LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Nobody will throw a parade for the University of Louisville football team if the Cardinals improve to six wins and return to bowl eligibility. John L. Smith ended the days of celebrating modest success at Louisville two decades ago.
But on a steely gray and occasionally damp Saturday afternoon in a half-empty (or more) Cardinal Stadium, Scott Satterfield’s team worked at getting fans back on their side.
And, there’s certainly work to do in that area.
The Cardinals improved to 4-3 by defeating Boston College, 28-14, in front of a crowd generously announced at 38,202, the smallest of the 2021 season.
"We've had two tough weeks, two tough losses," U of L coach Scott Satterfield said. "Our guys came back with a lot of spirit, a lot of energy."
Quarterback Malik Cunningham was (mostly) productive, running for 133 yards and passing for 107 (with two interceptions) to secure the victory.
"The passing game wasn't there," Cunningham said. "They had a good scheme for it. We had to lean on the running game and it came through for us today."
Indeed it did. Freshman Trevion Cooley ran for 112 yards on a day when Louisville put 331 rushing yards on BC. That was 100 more yards than any opponent put on BC this season.
"I didn't have any idea I was over 100 yards until my coach told me after the game," Cooley said. "Our outside zone was killing them. They couldn't stop it."
It wasn’t a game that Louisville had to win as much as it was a game the Cardinals could not lose, not if they wanted to comfortably crack that 6-win barrier. Louisville limited BC to 266 yards. The defense carried the offense by protecting several short fields. They forced three turnovers and sacked BC quarterback Dennis Grosel three times.
"If you hear for two weeks that you're not very good on defense, you want to do something about it," Satterfield said.
"This team is tough as nails," Louisville linebacker Dorian Jones said. "We work hard throughout the week. We were definitely hungry."
With highly winnable games remaining against Duke and Syracuse, six wins and a return to a bowl game should be in Louisville’s flight path. The Clemson game looks more favorable than it has since the Cardinals joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2014. Clemson slid to 4-3 by losing at Pittsburgh Saturday.
There’s plenty to play for and to celebrate even if everybody isn’t on board with the direction of the program.
This was the fourth time this season Louisville has played in a stadium at least one-third empty. More folks turned out to watch Louisville play Eastern Kentucky and Central Florida than they did for this ACC game.
Whether it’s the losing or the pandemic or the economy or Scott Satterfield’s flirtation with the South Carolina job last year or all of the above, Cardinal Stadium has not vibrated the way it vibrated when Lamar Jackson, Teddy Bridgewater, Brian Brohm, Stefan LeFors, Dave Ragone and Chris Redman roamed the field.
There is a disconnect between the program and the 10,000 or more fans who have stopped showing up. Some must be upset. Others have lost interest. It’s not a healthy brew.
Winning is the best way to turn the vibe around. Beating Boston College, which somehow won its first four games before losing to Clemson and North Carolina State, was only a start.
The Cards turned the ball over more than they had in any game this season and they still had the juice to pop Boston College with its third consecutive ACC defeat.
In seven first-half possessions, Louisville separated for a 21-7 lead even though the Cardinals kicked off, punted once, threw a pair of interceptions and fumbled once.
That is because Louisville transformed its other three possessions into 194 yards and three touchdowns. Cunningham was terrific running the football, punishing Boston College by making the right decisions while running the old school option play around either end.
"I've got the best seat in the house and I don't know how he gets out of some of those situations," Satterfield said.
The second half was a lot of shadow boxing. Neither team scored in the third quarter. Louisville had multiple opportunities to break the Eagles by surging to a 3-touchdown lead.
Didn’t happen. In fact, a fourth Louisville turnover, a fumble by Cooley six minutes into the fourth quarter, gave Boston College its opportunity to cut the lead to 21-14.
This time Cunningham and the offense made certain there would not be a fourth-quarter meltdown the way there was against Virginia two weeks ago. Cunningham directed Louisville 75 yards in 8 plays for the All-Clear touchdown that the quarterback scored on a creative 14-yard run.
"We were able to close it out with a big-time run by Cunningham," Satterfield said.
The schedule tilts toward the road next week. Louisville visits North Carolina State. The Wolfpack have won five of their first six, beating Clemson and this Boston College team (33-7). The Cards will likely be without co-defensive coordinator Cort Dennison, who missed the BC game. Satterfield said Dennison requested a leave of absence for undisclosed reasons, with no word on when he will return.
Then, Louisville will return home for back to back games against Clemson and Syracuse. Clemson has strayed from its national championship pedigree this season with a 25-cent offense.
That game is booked for Nov. 6.
A week later Lamar Jackson will return from Baltimore to celebrate having his iconic No. 8 jersey retired. Syracuse will serve as the prop.
That should be the largest and loudest crowd of the season. Louisville football and its missing fans will have to figure it out from there.
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