Louisville QB Lamar Jackson has 8 total touchdowns in first half of season opener
By Maher Ayoub
Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson dominated with eight touchdowns (six passing and two rushing) in the first half of his opener vs. Charlotte.
Lamar Jackson and his Louisville Cardinals were heavy favorites in Thursday night’s home opener against the Charlotte 49ers. The team came into the season ranked as the 19th best team in the country looking to battle in a toughly contested ACC.
But Jackson was the story line by the end of the first half of his team’s opening game by scoring eight total touchdowns and leading his team to a 56-0 lead going into the break.
Jackson wasted no time and rushed for a 36-yard touchdown to close the team’s first drive of the game. After a punt, Jackson came back with a 13-yard pass for a touchdown on 3rd and 9 in the red zone.
After throwing another touchdown on his next drive, Jackson ran in a ball from the one-yard line to give his team a 35-0 lead with 12 minutes to go in the second quarter. Jackson closed off the quarter with another two passing touchdowns to finish his total of eight touchdowns in the first 30 minutes of play.
Jackson finished the half with a line of 17-of-23 for 286 yards and six TDs with 11 rushes for 119 yards and 2 TDs. The eight total touchdowns was a new school record for Louisville, and Jackson has cemented himself as a player to watch for the rest of the season.
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He is looking to carry over a solid freshman season with the team, where he finished the season off with a tremendous bowl performance. The 6’3″, 205-pound sophomore certainly has the frame and arm to be an elite college quarterback, and has started off his team’s season with a bang.