Entering this game folks were split almost right down the middle as to who would take home the newly named Belk Bowl in Charlotte. There was a fast, exciting, resurgent but young Louisville team that had grabbed a share of the Big East Championship. On the other side, there was an NC State Wolfpack that was schizophrenic in every facet of the game. Two quarterbacks in their first year starting who had performed admirably and coaches near opposite ends of the coaching spectrum.
What we got, on a rainy, ugly day in Charlotte, was the NC State Wolfpack coming out of the gate hot. They traded touchdowns with the Cardinals and then went to work, putting up two second quarter touchdowns to build a 21-10 halftime lead. Things got worse for Louisville before they got better, as the Cardinals defense retooled at halftime and looked better, stopping the Glennon passing attack but still giving up a 34-yard field goal to Tom O’Brien’s team.
Throw in the David Amerson 65 yard interception return for a touchdown and, boo,; with 6 minutes to go in the quarter, 21 minutes left in the game, Charlie Strong was down 31-10 and staring down the barrel of a blow out.
But the Cards didn’t get blown out. They showed up big. Following the interception, Louisville mounted drives of 10 and 12 plays to get touchdowns and pull within one. Along the way Charlie Strong’s team not only got solid play out of freshman Teddy Bridgewater, who took an absolute beating at the hands of Mike Archer and Jon Tenuta’s defense, but the Louisville defense showed up huge from the middle third through game’s end.
They got stops on defense. They forced a turnover on an oddly busted play that led to lineman Robert Crisp rumbling ahead only to fumble the ball away to Louisville. The special teams got in on the hard hitting action as the Cardinals recovered an onside kick.
Then, at the four minute mark, things got wonky. Louisville, with two timeouts and a defensive unit that was playing lights out since the start of the third quarter, decides to onside kick to a ready and waiting North Carolina State team. Cardinals give the ball to the Wolfpack at their own 41 yardline and with 3:55 to go all Mike Glennon has to do is pick up a first down and Louisville is done. Seems like a poor decision on Charlie Strong’s part right?
NO WORRIES CHARLIE STRONG!
Tom O’Brien sees what you did and will one up you with his own flavor of awesomeness by going for it on 4th and 2. The play? A fourth straight run with James Washington that gets snuffed out for a two-yard loss. Louisville gets the ball back with two timeouts and just 65 yards to go to tie this ball game up.
Unfortunately, the end game sequence did not give us the photo finish we were looking for, as Bridgewater was sacked twice in the final four Louisville plays from scrimmage. On the final Cards play, he avoided a sack but did toss an interception to end the push for a tie.
All in all it was a solid game, a true tale of two halves as the Cardinal defense really did dominate the second half, limiting the Wolfpack to just 59 yards following the Pack’s opening drive of 60 for the field goal to start the half. To look at the game as a whole Charlie Strong’s team was essentially a phenomenal David Amerson interception and weaving return away from this being a 24-24 game.
But that is where credit goes to Tom O’Brien; his team was prepared. No, they didn’t look awesome in the second half on offense and the defense gave up some big plays BUT when they were called on the defense showed up and bailed out the offense. Mike Archer and Jon Tenuta proved their worth last night with the pressures and coverage schemes that ultimately beat Louisville.
Even in defeat we do need to give a hats off to Teddy Bridgewater. My how far that kid has come from the UNC game I saw him in earlier this season. He’s a tough sumbitch and the future of Louisville’s program is in good hands as long as he keeps improving. Watching him pick himself up off the mat time and again last night spoke to his determination and why, even as a freshman, he’s a leader on that ball club.
