Louisville Cardinals @ Syracuse Orange Football Preview

The winners of last Friday night’s Big East nationally televised double header will meet in Louisville with much of their respective 2011 seasons on the line. The Cardinals enter the game with a bit of momentum, having beaten Rutgers in dramatic fashion with a late, game-saving interception. Syracuse enters even more confident, having blitzed and harassed conference leading West Virginia into submission en route to a surprising 49-23 blowout win over their conference rivals. After struggling against several inferior opponents, it was an impressive showing for the Orange, who have improved steadily every year Doug Marrone has been the head coach. With a win, the Orange will reach back to back bowl games for the first time in a decade, and remain in the thick of the Big East race. A Louisville win will push the Cardinals back to .500 and make a bowl a possibility, one that seemed remote just two weeks ago.

Marrone has patiently brought senior quarterback Ryan Nassib along over the course of two seasons, and last week’s performance against West Virginia might have been his coming out party. Nassib was efficient, careful with the ball, and kept the chains moving en route to four touchdown passes in the blowout win. His emergence in the offense has allowed the Orange to no longer rely solely on ball control and the running game. This is a good thing, because the offensive line has been beset by injuries for most of the year, and its inconsistency has kept Antwon Bailey from being the workhorse that Delone Carter was last year. Injuries have also hit the Orange defense, but that hasn’t hurt them too much. The Orange brought relentless pressure against West Virginia, sacking Geno Smith four times and picking him off twice. They’ll do much the same thing against Louisville, blitzing from every conceivable place.

For Louisville, defense hasn’t been the problem. The Cardinals rank in the top 20 nationally in every defensive category. The problem has been on offense, where inexperience and injuries have hampered production. Freshman Teddy Bridgewater is settling in as the starter a quarterback, and with the offensive line at full strength for the first time, the Cardinals had their first 100 yard rusher of the season against Rutgers. If the Cardinals can run the ball as well as they did last week against Rutgers, the talented set of young receiver Michaelee Harris, Eli Rogers, and DeVante Parker should be able to make some plays in the passing game. If that happens, it could be yet another game decided in the final minutes for these two schools.

> 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