By Micah Brown –
After dropping a heartbreaker to Florida State, football returned to the field on a Friday night looking to rebound and get back in the win column.
The short week of preparation was evident on the field and Georgia Tech (3-3, 1-2) outplayed Louisville (2-4, 0-3) from the start. The Cardinals lost 66-31 for their first three-game losing streak since 2016.
“We got beat. We got beat bad,” head coach Bobby Petrino said. “We didn’t have any answers for their offense.”
Petrino and his defense’s unfamiliarity with the option attack from Georgia Tech was on full display from the opening kickoff.
The struggle continued into the second half as the Yellow Jackets finished with 554 yards of total offense (542 rushing yards). Throughout the contest, Louisville never forced a punt from Georgia Tech and their opponent scored on every possession.
The Cardinal offense carried their positive momentum from last week into their bout with the Georgia Tech defense. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jawon Pass found a groove and provided a balanced attack, mixing long shots down the field with an efficient ground attack from running backs Trey Smith and Hassan Hall.
“We competed extremely hard in the second quarter,” Petrino said. “Puma competed extremely hard and I think he learned a lot.”
Redshirt junior Smith and freshman Hall finished with a combined 55 yards of rushing, complimented by Puma’s 299 yards in the air. Freshman Tutu Atwell had two receiving touchdowns.
While U of L’s offense was a sign of positivity in the loss, it was not nearly enough to counter the opponent’s offense. The Yellow Jackets were quick and dominant with the ball as Louisville’s defense continually failed to produce a stop.
Jordan Travis entered the game as quarterback in the fourth quarter. The backup threw for 71 yards and rushed for 48 yards, throwing both a touchdown and interception. Georgia Tech ran the interception back for their final touchdown and 66-31 score.
“What they need to do is keep sight of what their goals are, what their aspirations are and make them understand that they’re still there,” Petrino said. “But this certainly challenges it.”
Football travels to face Boston College on Saturday, Oct. 13.
“We can’t lose sight of our goals,” sophomore Dez Fitzpatrick said. “When you start to lose like this, when one person is negative, it’s contagious. We know what we’re capable of and sooner or later we’re going to show it, it’s just gotta click.”
You can follow the Louisville Cardinal on Twitter @thecardsports.
Photos by Taris Smith / The Louisville Cardinal
