Cardinals Prepare for Physical Orange Running Attack
October 02, 2014 | Football
LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Each week has presented a new challenge for the University of Louisville defense. However, this week will be the most challenging because of the versatility of the Syracuse offense.
The Cardinals face Syracuse on Friday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m. on ESPN in a crucial ACC match-up for both teams. Louisville is 2-1 in the league after a 20-10 win over Wake Forest, while the Orange will be opening up conference action.
Louisville enters Friday's league game with the nation's top rushing defense and one of the top overall defenses in the country. The Cardinals are yielding just 55.2 yards per game on the ground after holding Wake Forest to -22 yards rushing last week.
"They players have done a good job of buying into what we are trying to do," defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. "They have done a good job since spring and all fall of learning what we are trying to do, and they are doing a good job each week preparing and going out and just playing hard."
The Orange will provide a different obstacle this week because of the versatility of quarterback Terrel Hunt, who leads the team in both rushing and passing. He threw for 294 yards in the loss to Notre Dame and poses a big challenge for the Cardinals.
"They have a quarterback who is third in the league in total offense," Grantham said. "He can run it, which creates a new dimension to the offense. The have running backs who run hard and wide receivers who can go get the ball down field. We have to be ready to play."
Hunt has rushed for 299 yards and six touchdowns this season through four games, which is more than any Cardinal has rushed for in five games in 2014. Grantham knows his defense must be ready to stop the run.
"They have quite a few called runs," Grantham said of Hunt. "He is a viable option to run the football. In their passing game, he adds a dimension of running the football. They guys have to stay in their rush lanes and not create seams. You have to understand your lanes."
Junior Sheldon Rankins faced the Orange as a freshman in 2012, and Rankins remembers that game vividly. However, like most of the Cardinals, the team isn't looking backward, it's focused on Friday and trying to secure another ACC win.
Rankins remembers what happened to the Cardinals in 2012, when an undefeated Louisville team was dismantled by the Orange in the Carrier Dome. Louisville still made a BCS appearance, but were soundly beaten.
"They are a good team. We are going into the game with a great minsdet," Rankins said. "They want to establish the line of scrimmage and run the football. We need to be ready as a defense. We are taking what the coaches are teaching us and getting ready to just go play."
If the Cardinals are going to remain in the hunt of an ACC Championship, it will start Friday night in the Carrier Dome, which, like in 2012, will be a tough play to achieve your goals.
