing lights out against every single opponent that they have lined up against in 2016.

To top it all off, sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson is far ahead of everyone else in the Heisman race. It doesn’t look like anyone will catch him, as he has been on another planet playing football this season. He is going to break every quarterback record at the University of Louisville and he still has another year left.

Watching Lamar Jackson do his thing has been nothing short of amazing.

The Cardinals now turn their focus towards playing undefeated football for the rest of the 2016 season. That goal starts against the NC State Wolfpack this Saturday in Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium.

The Wolfpack narrowly lost to Clemson last weekend in overtime, but that was after their kicker missed the game-winning field as time expired in regulation. It was a crushing blow to NC State and maybe even more for the Cards’ ACC title chances.

2016 has still been amazing and with that being said, we take a look at the midseason grades for the Louisville football team.

Sep 17, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball against the Florida State Seminoles during the second quarter at Papa John

Louisville Offense

Lamar Jackson has put the Louisville football team on a completely different level this season. They have been able to effectively run and pass the football on every team that they have faced this season. It has been great to see so many different Cardinals catching the football and making plays downfield. This has been key to keeping defenses on their heels.

The Cardinals currently have the best scoring offense in the ACC by far. Louisville is averaging an amazing 52.3 points per game this season, whereas the closest team in Pittsburgh is only averaging 38.4. No wonder it has been so difficult for teams to even come close to beating the Cards.

The even more impressive stat line is that the Cardinals are averaging 627.5 total offensive yards per game. That is crazy. To put that into perspective, Florida State is second in the ACC with 484.7 yards per game.

Louisville has been on an offensive frenzy this season and it’s all thanks to the marvelous Lamar Jackson.

Oct 1, 2016; Clemson, SC, USA; Louisville Cardinals safety Chucky Williams (22) recovers a fumble by Clemson Tigers tight end Jordan Leggett (16) during the third quarter at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Louisville Defense

There have been many players on Louisville’s defense that have stepped into their 2016 roles and dominated. Trevon Young who was one of the Cards’ best linebackers last season, got hurt against Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl, and was forced to miss this entire season. This put James Hearns into a starting spot for Louisville and has been Louisville’s best linebacker this season.

He has led the Cardinals in sacks and tackles for loss for virtually the entire 2016 season. Not to mention, teams are now focused on DeVonte Fields and Hearns coming off the outside. That’s a tough assignment for any offensive line.

Jaire Alexander has also been a bright spot for the Cardinals as corner. He made two huge interceptions in the game against Clemson that gave the Cards a chance to win.

Ultimately the defense wasn’t able to get the job done and they lost a controversial game to the Tigers on the road.

The Cards’ defense currently ranks 4th in the ACC, which is why we gave them a “B” grade at this point in the year.

Sep 1, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) talks to his teammates in the huddle during the first quarter against the Charlotte 49ers at Papa John

Louisville Special-Teams

This grade would have been much lower if it were not, again, for Jaire Alexander. He has made some huge plays for the Cardinals on punt returns this season. His touchdown against Florida State pretty much sealed the win and his called-back touchdown against Duke would have been the play of the game. The kid knows how to play and loves the spotlight.

Louisville’s kicking game, on the other hand, has been nothing short of below average all season long. They have switched between a couple of different kickers and it sounds like they are going to switch things up again.

They are currently 7-11 in field goals made as a team this season, which doesn’t sound so bad until you realize that it places them 10th in the ACC because of that percentage. Not a good look for the Cardinals and that should make every Louisville football fan feel a little bit uneasy.

Sep 24, 2016; Huntington, WV, USA; Louisville Cardinals head coach Bobby Petrino looks on from the sidelines against the Marshall Thundering Herd in the second half at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. The Louisville Cardinals won 59-28. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Louisville Coaching

Louisville football head coach Bobby Petrino is on many people’s list for being the coach of the year for 2016 and rightfully so. He has taken a very young 8-5 team to a National championship contender in just one season. However, his best coaching job ever might be the progression of Lamar Jackson.

The difference between Jackson of 2015 and Jackson of 2016 is simply amazing. I think we all remember the player that would just throw the ball up for grabs last season and watch when it was intercepted or the guy who kept fumbling the ball on the read-option plays. It’s safe to say that he is a completely different quarterback this season.

In 2016, we are now watching him perfectly execute the read-option, throw 80 yard touchdowns, and keep control of the offense. What a coaching job that Petrino has done with the Heisman-hopeful.

Petrino has the Cardinals in a great position to be in the college football playoff mix at the end of 2016.