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MUSIC CITY BOWL | Louisville 38, MSU 28
Comeback Cards

CRAWFORD | Louisville finishes season of redemption with comeback win in Music City Bowl

Satterfield Music City trophy
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WDRB) -- A University of Louisville team that became a punch line last season when its wheels fell off made its case Monday for comeback team of the year, beating Mississippi State 38-28 in the Music City Bowl to finish, remarkably, with eight wins and a fourth bowl victory in as many tries for first-year head coach Scott Satterfield.

The theme of the night, and the season, was redemption. A maligned and battered Louisville defense rose up after MSU went up 14-0 in the first quarter and shut the Bulldogs out for the next two quarters while the Cardinals 31 straight points.

"Really proud of our guys, the way they fought tonight, and just the way they handled themselves the last three weeks with all our bowl practices," Louisville coach Scott Satterfield said. "We told the guys, listen, we want to make this a fun experience for you guys. We want to have fun practices. We want to do some things together as a football team, and we were able to do that. We grew closer as a football team the last three weeks, and I think that's very important. I think a lot of times that goes unnoticed. When you really have a good camaraderie and good chemistry together as a football team, then you tend to do better things on a football field, particularly when you face adversity, just like tonight."

The Cardinals were looking to bury the memory of a season-ending loss at Kentucky and did it in style with a win over an SEC opponent that had won three straight entering the game. And in fitting style, they had to come from behind to do it. But a two-touchdown deficit was nothing compared to what this team has faced over the past two seasons.

"Us being down 14, knowing we've been down 21 before and came back from it, we just brought everybody together, just stayed level headed, and you see what happened," Louisville quarterback Micale Cunningham.

The smallest player on the field was the best Monday night. Tutu Atwell had nine catches for 147 yards and threw a touchdown pass to Louisville native Marshon Ford to give Louisville its first score — and a measure of excitement — in the first quarter. Cunningham threw what looked like a wide receiver screen to Atwell on the play, then Atwell pulled up and threw a strike to Ford. Satterfield called the play a turning point.

"That was a huge play for us," he said. "It was a play that we've had on the call sheet for probably the last five games, just haven't gotten to it yet. That was a great momentum grabber right there, and I'll tell you, our guys had a lot of juice tonight on the sideline, guys on the field."

Another turning point came in the second quarter when a captain, inside linebacker Dorian Etheridge, was ejected when he kicked his feet at a MSU defender after his ankle was twisted. Khane Pass said the defense rallied at that point.

Music City Bowl -- Louisville vs. Mississippi State

The Cards were emotional at half, but trailed just 14-10.

"Emotional at times, probably in the first half particularly with some of the calls we didn't feel went our way," Satterfield said. "But I love that emotion. At halftime we said, listen, guys, take all that emotion and channel it to each other. We're not talking to the other team, we can't control anything that happens with the referees. Focus in on each other. That third quarter, man, it was awesome. We came out fired up and our guys played, and then we felt at that point, man, we're going to win this football game."

Cunningham was outstanding on the ground and through the air. He hit Devante Peete for a 24-yard touchdown with five minutes to play in the third quarter to give Louisville a 17-14 lead, then Pass managed a scoop-and-score just over two minutes later, and it was party time for the Cardinals.

Ford, a tight end who was put on scholarship before the season, had three catches in the game, and both went for touchdowns. And Javian Hawkins, Louisville's brilliant freshman running back, ran for 105 yards on 23 carries and capped the victory with a 5-yard touchdown carry.

Atwell, with his big night, set the school single-season record for receiving yards -- no small feat at a school that produced wideouts like Ernest Givens, Mark Clayton, Dion Branch, DeVante Parker and many others.

"It just feels great," Atwell said. "I've been doing my research and seeing how many yards I need, and I told (Cunningham), hey, man, throw it to me and I'm going to grab it. Just keep coming to me, and he's like, I got you, and I mean, it just feels great, man."

And Louisville, a team which began this season with little respect and perhaps even less depth, ends it, most improbably, with a bowl victory.

"We had 22 scholarship players that could have been on this team this year that for one reason or another during the off-season decided other things -- 22, that's a whole signing class," Satterfield. "So what these guys, and these seniors, have had to do, the guys that stuck it out with us, it's so rewarding for them to be able to come out here and finish it off with a big-time bowl win right now. I'm so proud of these guys and particularly these seniors, but I'm excited for the young guys, the guys that will be coming back so we can build off of this in this off-season as we head throughout that and into next season. This momentum is going to be huge for us. . . . But these guys hold a special place this program, and for me."

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