LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — When you compare the football offenses in the Atlantic Coast Conferences, do not include Clemson in the discussion.
Nobody has a quarterback like Trevor Lawrence. Nobody has a running back like Travis Etienne. Nobody has all the toys coach Dabo Swinney has at Clemson.
The Athlon Sports Yearbook says the Tigers have the best quarterbacks, the best running backs, the best receivers and, of course, the best offensive line in the ACC.
After Clemson, I’ll make the argument that Louisville has the second-best offense in the league.
The reason is balance. Scott Satterfield and offensive coordinator Dwayne Ledford showed an offense built on 11 functioning parts, not the just the dazzling play-making skills of a future NFL MVP.
Not only did Louisville rank second (behind Clemson) in yards per play last season at 6.68, the Cardinals were the only offense (other than Clemson) to deliver at least 2,700 yards running and passing.
With eight starters returning, Louisville should deliver jumbo offensive numbers again.
With Javian Hawkins back at running back, Micale Cunningham at quarterback and Tutu Atwell and Dez Fitzpatrick at receiver, you can expect the Cardinals to run when defense believe they will pass and pass when defenses are certain they will run.
Will balance be the word of the day for the Louisville offense again?
“Oh, absolutely,” said Ledford, the burly assistant coach who coordinates the Louisville attack and also directs the offensive line.
“I think that's something that you always want to try to be, is be as balanced as you can.
“Make defenses have to guess what you're going to do. You don't want to just pin yourself down where they have it figured out -- this is what they're going to be on first and second down.
“To me, as long as we can continue to do that, we got some great kids on offense right now, some really skillful positions. Very talented players.
“So it's the unlimited situations where they can make plays. And to me, part of that is you have to be balanced both in the run and the pass.”
A year ago, Louisville ranked third in the ACC in rushing yards, trailing only Clemson and Boston College.
The Cardinals were only eighth in passing yards, but they did manage to exceed 3,000 yards after passing for only 2,533 in 2018.
The per play average jumped by more than 25 percent last season — with an offensive line that was supposed to be a wreck, an unproven running back and a muddled quarterback room.
Over the last decade, the only three seasons when Louisville averaged better than 6.68 yards per play, the offense was directed by a quarterback on his way to the NFL.
The Cards averaged 7.39 yards per play with Lamar Jackson in 2017 and 7.21 yards when Jackson won the Heisman in 2016. The Teddy Bridgewater offense averaged 6.70 yards per play against American Athletic Conference opposition in 2013.
This season Ledford must reshape an offensive line that lost Mekhi Becton (a first-round NFL pick) and Tyler Haycraft (who improved from former walk-on and bit player to Mr. Indispensable at right tackle).
Ledford was asked what improvements he will expect from his unit this season.
“You always want to keep developing depth where you can play more and more guys,” he said.
“The exciting thing for us was that you had a late bowl game, you had a lot of momentum after that bowl and the way the guys came in and worked right after that and the retention that they had going into spring ball.
“Right now where we were last year at spring compared to where we were this year is two completely different teams. The retention is a lot better. The guys know what it is that we’re asking. They understand the schemes that we’re running.
“You can just be just a little bit more dialed into that. Just build to expand on that a little more now.
“With some new formations or some new motions but kind of like you’re going into the season and guys … we will not be moving like last year where we kind of felt like we were taking things slow.
“This year it will be a lot different because the guys with the retention, it will be a lot faster and going faster. But the continuing understanding of what it is that we’re wanting those guys to do at every position.
“I think that from a foundation of what we’re wanting. Guys playing with great effort. Playing with a great attitude. Leaving it all out of the field. I think that they understand how we want them to play. Now it’s just time.”
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