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#1
There was a good deal of controversy surrounding the UL quarterback situation over the past few weeks, at least to those close to the program. RS Sophomore Will Gardner won the position battle this Summer, but struggled mightily with his reads, checks, decision making, protecting the football, and overall throwing accuracy during the first three games. Gardner went down with an alleged torn meniscus(The University released a statement yesterday, but was extremely vague - I have heard from a fairly reliable source he should be out 4-6 weeks), which makes Reggie Bonnafon the starter this week...
Bonnafon played for Louisville Trinity as a WR for his first three years, but was moved to QB his senior year. He has all of the talent to be a star - speed, a very strong arm, and size, but Trinity already had a D2 prospect at QB and Reggie's talent could be used elsewhere on the field. Bonnafon is raw at this stage, but there's no denying his ability. Given that he's still fairly new to the position(despite being a 4 star QB recruit coming out), he has been groomed as the heir apparent to the QB position for the foreseeable future, but the Gardner injury sped up the entire process.
There's obviously much more to this matchup than QB play, but the reason I'm harping on this so adamantly is that Bonnafon has something Gardner doesn't - speed and the ability to scramble. This is huge for UL because the offensive line leaves much to be desired. Gardner has been beaten up against virtually every team that he's faced, and this has led to multiple fumbles(2 in the red zone vs Miami), interceptions, and rushed throws. Bonnafon was actually inserted as the 2nd half starter at Virginia, but was put in an impossible spot as the first two drives started inside UL's 5 yard line, and in a conference game on the road(as a true freshman). Reggie's arm strength opens up the downfield passing game, especially with play action. Gardner's limitations virtually eliminated the downfield play ability of the offense, but I would fully expect multiple big plays in this game, especially on play action rollouts that Petrino has made a staple of his offense.
Wake is, well Wake Forest. The same team that scored 10 points against UL Monroe and 23 against Gardner Webb. Louisville's defense has been rock solid this year, and Wake should struggle to put points on the board. Petrino has been very vocal this week about his disappointment with the offense, and the Cardinals return home after disappointing showings on the road against UVA and Florida International. Petrino is lifetime 23-1 at home during his career at Louisville, and I certainly don't see this game being his second loss.
Homer disclaimer - this is the first UL game that I've bet this year
Cards roll 38-7 and Bonnafon becomes the new full-time starter, likely for the remainder of his career. I hate making the(unfair) comparison at this stage, but he looks an awful lot like Bridgewater did as a freshman.
Bonnafon played for Louisville Trinity as a WR for his first three years, but was moved to QB his senior year. He has all of the talent to be a star - speed, a very strong arm, and size, but Trinity already had a D2 prospect at QB and Reggie's talent could be used elsewhere on the field. Bonnafon is raw at this stage, but there's no denying his ability. Given that he's still fairly new to the position(despite being a 4 star QB recruit coming out), he has been groomed as the heir apparent to the QB position for the foreseeable future, but the Gardner injury sped up the entire process.
There's obviously much more to this matchup than QB play, but the reason I'm harping on this so adamantly is that Bonnafon has something Gardner doesn't - speed and the ability to scramble. This is huge for UL because the offensive line leaves much to be desired. Gardner has been beaten up against virtually every team that he's faced, and this has led to multiple fumbles(2 in the red zone vs Miami), interceptions, and rushed throws. Bonnafon was actually inserted as the 2nd half starter at Virginia, but was put in an impossible spot as the first two drives started inside UL's 5 yard line, and in a conference game on the road(as a true freshman). Reggie's arm strength opens up the downfield passing game, especially with play action. Gardner's limitations virtually eliminated the downfield play ability of the offense, but I would fully expect multiple big plays in this game, especially on play action rollouts that Petrino has made a staple of his offense.
Wake is, well Wake Forest. The same team that scored 10 points against UL Monroe and 23 against Gardner Webb. Louisville's defense has been rock solid this year, and Wake should struggle to put points on the board. Petrino has been very vocal this week about his disappointment with the offense, and the Cardinals return home after disappointing showings on the road against UVA and Florida International. Petrino is lifetime 23-1 at home during his career at Louisville, and I certainly don't see this game being his second loss.
Homer disclaimer - this is the first UL game that I've bet this year
Cards roll 38-7 and Bonnafon becomes the new full-time starter, likely for the remainder of his career. I hate making the(unfair) comparison at this stage, but he looks an awful lot like Bridgewater did as a freshman.
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