Photo by: Adam Creech | Louisville Athletics
Cunningham Ready for a New Season; Excited to face Ole Miss in Season Opener
September 03, 2021 | Football
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It's been a long offseason for University of Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham.
Since Louisville's win over Wake Forest to close the difficult 2020 season, Cunningham has eyed Monday's opener versus Mississippi in Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
"For me, I've been locked in ever since the Wake Forest game ended last year," Cunningham said. "We found out Ole Miss was our (opening) opponent, SEC opponent, probably the best conference in college football. Why not be as excited as I am? We've been waiting for this game for almost 100-plus days, and now it's finally here, four days away. We're just ready to show the world what this team is about. I'm very excited."
Preparation for the opener has been difficult, especially with the summer heat and humidity hovering over the Louisville area this summer. Despite the adversity, Cunningham has been pleased with the work the team has put in to face a good Ole Miss team, which is one of the most explosive groups in the country.
"It's been a really good, the transition has," Cunningham said. "The whole camp, we were doing a little bit of everything. We're working with working against Ole Miss' defense, stuff they're going to run. So now that it's game prep (week), the kind of stuff that we're doing now, it's kind of normal to us. We're just trying to pick up.
The Cardinals will face a defense that yielded over 38 points per game last season and allowed a number of big plays, but the third-year starter knows he will face a much-improved unit from what was a challenging 2020 season for everyone around the country.
"They have a great defense, led by a good coach," Cunningham said. "Up front, they're pretty big, led by Sam (Williams). He's actually from Alabama, he's a guy with a high motor, good guy. They got some good defenders in the secondary, linebacking corps is pretty strong as well. We have to come play."
Cunningham has enjoyed two productive seasons in head coach Scott Satterfield's offense, combining for 4,682 yards and 42 touchdowns. While Satterfield appreciates his quarterback's production, he thinks he's seen his veteran signal caller mature on and off the field.
"I think he's matured a lot more; he's done it every year and he's just continued to do that," Satterfield said. "He's become a really good leader for us and I'm talking program wise. As a quarterback, he's done a better job of sitting in the pocket and really working the pocket, as opposed to when things are breaking down, let me get out and start running right now. I think we've done a much better job working on, sitting right in that little slot there in the pocket, where our O-line knows where he's at, and he's able to sit there and he's making throws."
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Satterfield likes the pocket presence his quarterback has developed since being named the full-time starter in 2019. When Cunningham has time to work his progressions and survey the field, he's completing over 70 percent of his throws.
"When he sits there and he's on balance, he's as accurate as anybody in the country, he throws a great ball, he's got great accuracy," Satterfield said. "It comes down to decision making for him and the things we've tried to simulate with that, it's hard sometimes, you still just got to get in the game, but he does make better decisions he's dropping the ball off to the underneath, to the backs and tight ends better."
The Cardinals lost a pair of play makers in wide receiver Tutu Atwell and Dez Fitzpatrick, who accounted for 1,458 yards and 10 scores. Most of the attention will be on this year's young receiver group who will get their first opportunity to be thrust into the spotlight, but Cunningham is confident in the play making ability of this group.
"This probably the closest group I've ever been to since I've been in college or high school," Cunningham said. "Considering we're together every day, I ride home with those guys, we watch film all the time, watch TV together, go out to eat."
"I just got some much trust in those guys, and they trust me to get them the ball, whether the ball is bad or it's a good ball. I know they're going make a play on another defender, and those guys are good blocking on the outside edge too. If we run the ball, you got to get a block on the outside as well, and they get rewarded with the ball you block."
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Since Louisville's win over Wake Forest to close the difficult 2020 season, Cunningham has eyed Monday's opener versus Mississippi in Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
"For me, I've been locked in ever since the Wake Forest game ended last year," Cunningham said. "We found out Ole Miss was our (opening) opponent, SEC opponent, probably the best conference in college football. Why not be as excited as I am? We've been waiting for this game for almost 100-plus days, and now it's finally here, four days away. We're just ready to show the world what this team is about. I'm very excited."
Preparation for the opener has been difficult, especially with the summer heat and humidity hovering over the Louisville area this summer. Despite the adversity, Cunningham has been pleased with the work the team has put in to face a good Ole Miss team, which is one of the most explosive groups in the country.
"It's been a really good, the transition has," Cunningham said. "The whole camp, we were doing a little bit of everything. We're working with working against Ole Miss' defense, stuff they're going to run. So now that it's game prep (week), the kind of stuff that we're doing now, it's kind of normal to us. We're just trying to pick up.
The Cardinals will face a defense that yielded over 38 points per game last season and allowed a number of big plays, but the third-year starter knows he will face a much-improved unit from what was a challenging 2020 season for everyone around the country.
"They have a great defense, led by a good coach," Cunningham said. "Up front, they're pretty big, led by Sam (Williams). He's actually from Alabama, he's a guy with a high motor, good guy. They got some good defenders in the secondary, linebacking corps is pretty strong as well. We have to come play."
Cunningham has enjoyed two productive seasons in head coach Scott Satterfield's offense, combining for 4,682 yards and 42 touchdowns. While Satterfield appreciates his quarterback's production, he thinks he's seen his veteran signal caller mature on and off the field.
"I think he's matured a lot more; he's done it every year and he's just continued to do that," Satterfield said. "He's become a really good leader for us and I'm talking program wise. As a quarterback, he's done a better job of sitting in the pocket and really working the pocket, as opposed to when things are breaking down, let me get out and start running right now. I think we've done a much better job working on, sitting right in that little slot there in the pocket, where our O-line knows where he's at, and he's able to sit there and he's making throws."
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Satterfield likes the pocket presence his quarterback has developed since being named the full-time starter in 2019. When Cunningham has time to work his progressions and survey the field, he's completing over 70 percent of his throws.
"When he sits there and he's on balance, he's as accurate as anybody in the country, he throws a great ball, he's got great accuracy," Satterfield said. "It comes down to decision making for him and the things we've tried to simulate with that, it's hard sometimes, you still just got to get in the game, but he does make better decisions he's dropping the ball off to the underneath, to the backs and tight ends better."
The Cardinals lost a pair of play makers in wide receiver Tutu Atwell and Dez Fitzpatrick, who accounted for 1,458 yards and 10 scores. Most of the attention will be on this year's young receiver group who will get their first opportunity to be thrust into the spotlight, but Cunningham is confident in the play making ability of this group.
"This probably the closest group I've ever been to since I've been in college or high school," Cunningham said. "Considering we're together every day, I ride home with those guys, we watch film all the time, watch TV together, go out to eat."
"I just got some much trust in those guys, and they trust me to get them the ball, whether the ball is bad or it's a good ball. I know they're going make a play on another defender, and those guys are good blocking on the outside edge too. If we run the ball, you got to get a block on the outside as well, and they get rewarded with the ball you block."
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