By Tyler Bright
The Louisville Cardinals Football team put on an impressive showing against the Governors from Austin Peay. This team has high expectations after making the ACC championship appearance last season. The Cardinals scored 62 points, the most in a home opener since 2016.
Tyler Shough made his first start under center for the Cardinals and did not disappoint. For only playing in the first half for the Cardinals, going 18-24 and throwing 232 yards was exactly the showing Cards fans wanted to see from their starting quarterback. In the post-game press conference, Shough said how he has been adding elements such as sidearm throws to his game: “Yeah, I feel comfortable doing it. I feel like it’s been a strength I’ve been able to add to my game. There are times when there are screens and protections where you have to escape, and it is necessary, but my goal is always to stay on the platform and have a good base. However, sometimes I feel I can pull that out and feel comfortable doing it.”
Running Back Isaac Brown also contributed on the day with a 77-yard touchdown. He also leads the day in rushing with 123 yards on the ground.
The defense also did a solid job shutting out the Governors as Ramon Puryear recovered a fumble and ran it back 22 yards to the house for a defensive touchdown.
The post-game press conference with Louisville Head Coach Jeff Brohm brought up an interesting discussion. A reporter mentioned how the Arkansas Razorbacks and Arkansas Pine-Bluff Lions agreed to play 10-minute quarters in the second half because the score was 49-0 at halftime in favor of the Razorbacks. Many wondered if this was a consideration for Louisville, which had a 38-0 lead at halftime. Brohm said: “No discussion — I didn’t know that was allowed, so I wasn’t informed about it. The value of these games, I think, is that in the second half, we played a lot of backups —second team, third team, fourth team. Sometimes, some of those guys might not play their whole career, much less the rest of the season, so getting them some action is good.”
The Cardinals saw six different quarterbacks play throughout the game, including Pierce Clarkson, a four-star Quarterback, and Harrison Bailey, a former Tennessee and UNLV starting quarterback.
The Cardinals will live up to the expectations of being ACC contenders. While it is the first week of the season, and there is still plenty of college football to be played, this is precisely the start you want if you are a Louisville supporter. It was a dominating win that allowed bench players to see the playing field; this will enable players to gain experience and become more comfortable when it gets to conference play in just a few weeks against Georgia Tech.
The Cardinals will return to L&N Stadium next weekend to face Jacksonville State at 3:30 PM ET on ACC Network Extra.
