By Russ Brown
Special to NKyTribune
LOUISVILLE — The University of Louisville football team began practice over the weekend for its Dec. 30 game against Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl, and one goal high on the priority list for offensive coordinator Garrick McGee for the next two weeks involves the Cardinals’ offensive line.
The young linemen have struggled most of the season, and A&M (8-4) — particularly the lethal one-two punch of defensive ends Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall — will present one of the toughest challenges of the year.
While UofL (7-5) ranks next-to-last in the Football Bowl Subdivision in sacks allowed with 43, or 3.58 per game, A&M is No. 20 in sacks with 33, or 2.75 per contest.
Furthermore, the Aggies are third in tackles for loss with 103 (8.6 per game) and the Cards are No. 114 (out of 127) in tackles for loss allowed with 89, or 7.42 per game.
“Their defensive front creates a lot of havoc,” McGee said Monday afternoon at a news conference to preview the bowl. “Obviously they’re in the backfield a lot. They’re a penetrating defense. They do a good job of studying the quarterback’s cadence, so they’re able to jump the cadence and get in the backfield. You can tell they really preach, which most defensive line coaches do — the get-off, how to get in the backfield — and they do a real good job of it.”
Leading the charge is Myles Garrett, a 6-foot-5, 262-pound sophomore who was a finalist for the Rotary Lombardi Award that is presented to the college lineman of the year. (It was won by Penn State defensive end Carl Nassib). Garrett ranks fifth in the FBS in sacks with 11 and No. 8 in TFL with 18.5.
Hall, a 6-6, 260-pound junior who is the other starting end, has contributed seven sacks and 12.5 TFL.
“Those two are just great pass rushers,” McGee said of Garrett and Hall. “They’re looking to make plays. A lot of defensive linemen want to hold the blocks and let the linebackers go make the plays. There are some teams that teach like that, where this crew believes that their defensive front can get in the backfield and make plays. That’s why they’ve had so many tackles for loss this season.”
Likely to get the assignment of trying to contain Garrett is UofL’s freshman left tackle Geron Christian (6-6, 320), who McGee says has gone against the elite pass rusher for every opponent this season. Senior Aaron Epps (6-7, 288) and freshman Kenny Thomas (6-6, 320) alternate at right tackle and will take on Hall.
Garrett says he has been double-teamed frequently, and even triple-teamed, so it will come as no surprise if Louisville tries the former tactic in the bowl game.
“I’ll just have to find other ways to be disruptive,” he says. “Get my hands up in the passing lane, bat balls down, get to the quarterback quicker so they don’t have the chance to double or triple team me.”
McGee says UofL’s line, where senior Tobijah Hughley (C), redshirt freshman Lukayus McNeil (LG) and sophomore Skylar Lacy usually join Christian and Epps as starters, has been up and down this season.
“But I think it’s like that when you’re really young,” McGee says. “I have two really young kids and they’re kind of up and down also, so when you have true freshmen all over the field you’re gonna have some really good days and some really exciting times, and you’re gonna have some times when you’re going, ‘I have no idea what he’s doing out there.'”
UofL’s last outing was one of those good days, with the Cards keeping quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Kyle Bolin clean while helping produce a season-high 314 rushing yards in the 38-24 win over Kentucky.
However, it’s instructive — and a little scary for UofL fans — to note what happened the last two times the Cards faced a talented defensive front late in the season.
They allowed seven sacks for losses of 62 yards and a whopping 16 tackles for loss while staggering to a 17-14 win over Boston College.
Then, in the game preceding UK, Pittsburgh recorded 7 sacks — five by end Ejuan Price — and 10 TFL while limiting UofL to minus-1 yard rushing in a 45-34 victory.
When Garrett and Hall watch those films, they’ll probably be salivating, while McGee is hopeful that, with the extra two-plus weeks of practice, Louisville’s linemen will be more prepared to succeed.
“These days are gonna be really good for us because, especially the first week when we get a lot of individual work,” he says. “And what happens when you’re a true freshman and you get thrown into the fire is you don’t get much time to figure out the basics because we’ve got a game to prepare for.
“So now you can go back to almost training camp mode and re-teach everything over again, all the techniques, all the drills, and I think they’re gonna grow and ultimately when we get out there on game day I think they’ll play a lot better than they have. They’ll feel a lot more comfortable on the field.”
If not, it could be a Pitt replay and another long day for the Cards.
FIELDS EXPECTED BACK — Devonte Fields, UofL’s junior outside linebacker, has undoubtedly caught the eye of some pro scouts with his performance this year, but defensive coordinator Todd Grantham says he expects Fields to return for his senior season and not enter the NFL draft.
The former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year at TCU, Fields is tied for second nationally with 19.5 tackles for loss, but during the news conference, Grantham talked about his plans for Fields next year.
He said he believes the 6-4, 245-pound Fort Worth, Tx., native will improve and raise his stock by participating in UofL’s spring practice and offseason conditioning for the first time, along with another year of competition.
Fields didn’t report to campus until fall because he had to complete academic requirements at Trinity Valley Junior College in Texas.
It took him awhile to get into condition and learn the Cards’ system, then he had 15.5 TFL in the last six games.
“He grinded his way through a really good year,” Grantham said. “I think when you look at the last half of the year, he’s a guy who performed. I’m really proud of him as far as working hard. I’m really excited about what he can do moving forward, meaning that he’s going to be here for a full year, be here with our strength staff. And then we get him for a whole spring and again in the summer.”