Offense Hoping to Stay at an Elite Level in Key ACC Road Game

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino is used to seeing his teams operate at a high level on the offensive end, but the 2016 team has taken his expectations to a new level.

Leading the country in scoring offense at 52.3 points per game and ranking second in total offense at 616.9 yards per game, the Cardinals are playing better than anyone in the country with the ball in their hands – just ask NC State, which saw the Cards put up 44 first-half points last weekend in a 54-13 decision.

"I thought we really came out and executed well," Petrino said. "The first drive, Lamar (Jackson) was very, very accurate. We got some run after the catch and then we made a nice touchdown run and scored in four plays on the first drive. So I knew we were ready."

Being ready was an understatement, as the Cardinals scored on eight of their first nine drives, and totaled 390 yards of total offense at the half to take a 44-0 lead.

One of the main reasons for the consistent success has been improved throwing ability of Lamar Jackson, the nation's top offensive player so far this season.

His rushing numbers are off the chart, as the sophomore needs 92 yards to break 1,000 yards this season – a first for a quarterback at Louisville.

"He's throwing the ball well, Petrino said. "We came out and threw three straight passes. However, his best throw was the post to Jaylen Smith. He hit him in stride and he caught it."

Petrino, who has coached many of the top quarterbacks during his time in college, knew immediately that he had something special in his quarterback from Pompano Beach, Fla.

"I remember he snapped his wrist and threw the ball and I was like oh wow," Petrino said. "This guy can really snap his wrist and throw the ball. I always thought as a quarterback coach, that's the number one thing you have to do is snap your wrist and you can throw the ball with your wrist not with your arm."

With unstoppable athletic ability and electrifying explosiveness, Jackson worked hard in the spring to develop his passing skills – to make him that much more dangerous, which has been evident by his 34 touchdowns this season – a new school mark with six games left to play.

"He had a number of things we worked on with his technique," Petrino said. "We worked mainly with his feet and getting his drops correctly. We also worked on the timing with the routes and make sure his lead shoulder was in the right position."

Jackson has put the Cardinals in the right position, as evidence by the 48 touchdowns scored in the first seven games.

"He is a fun guy to coach and he's pretty good," Petrino said. "We have a good time together and we can joke around with him a little bit. He knows when I'm serious and when I'm not."

Well, since Jackson has learned when his head coach is serious, the opposition has found out that the sophomore quarterback is serious about being a winner.

University of Louisville Athletics

Offense Hoping to Stay at an Elite Level in Key ACC Road Game

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