2011 Louisville Football Predictions


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Head coach Charlie Strong did an amazing job turning things around in his first season as the head coach of the Louisville Cardinals. Strong led Louisville to a 8-5 (3-4 Big East) season, which included a 31-26 win over Southern Miss in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl. It was the Cardinals first winning season since they went 12-1 back in 2006.

Looking ahead to the 2011 season, it looks like it could be a challenge for Strong to repeat his first year success. The Cardinals have the fewest returning starters of any team in the Big East with just 10 back from 2010.

To get a better idea of where the Cardinals might be headed this season, here is a quick look at who they will be sending to the field on both sides of the ball, plus my prediction on where they will finish the year in the Big East.

Offense:

In 2010 the Cardinals implemented a new spread offense, and it resulted in a huge increase in scoring. Louisville went from averaging just 18.1 ppg in 2009 to 26.4 in 2010. A big reason for the improvement was the play of quarterbacks Adam Froman and Justin Burke, who combined to throw 21 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. Unfortunately for Louisville neither starter is back for 2011. Junior Will Stein has the most experience on the roster, but I wouldn’t be surprised if true freshman Teddy Bridgewater ended up winning the job.

Louisville also loses running back Bilal Powell, who led the team with 1,405 yards and 11 touchdowns. The hope is that senior Victor Alexander can remain healthy and lead this unit in 2011. Alexander rushed for 1,047 yards as a freshman, but has struggled to stay on the field each of the past two years. Sophomore Jeremy Wright and redshirt freshman Kamal Hogan appear to be next in line if Anderson goes down.

The Cardinals will also have to replace their top two receiving threats from last year in Cameron Graham (470 yards, 5 touchdowns) and Dough Beaumont (440 yards, 1 touchdown). Senior Josh Bellamy was third on the team with 29 catches for 401 yards and five touchdowns, and should see his numbers jump this season. Added to the starting mix will most likely be junior Andrell Smith and redshirt freshman Michaelee Harris.

The biggest concern on the offensive side of the ball will be replacing four starters on the offensive line. Junior center Mario Benavides (3rd Team All-Big East) is the only starter back. Seniors Ryan Kessling and Hector Hernandez figure to have the edge at the two tackle slots, while sophomore Kamran Joyer and redshirt freshman Jake Smith look to take over at the two guard spots.

Defense:

Defensively the Cardinals also showed some big improvements, as they went from giving up 26.3 ppg in 2009 to holding opponents to just 19.4 ppg in 2010. With just three starters back on offense, Louisville is going to need the defense to be even better in 2011.

Even though the Cardinals return three of four starters on the defensive line, this unit is the biggest concern heading into 2011. Sophomore defensive end B.J. Butler was out for spring practices with an injury, and it will be key that he is able to contribute at a high level this season. Butler had 2.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss as a true freshman. Also back are sophomore defensive tackle Brandon Dunn and senior defensive end Greg Scruggs. Added to the mix will be sophomore defensive tackle Roy Philon.

At linebacker the Cardinals bring back senior middle linebacker Dexter Heyman and junior strong-side linebacker Daniel Brown. Both Heyman and Brown are two of the top players at their position in the Big East. For this unit to really be a strength they need sophomore Deon Rogers to step in and play well at the other outside spot.

In the secondary the Cardinals have to replace starting corners Johnny Patrick and bobby Burns. Heading into the fall it looks like junior Darius Ashley and senior Preston Pace are the top two candidates to step in and start. Making things a little easier on the two new starters will be the return of sophomore strong safety Hakeem Smith and junior free safety Shenard Holton, who are two of the best safeties the Big East has to offer.

2011 Prediction: 6th Big East – While the defense should remain solid, I really have some big concerns with what Louisville will be able to do on the offensive side of the ball. Even if Anderson is able to stay healthy and return to his freshman form, they have to go through the growing pains of a new starting quarterback and are very inexperienced on the offensive line. Making things even harder on the Cardinals is the fact that they have just three conference home games in 2011.

Big East Football Predictions by Team
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