By Russ Brown
NKyTribune correspondent
LOUISVILLE — It’s a pretty safe bet that before the first quarter of Syracuse’s Friday Night Frights, delivered by the University of Louisville, was over, Cardinal fans far and wide — and maybe some of the players too — started thinking about Florida State.
Or more specifically, upsetting the No. 3 Seminoles in the high noon showdown Saturday in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
And who can blame them?
Thanks to another dazzling, record-setting performance by sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson, who led No. 13/15 UofL to a 62-28 rout of the Orange in the Carrier Dome, the Cards appear to be in perhaps their best position ever to make the kind of huge national splash a win over FSU would bring.
To add to the anticipation and upcoming hype, the game will be featured on ESPN’s “College Game Day,” whose destination was announced after this weekend’s games. (See below).
With the dynamic Jackson, and with the ‘Noles featuring redshirt freshman DeAndre Francois (419 yards passing, two TDs vs. Ole Miss), the contest is a natural TV attraction, sure to be billed as a battle between the two best young QBs in the nation. (FSU tripped Charleston Southern Saturday).
Against Syracuse, Jackson added superlatives many and significant to his budding legacy. He accounted for five touchdowns, four rushing, to give him 13 in his last three games; set the record for the most total yards ever in an Atlantic Coast Conference game; and provided the young season’s most spectacular highlight play as Louisville established a school and ACC record for total offense with 845 yards.
He is already being called “Lamar-velous.” He was national offensive player of the week for his performance in the opening 70-14 win over Charlotte, and his latest showing will undoubtedly raise his Heisman Trophy stock considerably.
“(Jackson) had a great game,” UofL coach Bobby Petrino said in a gross understatement. “What I’m really proud of is how he prepared for the game. He worked extremely hard all week. He did a great job of leading during the week, getting everybody else to work hard. He came out here and executed. He threw the ball around and ran real well. he did a great job with whatever we asked him to do.”
Jackson compiled 411 yards passing and 199 yards rushing while playing 3 1/2 quarters. He took UofL to touchdowns on three of the first five times he touched the ball — not possessions, touches. It was 21-0 before the game was five minutes old. During that devastating span Jackson threw a 72-yard touchdown strike to James Quick, connected for 61 yards to Jaylen Smith and 55 to Jamari Staples, ran seven yards for a TD and then scored again on a weaving, 72-yard sprint.
“I’m not sure anybody could catch him,” Syracuse coach Dino Babers said afterwards. “You get mad because they couldn’t catch the guy, but he’s the fastest guy on the football field, on both teams. He’s an exceptional player. I saw him outrun contain, where three guys were exactly where they were supposed to be and we should have tackled him for a two-yard loss and he runs all the way to the other sideline for an eight-yard gain and steps out of bounds. He runs in and outside the leverage and they still can’t catch him. He’s an extremely talented football player.”
Syracuse linebacker Zaire Franklin agreed with his coach, noting that there wasn’t much he and his slower teammates could do to corral the elusive Jackson.
“It was really just him being a really good player,” Franklin said. “Guys were there and in position, but it kind of didn’t matter. He took plays that against a lot of other running quarterbacks may go 15 yards, he took them 80.”
That remarkable athleticism was on display in all its glory late in the second quarter. En route to his nine-yard TD run, Jackson hurdled Syracuse cornerback Cordell Hudson, soaring perhaps 6-7 feet in the air.
“I had nothing else to do,” Jackson explained. “Dude was like right there and (other Orange players) were coming at an angle. So I knew I had to take flight and get in the end zone.”
“It was amazing,” Quick said. “I’ve not seen it in person someone hurdle somebody like that. It would have to be at the top of the list of best plays.”
Jackson’s evaluation of his performance was typically understated.
“I did good, I guess, but I still have room for improvement. I made a lot of bad reads, but I think I did alright.”
Asked to grade his play, Jackson gave himself a ‘C’, because, he said, the Cards had too many mistakes in the form of dropped passes and turnovers (three).
“We’re not supposed to have those,” he said. “No mistakes. that’s our goal. The offense is supposed to be perfect. Go out there and score on every drive.”
If Jackson and the Louisville offense ever get to an ‘A,’ watch out. And the Cards hope that time comes against Florida State Saturday.
PETRINO IMPRESSED — Petrino had worried about the noise in the Dome from the crowd of 32,184 and Syracuse’s up-tempo offense, but the Cards silenced the crowd with their fast start. The Orange’s pace bothered them in the first half, especially when the hosts scored two TDs in the final 2:42. But they adjusted well in the second half and held the home team to one touchdown.
“That was a good game for us,” Petrino said. “I was very proud of our team. I thought we did a good job in our preparation. We traveled well. We came out and were explosive early in the game on offense. The defense had to battle, but they did a great job of changing things around in the second half. I’m impressed with the win.”
RIVALRY BUILDING? — UofL-Syracuse could develop into a meaningful rivalry if the Orange eventually get competitive under first-year coach Babers. First, there was the mini-controversy caused by Petrino claiming Syracuse’s no-huddle offense violated rules, a charge the ACC office denied.
Then after the game, Petrino criticized fans who booed Louisville players who went down with a series of minor injuries or cramps that caused halts in the game. The fans apparently thought the Cards were faking the injuries to slow down the Orange offense, part of which is predicated on fatiguing opposing defenses.
“I don’t like that (reaction from the fans),” Petrino said. “I think it’s wrong. They have no idea what the injury is or what it is. I don’t think that’s a good thing. I hope we get rid of that in football.”
Babers declined to discuss the situation because he said he couldn’t discuss the officiating, but he did say that the UofL players going down contributed to the game lasting nearly four hours, finishing just before midnight.
“I can’t talk about the officials,” Babers said. “They’re going to fine me and do all that stuff. You guys (in the media) look at your watches. How long did the game take? It might have been a lot shorter if we didn’t have so many people go down like that. That’s about as far as I go. Hopefully I didn’t get hit for a fine for that one.”
ESPN GameDay: ESPN’s College GameDay Built by the Home Depot will broadcast from the University of Louisville for the first time in school history Saturday, showcasing a top-15 matchup between Louisville and Florida State.
The Cardinals, currently ranked No. 13 in the latest AP Poll, welcome the third-ranked Seminoles for a noon kickoff on ABC on Sept. 17 in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
“We’re excited to have ESPN College GameDay coming to Louisville,” UofL Vice President and Director of Athletics Tom Jurich said. “The show’s presence here is really a great tribute to our football program. I know our fans will embrace all of the pageantry surrounding Saturday’s event and carry that enthusiasm into the stadium to support our team during the game.”
The team of Rece Davis, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, David Pollack, and Samantha Ponder, along with contributors Tom Rinaldi and Gene Wojciechowski, will conduct the popular Saturday morning show from a location to be determined.
In its 30th season and 24th on the road, the award-winning College GameDay pregame show originates each Saturday from the site of the day’s best game or the game with the most compelling storylines.