Photo by: Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics
Cards Look for Fourth-Straight Win; Host James Madison on Saturday
November 01, 2022 | Football
James Madison (5-2, 2-1 Sun Belt) at LOUISVILLE (5-3, 3-3 ACC)
Nov. 5, 2022 • 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Cardinal Stadium (60,800/FieldTurf) • Louisville, Ky.
ESPNU • 93.9 The Ville • Louisville Radio Network
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Looking for its fourth consecutive win, the University of Louisville football team hosts James Madison on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
Louisville knocked off No. 10 Wake Forest 48-21 last Saturday in a key Atlantic Coast Conference behind eight turnovers and two defensive touchdowns. However, the Cards step out of league play this weekend with a critical non-conference game against a very good James Madison team.Â
The Cards must focus on a non-conference game that is sandwiched around a big win over Wake Forest and a road game against Clemson.
"This speaks to what we've been saying all year," Scott Satterfield said. "It's one game, right now, this week. This is all we can focus on. Doesn't matter where we were at in the past. Doesn't matter what we have coming up. We know we have some challenges coming up. We have to focus everything on this game just like we did last week, just like we did the Pitt week, and so on and so forth. I mentioned this at the end of the game, it's coach speak, but it is 100% true that you have to focus everything you have on this opponent. Today's practice specifically, when we put in the game plan in, these guys have to be really focused on what we have to do. You can't do anything else other than that. If you start thinking about other things and this and that, then you're not focused and then you're not getting better today at what we have to do, so it's all about this game."
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The Dukes, who are transitioning to FBS, are 5-2 overall and an extremely talented team. Quarterback Todd Centeio has been instrumental in the team's success, rushing for 333 yards and five scores, while throwing for 1,780 yards and five scores. Kris Thorton has caught 41 passes for 689 yards and five scores.
Defensively, the Duke are allowing only 55.6 yards per game on the ground and 20.9 points per game.Â
"I think their defensive line is really active," Satterfield said. "They've got some guys there that are decent size up front, their (defensive) tackles are 270 to 280 (pounds), right in that range. Their defensive ends have some length, but they're really active with their hands. They have really good twitch inside, so you watch them on film, and they're running around guards, running around centers, and penetrating the backfield. Their linebackers are not big. 205 to 210 (pounds) but they're downhill, they can really run and then they're going to play man in the back end. They're not scared to man you up and bring those safeties down as well."
"So, there's going to be times you're going to have nine guys in the box and so when you try to run, there's a lot of people there and you're going to have to break some tackles if you want to get some yards. That's why they're so good in the run game. They're coached well, they're where they're supposed to be, you watch the film, there's not anything that is just given to you. That's just the sign of a well-coached team and these guys have really bought into it and are playing at a high level."
The Cardinals are playing at a high level on both sides of the football, especially on defense. Louisville has forced at least three turnovers in five-straight games and have scored three defensive touchdowns. In the win over Wake Forest, the Cardinals turned the Demon Deacons over six times in the third quarter en route to scoring 35 unanswered points.
"I just want to keep doing what we're doing," Satterfield said." We want to continue to create turnovers like we've been doing, that's huge. If you look at our games we've won, we've been awesome in the turnover margin, and the games we haven't, not good. I think that's been the big difference. Continue to play defensive football, not give up the big play, that was our Achilles heel early in the year. We've played really good defense the last few weeks because we haven't done that. We're number one in the country in sacks, we have to continue to bring the pressure. We have to continue to build off of that and keep the pressure on the offenses that we're playing."
"Then offensively, we've got to find ways to get in the end zone. I've mentioned it a bunch this year, we haven't been a big-play offense. We have some here and there and those types of things, but we have to do a better job of trying to find ways to get in the end zone. I think that's going to be big in these next four games, and we have to find ways to score touchdowns. We're going to be playing some really good defenses. We've already been playing them, you think about Pitt, and Virginia was a lot better defensively, (James Madison) and so on and so forth, Clemson, Kentucky, (NC) State, they're all really, really good on defense. We've got to find ways to get in the end zone."Â
Nov. 5, 2022 • 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Cardinal Stadium (60,800/FieldTurf) • Louisville, Ky.
ESPNU • 93.9 The Ville • Louisville Radio Network
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Looking for its fourth consecutive win, the University of Louisville football team hosts James Madison on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
Louisville knocked off No. 10 Wake Forest 48-21 last Saturday in a key Atlantic Coast Conference behind eight turnovers and two defensive touchdowns. However, the Cards step out of league play this weekend with a critical non-conference game against a very good James Madison team.Â
The Cards must focus on a non-conference game that is sandwiched around a big win over Wake Forest and a road game against Clemson.
"This speaks to what we've been saying all year," Scott Satterfield said. "It's one game, right now, this week. This is all we can focus on. Doesn't matter where we were at in the past. Doesn't matter what we have coming up. We know we have some challenges coming up. We have to focus everything on this game just like we did last week, just like we did the Pitt week, and so on and so forth. I mentioned this at the end of the game, it's coach speak, but it is 100% true that you have to focus everything you have on this opponent. Today's practice specifically, when we put in the game plan in, these guys have to be really focused on what we have to do. You can't do anything else other than that. If you start thinking about other things and this and that, then you're not focused and then you're not getting better today at what we have to do, so it's all about this game."
Â
The Dukes, who are transitioning to FBS, are 5-2 overall and an extremely talented team. Quarterback Todd Centeio has been instrumental in the team's success, rushing for 333 yards and five scores, while throwing for 1,780 yards and five scores. Kris Thorton has caught 41 passes for 689 yards and five scores.
Defensively, the Duke are allowing only 55.6 yards per game on the ground and 20.9 points per game.Â
"I think their defensive line is really active," Satterfield said. "They've got some guys there that are decent size up front, their (defensive) tackles are 270 to 280 (pounds), right in that range. Their defensive ends have some length, but they're really active with their hands. They have really good twitch inside, so you watch them on film, and they're running around guards, running around centers, and penetrating the backfield. Their linebackers are not big. 205 to 210 (pounds) but they're downhill, they can really run and then they're going to play man in the back end. They're not scared to man you up and bring those safeties down as well."
"So, there's going to be times you're going to have nine guys in the box and so when you try to run, there's a lot of people there and you're going to have to break some tackles if you want to get some yards. That's why they're so good in the run game. They're coached well, they're where they're supposed to be, you watch the film, there's not anything that is just given to you. That's just the sign of a well-coached team and these guys have really bought into it and are playing at a high level."
The Cardinals are playing at a high level on both sides of the football, especially on defense. Louisville has forced at least three turnovers in five-straight games and have scored three defensive touchdowns. In the win over Wake Forest, the Cardinals turned the Demon Deacons over six times in the third quarter en route to scoring 35 unanswered points.
"I just want to keep doing what we're doing," Satterfield said." We want to continue to create turnovers like we've been doing, that's huge. If you look at our games we've won, we've been awesome in the turnover margin, and the games we haven't, not good. I think that's been the big difference. Continue to play defensive football, not give up the big play, that was our Achilles heel early in the year. We've played really good defense the last few weeks because we haven't done that. We're number one in the country in sacks, we have to continue to bring the pressure. We have to continue to build off of that and keep the pressure on the offenses that we're playing."
"Then offensively, we've got to find ways to get in the end zone. I've mentioned it a bunch this year, we haven't been a big-play offense. We have some here and there and those types of things, but we have to do a better job of trying to find ways to get in the end zone. I think that's going to be big in these next four games, and we have to find ways to score touchdowns. We're going to be playing some really good defenses. We've already been playing them, you think about Pitt, and Virginia was a lot better defensively, (James Madison) and so on and so forth, Clemson, Kentucky, (NC) State, they're all really, really good on defense. We've got to find ways to get in the end zone."Â
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