By Brandon Davis

Perceptions of University of Louisville starting quarterback Justin Burke have changed over the last few weeks.
Before the start of the season, several variations of the phrase “intelligent quarterback” were the most consistently-used descriptions of the Lexington native’s strengths as a player. No mention of arm strength or accuracy. No talk about his athleticism.
When asked if he ever gets tired of this, Burke responded that he didn’t mind.
“I like to be seen as the unathletic nerd, because then when you step out on the field you can get an edge on people,” said Burke.
But after his second career start, against the University of Kentucky, Burke proved that he has more to offer as a quarterback than just his IQ.  
Following an unimpressive debut performance against Indiana State University, many fans questioned whether Burke was the right guy to lead a team that has established such a rich quarterback tradition throughout the past decade.  
Against a mediocre Indiana State defense, Burke threw two interceptions and the Cardinals’ offense struggled to sustain drives. They were only able to convert one of the team’s nine third-down attempts.
Two weeks later, at UK, the improvement of Burke and the offense was on display very early in the game. On the team’s first drive of the game, the Cards covered 78 yards and Burke converted on two third-down throws. The drive ended with a six-yard touchdown run from Victor Anderson.
Burke finished the game 15-of-28 for 245 yards, with two touchdowns. And the Cards racked up 378 total yards of offense. They were also able to show more consistency in keeping the chains moving, by converting 9-of-17 on third downs for the game.
“I think [Burke] caught a lot of crap from a lot of people after that first game,” said senior full back Joe Tronzo. “When we stand out there with him, we know he’s going to give it his all; he’s going to give all his heart and all his guts.”
In addition to the impressive passing statistics he put up against a stout UK defense, Burke earned even more respect from his teammates by keeping plays alive.  
“Like I told Justin on the sideline, that was all him out there making plays, scrambling, making throws on the run and picking up first downs with his feet,” said senior wide receiver Scott Long of Burke’s performance against Kentucky.
Though Burke and the Cardinal offense have proven capable of moving the ball up and down the field without much difficulty, getting the ball into the end zone has been somewhat of a problem.
Heading into this past weekend’s game against the University of Utah, the Cards were ranked 92nd in the Bowl Subdivision in red zone efficiency. The Cards had broken through their opponents’ 20-yard line 14 times this season, but only came away with points on 10 of those trips.
Although Burke may not be tired of hearing about his mental capacity as a quarterback, he is smart enough to recognize that this trend must be altered if the Cardinals want to build upon their successes.
“You want to be so precise in the red zone that sometimes you put a little pressure on yourself to make everything perfect,” said Burke. “And that’s not football. It’s not going to be that way. I’ll learn that, and as an offense we’ll grow from that. But that’s something you can fine tune.”