Louisville vs Florida State recap: 3 things we learned
Lamar Jackson and the Louisville Cardinals dominated the Florida State Seminoles. Here are the three biggest takeaways from the game.
The first matchup between a pair of top-10 teams in the 2016 college football regular season wasn’t much of a contest, as the No. 10 Louisville Cardinals destroyed the No. Florida State Seminoles 63-10 on Saturday afternoon at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
After beating inferior team in Charlotte and Syracuse to open the season, the Cardinals figured to get their toughest test of the season against a Florida State team that already owned a win over Ole Miss. The Cardinals scored in just under two minutes on their opening drive and never relented, building a 35-10 halftime lead that quickly built in the third quarter.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson continued his unbelievable start to the season, racking up 362 total yards and five touchdowns. With 18 touchdowns in just three games, Jackson is comfortably outpacing the rest of the field in the way-too-early Heisman race.
Even more impressive was Louisville’s effort on the other side of the ball. The Seminoles couldn’t generate any splash plays. Dalvin Cook was held in check and Deondre Francois was constantly pressured.
The Cardinal figure to rise up the rankings, perhaps into the top four, and look like a championship contender. Here’s what we learned from Louisville’s easy victory on Saturday.
1. Lamar Jackson wasn’t just a product of inferior competition
Jackson produced video-game like numbers in the first two games of the season, setting a pace that seemed impossible to sustain. After torching Charlotte for eight touchdowns in the first half alone, Jackson piled up over 600 yards of total offense against Syracuse.
It’s clear Jackson has a level of athleticism and raw talent that perhaps no other quarterback in the nation can match. Still, it was fair to wonder how the sophomore would fair playing against a better team in Florida State, who he struggled against a year ago.
Jackson silenced those doubts with a Heisman-worthy performance, completing 13 of 20 passes for 216 yards, one touchdown and one interception while adding 17 carries for 146 yards and four scores. Louisville is not going to face a team with a more athletic defense than Florida State, so Jackson certainly has the ability to keep this up.
Most of Jackson’s damage came on the ground, as Florida State simply could not handle his speed and ball-handling ability. While Jackson wasn’t asked to do too much passing and missed a few open throws early on, he still displayed solid pocket presence and plus arm strength.
It’s way too early to declare the Heisman race over – ask 2015 Leonard Fournette – but Jackson is a special player with the ability to torch even the nation’s most talented defenses.
2. Louisville is a national championship contender
While Saturday’s contest showed the nation just how great Jackson can be, it may have answered more questions about the rest of the Louisville roster.
The Cardinals flat-out dominated the Seminoles in both trenches. Jackson was protected well from dynamic Seminole pass rushers DeMarcus Walker and Josh Sweat, while the defensive line put pressure on freshman quarterback Deondre Francois and held star Dalvin Cook to just 54 rushing yards.
Louisville’s biggest question mark was the offensive line, which returned a fair amount of experience but was also poor in pass protection last season. Lukayus McNeil and Geron Christian did well blocking for Jackson on Saturday, and the Cardinals even got 118 yards out of running back Brandon Radcliffe on 14 carries.
The Cardinals swarmed to the ball defensively and created plenty of havoc in the Florida State backfield with a disruptive front seven. James Hearns and Devonte Fields are going to be tough for any team to contain, while Shaq Wiggins has emerged as an excellent cornerback.
Many viewed Louisville as a top-20 team that would be fun to watch, but perhaps a step below the best teams in the ACC. After Saturday, the Cardinals are a legitimate contender for both the conference and national championships.
3. Florida State misses Derwin James
Even a fully healthy Florida State roster probably wouldn’t have been able to stop the freight train that was Jackson on Saturday afternoon. Still, the Seminoles are clearly better than this at full strength, proving that such an extreme rash of injuries can even ruin a team with consistently great recruiting and depth.
The biggest loss for the Seminoles was playing without injured safety Derwin James, who is one of the most versatile and talented players in the nation. James acted as a spy on Jackson last season and helped limit him to 32 yards.
That affected the rest of the secondary, as Louisville racked up a lot of big plays with runs after the catch. Florida State has been forced to shuffle defenders in and out due to all the injuries, and suffered from multiple miscommunications and blown coverages early in the game.
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The Seminoles were also down to their third-sting guard with Derrick Kelly and Kareem Are out, which didn’t help against Louisville’s aggressive defense. Louisville was far and away the better team on Saturday, but a healthy Florida State shouldn’t be dismissed even after the crushing loss.
Florida State can still be a factor in the ACC race, as it will have some time to recover before hosting Clemson on October 29.