Louisville Cardinals 2022 College Football Preview
August 5, 2022
2021 Recap
Record – 6-7
ATS – 6-7
The Cards got off to a 3-1 start and looked ready to do some damage in the Atlantic division but they lost two close games in a row (combined four points) and sputtered the rest of the way to finish the regular season at 6-6. Air Force slipped by them in the First Responder Bowl and LUA-VUH finished with a losing record for the 3rd time in four seasons.
Louisville Cardinals 2022 Outlook
OFFENSE
The Cards had a fun offense to watch LY thanks to the play of their talented and tough dual-threat QB Malik Cunningham. Cunningham rushed for over 1,000 yards and 20 (!!) TDs whilst averaging 6 YPC, and he also did some notable damage thru the air throwing for nearly 3,000 yards (2,941, 19-6 TD to INT). The rushing attack was strong LY (210 YPG, #20 FBS) and it’s loaded for bear with the return of Cunningham, their top-two RBs, and the addition of talented Tennessee transfer Tiyon Evans. LUA-VUH brings back their leading receiver TE Marshon Ford (49, 550, 2 TD LY) but could really use a WR or two to develop into legit #1 doods. Maybe highly-regarded Central Arkansas transfer Tyler Hudson can make a big impact? Cunningham and friends are supported by one of the best offensive lines in the ACC and we expect big things from the offense in 2022.
DEFENSE
The defense was mediocre LY as they allowed 30+ points on seven occasions and finished the year ranked #7 in the ACC in run defense and #9 in pass efficiency D. There’s reason for optimism heading into 2022 as the Cards bring back seven starters and a yuuuge collection of transfer portal talent, the vast majority from Power 5 programs. The DL has decent size and DE Ashton Gillotte could blossom this season while LB Yasir Abdullah (10 sacks) and Ole Miss transfer Momo Sanogo lead a solid LB corps. The secondary boasts three returning starters including ace CB Kei’Trel Clark and there are several transfers expected to make an impact on the back end. There’s definite upside potential for a much tougher stop unit but it depends on how quickly all the new pieces can mesh with the holdovers. Stay tuned!
SPECIAL TEAMS
Things appear to be in decent shape. Their P/PK duo of Mark Vassett and James Turner was ok last season and KR Jawhar Jordan booked a TD in limited action.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – The Cardinals will be tested early as they start with a pair of tough road contests (Syracuse, UCF) and only have a pair of FREE SQUARES (James Madison, South Florida) on the schedule. They finish up with a nasty three-game stretch that includes road games at Clemson and Kentucky.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – September 9 – at UCF
The Knights are tough at home and this is an ACC sandwich situation (Orange, Noles).
Season Win Total
per BetOnline Aug 6
Over 6.5 -105
Under 6.5 -125
MEGALOCKS says:
Lean: Over
We think the floor with this squad is 6-6, barring an injury to their star QB.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
The Cardinals have burned DEGENERATES over the L10Y as they’re just 55-69-3 ATS (44%). That ugly mark includes a 34-46-1 record in conference play (43%).
MEGALOCKS Outlook:
If HC Scott Satterfield isn’t on a HOT SEAT, it’s surely warm enough to be getting the attention of his BITS AND PIECES. This roster is too talented to come up with another six win season, and while it won’t be easy, we think the upside this year could be as high as eight or nine wins. Just don’t bury yourself in an early hole, yo.
C-A-R-D-S, Cards!
Want more Louisville football ?
WEBSITE
https://gocards.com/sports/football
FORUM
https://247sports.com/college/louisville/Board/The-CardMarch-103994/
https://louisville.forums.rivals.com/forums/football-the-crunch-zone.20/
NEWS
https://www.cardchronicle.com/
https://cardinalsportszone.com/category/football/
https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/97/louisville-cardinals