Miami Hurricanes vs Louisville Cardinals: Q&A With Chris Hatfield
By Sam Jacobs
The Miami Hurricanes and the Louisville Cardinals are getting ready to kick-off their seasons on Monday night. CanesWarning reached out to Chris Hatfield of TheCrunchZone.com for some insight on the 2014 Cardinals and what the Canes should expect on Labor Day.
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CanesWarning: Teddy Bridgewater was one of the best quarterbacks in college football the last two seasons. How does Louisville plan on replacing his production?
Chris Hatfield: There is no replacing Teddy Bridgewater. I think each and every Louisville fan understands that. But I think with a new coach and new type of system, it will help Louisville more in terms of replacing his production. When it comes to offenses, Bobby Petrino is as good as anyone. I’d expect his play-calling to put Will Gardner in every position to succeed with easy read type of plays. Don’t forget, Bobby Petrino is the guy that led Western Kentucky QB Brandon Doughtry to an SEC win over Kentucky. A big feat for the Hill-toppers. Petrino always seems to get the best out of his Quarterbacks and I expect no different with Will Gardner. The Sophomore will also benefit from an experienced Wide Receiver and Running Back group.
CanesWarning: Coming off of consecutive double-digit winning seasons, what are the expectations for this year’s Cardinals team?
Chris Hatfield: I think the expectations are to compete in every game, at the same time Louisville fans have a realistic mindset – most of them, anyway. There’s a lot of changes occurring around the football program. Louisville fans know that. They’ve lost two NFL caliber safeties, a first round draft pick in Marcus Smith and of course Teddy Bridgewater. You also couple that with an entire new coaching staff and new transition to a different conference. That’s a lot. Louisville fans expect an 8 to 9 win season, though games against Miami and at Clemson will serve as good barometers and may alter those expectations.
CanesWarning: How have the offensive and defensive schemes changed since Coach Petrino’s (second) arrival?
Chris Hatfield: Obviously – as I’m sure you know – Bobby Petrino’s teams are known for offense. He’s carried the spread, air-it out type offense everywhere he’s went. It’s complex, it’s detailed, and it works. There are strong emphasis on route running, getting the speed players in space and use of the Tight Ends. You’ll see those staples in this Louisville team. It’s a world a way from the Charlie Strong offense. He’d rather get a touchdown lead and hold the ball as long as possible with runs up the middle. That won’t happen with Bobby Petrino.
As far as the defense goes, with the hire of Defensive Coordinator Tony Grantham away from Georgia, Louisville moves from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense. It’s not too different, especially when you consider that Louisville gave lots of 4-3 looks last season. Though I do feel, former Defensive Coordinator Vance Beford played more of a ‘bend don’t break type of defense’. Louisville’s cornerbacks like Charles Gaines and Andrew Johnson will get more one-on-one coverage’s, and return Louisville’s pass rushers – like Lorenzo Mauldin – will have more opportunities to make plays in the backfield. It took a little time in Spring and Fall camp but the Louisville defense has appeared to grasp the new defensive concepts.
CanesWarning: Devante Parker was a key contributor to Louisville’s blowout win over Miami last December. How much of a role will his absence play in Monday night’s outcome?
Chris Hatfield: Devante Parker is probably the most electric play maker on the Louisville offense. Well, not probably – he is. I won’t dance around it. Parker is a future NFL star and provides Louisville an advantage every time they step on field. But there are two saving graces here.
The first is that Louisville’s Wide Receiver Unit is the deepest position on the field. Eli Rogers is a Senior who will be looked at to lead the group now. He’s posted back-to-back seasons of 40+ receptions, 4+ touchdowns and 500+ receiving yards. He’s capable of his biggest season in 2014. James Quick will step into a starting role as well. Louisville fans are still not sure what they have with James Quick, except – well you guessed it – quickness. He’s a former five star recruit, Army All-American and will be looking to preform for his hometown in 2014. Joining those two will be Kai De La Cruz who made several plays before ending 2013 with an injury. Michealee Harris, Matt Milton ( 6-5 in stature) are also two others that are more than capable of making plays. The second saving grace – and maybe more important – is once again Bobby Petrino. His offensive playcalling can offset a lot of inefficiencies, perhaps it can lessen the blow of losing Devante Parker.
CanesWarning: What is your prediction for the season-opener?
Chris Hatfield: Louisville 31, Miami (FL) 21
At the end of the day, I think Louisville has a more talented team particularly within the two-deep skill positions. Louisville will have to adjust to Duke Johnson. I’m not sure they’ve seen as talented of a back as him, the closest comparisons would be Storm Johnson (who torched them with the same play repeatedly) or former Florida RB Mike Gillislee (who was shut down). Stacy Coley is another guy that would worry me if I were Louisville, he’ll test their biggest vulnerability – two new safeties. The game could go either way, but Louisville having home field advantage and Miami starting a QB in his first college game ever will tilt the game in the Cards favor. I expect big games from Louisville CB Charles Gaines, Miami RB Duke Johnson, and Louisville TE Gerald Christian (look him up).
You can follow Chris on Twitter @_ChrisHatfield.