Cunningham, Cardinals Battle World's Uncertainty

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville football team was headed off to spring break following two weeks of practice. Teammates were headed in many different directions to take a break from the rigors of practice and school.

However, little did everyone know, the Cardinals and the rest of the country wouldn't be able to resume their everyday lives because of a nasty virus that would shut down the world.

The Coronavirus, a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person, has affected the entire country over the last few weeks, halting everyday life and adding a lot of anxiety to citizens of the United States.

"This really caught me and all of my teammates off guard," junior quarterback Micale Cunningham said. "We were having a really good spring from the offensive side of the ball, and this set us back a little. However, we know this is way bigger than football, and it's a terrible tragedy that is crippling the world."

Cunningham and his teammates weren't able to make it back to Louisville because of a campus-wide closure, but the redshirt junior is focusing on staying safe, but also doing putting in his work to be a better quarterback.

"I'm occupying my time while watching all of the practices from the spring over just to see the progress that I was able to make," Cunningham said. "I'm throwing every day to keep my arm in shape and stay sharp during the tough period."

Despite being away from teammates, the native of Montgomery, Ala., continues to focus on his body and working hard to become a better quarterback than the year before, and that's going to be hard to accomplish.

"I'm working out every day throwing and working on the things I need to work on to get better," Cunningham said. Also spending quality time with family members while I'm back home."

A starter in 10 games in 2019, Cunningham proved that he has the talent to lead head coach Scott Satterfield's offense. Enduring a 2-10 season in 2018, Cunningham led a resurgence last season, guiding the Cardinals to an 8-5 record and a bowl win, completing the best turnaround by a Power 5 program. The fourth-year player also set the school record for passing efficiency last season with a 194.79 rating, which ranked second in the country.

"It was a fun season," Cunningham said. "The new staff came in and changed the overall culture of the team, and my teammates worked hard and we were able to pick up eight wins and give us a lot of momentum heading into the 2020 season."

Offensively, the Cardinals were one of the most explosive units in the country, leading the nation with six passing plays of over 70 yards and averaging 447.3 yards of total offense – a remarkable improvement in one season.

Spring practice was shut down as the nation tries to work through this pandemic, but Cunningham, who definitely understands the scope of the tragedy, was still disappointed that spring practice was halted when the Cardinals were just hitting their stride.

"I feel like the team as a whole had gotten a lot better over the last two weeks, and I feel like we're hungry for this fall. We all have the same goals and have come together, and that's a good thing."

Players Mentioned

Malik Cunningham

University of Louisville Athletics