Louisville Cardinals vs Connecticut Huskies Football Preview

Yes, the Louisville Cardinals and Connecticut Huskies are meeting late in a Big East season with the conference championship in play for both teams. Rick Pitino and Jim Calhoun, though, are not coaching in this game. No, in an upside-down football league defined by both craziness and tremendous parity, the Cards and Huskies are competing for a championship on the gridiron, not the hardwood.

Last year, Louisville hosted Connecticut and handed the Huskies their worst loss of the season. It was also their last loss of the season. After that, Connecticut win its final four games and rallied to win the Big East and earn a trip to the Fiesta Bowl. While neither team will likely have a chance to win the Big East this year, both still have realistic opportunities to reach the postseason and possibly build momentum for the future. A win clinches a bowl for Louisville. A win gets Connecticut back to .500 with two games remaining. Charlie Strong’s young team has played well on the road this season, winning at rivals Kentucky and West Virginia. Connecticut has struggled to get consistent quarterback play and injuries have hindered a defense that was supposed to be a team strength heading into the season.

For Louisville, every game this season (outside of perhaps the West Virginia game), has been determined by the performance of its offense. The Cardinals defense has been stellar and consistent, ranking near the top of the Big East in nearly every category. The Cardinals allow just 18.3 points per game. The problem? They only average 19.3 points per game themselves. Due to an extremely inexperienced offense that starts true and redshirt freshmen at every position, the Cardinals have struggled to consistently score points as evidence by their ability to score 38 points against West Virginia, only to return home and score just 14 against Pittsburgh. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has settled in as the team’s starting quarterback (nine touchdowns, eight interceptions), but the Cardinals have yet to find a consistent, every-down back to balance the offense. Against Pittsburgh, Louisville rushed for just 115 yards, most of which came from Bridgewater on scrambles. The brightest spot on the offense so far has been freshman receiver DeVante Parker who already has four touchdown receptions despite only catching 14 passes this season. He’s the deep threat Louisville needs.

Connecticut has been very similar to Louisville in that its defense has been consistent, but its offense has often let good defensive performances go to waste. Paul Pasqualoni refused to settle on a quarterback for much of the season, but the job has finally landed in Johnny McEntee’s hands. Still, the offense requires little of the quarterback, instead, choosing to rely on a ball-control running game. Lyle McCombs has done a good job handling the ball as Connecticut’s next standout running back and needs only 19 yards to go over 1,000 for the season. In order to win, however, the Huskies will have to throw the ball effectively as Louisville allows just over 100 yards per game on the ground.

> Find a great selection of Louisville Cardinals merchandise and more online along with Big East football gear from Big East Fans partner sites.

By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer