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November 3, 2012
Cards beat Temple 45-17, improve to 9-0
Matt Willinger
CardinalSports.com
Cards Remain Unbeaten, 9-0
The Louisville football team remained unbeaten Saturday, knocking off Temple 45-17 at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater threw for 324 yards and five touchdowns as the No. 10 ranked Cardinals remain unbeaten on the season. With the win, the Cards are 9-0 for the first time in school history.
The early start caught the Cards off-guard as Temple scored on the opening kick-off and tied the game at 17-17 midway through the second quarter.
Coach Charlie Strong's team eventually woke up with and responded with a flurry of points. The Cards scored 28 unanswered points to build a 45-17 lead third quarter lead and the rout was in full effect.
While Louisville's defense was generous on the ground, giving up 255 rushing yards, the Owls had no answer for Bridgewater. The sophomore continues to emerge as one of the nation's top passers. Against Temple, he completed 19-of-28 passes and connected with nine Cardinal receivers.
Jeremy Wright and Senorise Perry paved the way for 170 rush yards. Wright totaled 100 yards and a touchdown en route to averaging 10 yards per carry, while Perry rushed 14 times for 79 yards.
It Was Over When…
Bridgewater to Parker for six! Cards take a 38-17 lead.
After scoring three times in the second half, the Cards continued their scoring burst after halftime, outscoring the Owls 14-0 in third quarter. It was the team's second drive of the quarter that put the game out of reach and sealed their ninth win of the season.
The drive was a nine play, 68-yard possession that featured Bridgewater completions to Andrell Smith, Senorise Perry and Damian Copeland. The drive ended with an exclamation point as Bridgewater rolled left and completed a 25-yard crossing pass to DeVante Parker.
Play of the Game
Ryan Hubbell's 72-yard touchdown catch
Whether it was the cold, rainy conditions or the early 12noon kickoff, the Cards looked lethargic to start Saturday's game. Not only did they give up a 93-yard touchdown return on the game's opening kickoff, but they also gave up a nine-play, 82 yard drive later in the first quarter. With 2:05 to play in the first, the Cards found themselves trailing 14-7…..until Ryan Hubbell.
On second and seven, Bridgewater dropped back and saw Hubbell running wide open down the center of the field. One perfect spiral, an over the shoulder catch and 72-yards later, Hubbell was in the end zone.
It was CaridnalSports.com's play of the game not just because it was the Cards' longest play from scrimmage, but also because it tied the game and seemed to quell any momentum the Owls had built after their first two scores.
Cardinal Quotes
Andrell Smith on the Cards improving to 9-0: "It feels amazing. When I first got here I never thought I would see this….just how we started off, we turned everything around."
Senior cornerback Adrian Bushell on being 9-0: "To be part of the first 9-0 start is special. I am really excited. We are going to continue to work hard and finish the season strong."
Helmet Stickers
The defense gave up far too many yards on the ground, but we have to give credit where it's due. The defense forced 5 fumbles and didn't give up a score in the second half.
While the weather gets colder, DeVante Parker continues to remain hot. All he does is catch touchdowns. The sophomore wideout now has 11 touchdowns in his brief career.
Teddy had a career day, but he's getting so good that this type of production is almost expected each game now. On Saturday, he became the first Cardinal QB to throw for five touchdowns passes in a game since some guy named Brian Brohm did it in 2007.
"Andrell Smith is playing his best football" is what Coach Strong had to say about his senior receiver. Smith had four catches for 61 yards and a pair of touchdown receptions. The two TD catches are a career best.
Preston Brown led the game with 10 tackles and a tackle for loss. Freshman Keith Brown added 8 tackles, a tackle for loss, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
Defensive end Marcus Smith had a busy day as he saw increased action with Lorenzo Mauldin sidelined. Smith took advantage of the extra reps, forcing a fumble and posting his third sack of the year.
Odds and Ends
With the New England Patriots and New York Jets both on bye weeks, Louisville football legends Deion Branch and Bilal Powell returned to Pap John's Cardinal Stadium to watch the Cards improve to 9-0. Branch, a former Super Bowl MVP, and Powell were recognized during the second quarter and shown on the stadium's jumbotron. The former Cards watched the second half from the comfort of Tom Jurich's suite.
With the win the Cards are 9-0 for the first time in school history. Prior to reaching 8-0 this year, the last time the Cardinals reached that mark unscathed was in 2006, when Louisville opened the year at 8-0 before falling to Rutgers. The Cards went on to finish 12-1, which included an Orange Bowl victory.
Will Stein entered the game in replace of Teddy Bridgewater in the fourth quarter with 11:47 to play. He completed his first pass for a loss of one yard to Jarrett Davis.
BJ Butler lined up on both sides of the ball, playing tight end and defensive end.
Prior to the game, the matchup was announced as a sellout. However, there were pockets of empty seats and the announced attendance was 44,609.
The 45 points against Temple were the most points the team has scored at home since posting 56 against Memphis in 2010.
When scoring more than 20 points in a game under Coach Strong, the Cards record is now 22-4.
According to the UofL Sports Information Department, Temple's kickoff return for a touchdown on the opening play of the game marks the first time an opponent has accomplished such a feat since Louisville records show, dating back to 1978.
Up Next
With the win over Temple, Louisville will now travel for a road matchup in the Carrier Dome against Syracuse next Saturday.
The Orange are now 4-5 on the season and 3-2 in the Big East after losing 35-24 to Cincinnati on Saturday. The kick off time and television coverage has yet to be announced for the game.
Stay tuned to CardinalSports.com throughout the week for updates and continuing analysis.
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