By Chris O’Grady
If Louisville football has turned the corner this season under Charlie Strong then Friday’s 40-13 win over Rutgers University was the first sign of dominance.
The Cards had their way with the Scarlet Knights (4-7) on both sides of the ball. The Cards sacked Rutgers freshman quarterback Chas Dodd eight times and senior Johnny Patrick also had two interceptions. On offense, even the loss of senior quarterback Justin Burke midway through the second quarter couldn’t slow the team, who racked up 427 yards of total offense. Burke was 9 for 11 for 138 yards before leaving the game. Sophomore Andrell Smith had four catches for 83 and senior tight end Cameron Graham had four catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.
Senior running back Bilal Powell rushed 23 times for 123 yards and had two catches for 28 yards and three touchdowns. Freshman Jeremy Wright also ran for a 64 yard score. Sophomore Will Stein completed 9 passes for 72 yards and rushed for 22 yards in relief of Burke, who left the game with back spasms.
The Cards improved to 6-6, completing their first full season under coach Strong bowl eligible. The team will wait to see on a bowl invitation, which is not guaranteed, though likely for the Cards. The Big East conference has six bowl tie-ins. The team’s last bowl game was the 2007 Orange Bowl under Bobby Petrino.
