After a promising showing against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, the Louisville Cardinals took to the field Saturday to defeat an in-state, Eastern Kentucky Colonels team 42-0.
Louisville’s ten-game losing streak ended under new head coach Scott Satterfield. The win, his first at Louisville, marks the first Cards shutout since a Florida International 72-0 victory in 2013.
“It’s been a long time for them to celebrate in the locker room with a victory,” Satterfield said. “All the hard work we put in during the summer and then all of fall camp, to come to get a victory like that, it was tremendous for our guys. I’m so happy for them because it validates all the things we’ve been doing and talking about.”
The Bird is the Word
To start the game, Jawon Pass and Tutu Atwell made big play after big play. Pass sought to validate his status as a top prospect last year, scrambling for a 24-yard pick up that brought the energy of Card Nation to a fever pitch. The very next play, Atwell caught a quick pass and broke free to a 50-yard touchdown.
As the defense held strong, Atwell made his presence felt once again with a 33-yard punt return that set up the next score. Pass connected with Marshon Ford on a five-yard TD toss, the first of Ford’s career.
At the end of the first quarter, the Cardinals lead 14-0. Overall, Pass went 2-5 for 50 yards and two TDs. Additionally, the Louisville defense made two sacks during that timeframe.
It was a stalemate throughout the second quarter. EKU made the biggest play of the quarter, intercepting a contested pass that was intercepted. During the final minutes of the second quarter, the Cardinals began to move the ball.
Atwell made a 13-yard run followed by a Pass completion to Des Fitzpatrick for 13 yards, then a Marshon Ford pick-up for a 16-yard lead that positioned the team for points. With 48 seconds left, Louisville missed a 43-yard field goal, giving the Cards a 14-0 halftime lead.
On to victory
The second half played out like the first quarter, with Louisville scoring 14 points in each interval. Javian Hawkins’ 66-yard run and a Marshon Ford five-yard TD off a play action began the feat.
The Cardinals outscored the Colonel’s 28-0. The defense was a force in the second half. Overall, the EKU Colonels were only able to gain 172 total yards, but the Cardinals recorded five sacks.
Jawon Pass completed 12/19 passes for 196 yards and four TD’s with an interception. For the second straight game, Running back Javian Hawkins went over the century mark on 11 carries for 123 yards. Hassan Hall carried 15 times for 58 yards and a touchdown.
The Cardinal’s next game is also against an in-state team as they do battle with the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in Nashville. The first half of the Notre Dame game combined with Saturday’s performance should keep the Cards rolling in the Music City.
