Javian Hawkins’ progression fuels Cardinals football Friday, Oct 30 2020 

Cardinal Stadium and florida state and Football and Hassan Hall and Javian Hawkins and North Carolina and sports and U of L football and Virginia Tech John McCarthy 10:30 am

By John McCarthy–

The University of Louisville football team has received a good amount of production from the running back position. At the beginning of the season, junior running back Hassan Hall appeared to be the starting back for the Cardinals. But after U of L’s 48-16 win over Florida State at home, sophomore Javian Hawkins is Louisville’s running back.

Glimpses of Hawkins’ skill set for the 2020-2021 season appear against the University of Miami. Hawkins carried the ball for 164 yards in the Cardinals’ loss to the Hurricanes, but he showed he could be a factor in the outcomes of big games.

Then came Louisville’s bout with Florida State on Oct. 24. Florida State was coming off a monster win against No. 5 North Carolina and was looking to make further strides in the ACC conference standings. Louisville had different plans, the Cardinals’ offense exploded for 48 points in the runaway victory against the Seminoles.

Hawkins shined in the must-win game against Florida State, just like he showed out against Miami will all eyes on the Cardinals. Hawkins carried the ball for 174 yards on only 16 carries, including a breakaway run for 70 yards. He also had three touchdowns in the Cardinals’ win. That is the second 70+ yard rush for Hawkins this season.

U of L will look to build off of their victory against the Seminoles. They host Virginia Tech Oct. 31 at Cardinal Stadium. Hawkins plans to keep his hot streak going, opening avenues for the U of L offense.

File Photo // The Louisville Cardinal

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Louisville’s Cardinals hold off WKU in season opener Sunday, Sep 13 2020 

Braden Smith and Cardinal Stadium and Dez Fitzpatrick and Ean Pfeifer and Football and Hassan Hall and Javian Hawkins and Marshon Ford and Micale Cunningham and Tutu Atwell and University of Miami and UofL and uofl football and Western Kentucky University and WKU John McCarthy 1:07 am

By John McCarthy–

The University of Louisville Cardinals football team defeated the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers 35-21 at Cardinal Stadium in the first game of the season.

WKU put points on the board first with a rushing touchdown at the Cardinals’ goal line to go up 7-0. U of L struck right back with a pass from junior Micale Cunningham to Ean Pfeifer for a 28-yard touch pass to put the score at 7-7. At the end of the first quarter, Cunningham had completed 6 of his 11 passes and threw for 181 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Braden Smith had two receptions for 111 yards.

The Cardinals picked up where they left off in the second quarter. Cunningham rushed in for a 14-yard touchdown only six seconds into the second quarter to put the score at 14-7. Five minutes later, sophomore running back Javian Hawkins rushed in for a 19-yard touchdown to put U of L up 21-7 over the Hilltoppers.

Near the end of the second quarter, Cunningham completed a pass to sophomore Marshon Ford for the touchdown with only 42 seconds left in the half. Louisville was in the driver seat going into half time with a score of 28-7. WKU was scoreless in the second quarter.

Western Kentucky bounced back in the third quarter after a one-yard rushing touchdown to cut the deficit to 14 points. The Cardinals fired back with a 70-yard completion from Cunningham to senior wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick for a touchdown. Louisville led Western Kentucky 35-14 going into the final quarter of play.

Louisville’s defense held up in the fourth quarter only allowing a 12-yard touchdown pass for the Hilltoppers. U of L ended up coming away with a two-touchdown lead to secure the victory 35-21.

Cunningham threw for 343 yards and gathered three touchdowns. Junior running back Hassan Hall ran for 66 yards on six carries. Fitzpatrick and Smith both grabbed four catches for 110 yards apiece. Junior wide receiver Tutu Atwell totaled 78 yards on seven catches.

The Cardinals will begin ACC conference play next week when they take on the University of Miami Hurricanes Sept.19. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Cardinal Stadium. Louisville will look to avenge their loss from last season when they visited the Hurricanes in Coral Gables, Fla.

Photo Courtesy of ACC Media 

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Cards football set to go bowling in Nashville Monday, Dec 9 2019 

Football and Hassan Hall and Javian Hawkins and malik cunningham and Mekhi Becton and Micale Cunningham and Mississippi State and music city bowl and Nashville and Scott Satterfield and sports and Tutu Atwell Luke Graham 5:13 pm

By Luke Graham —

Coming off one of the worst years in Louisville football history, first year head coach Scott Satterfield has brought the Louisville football program back to a bowl game to finish the season.

Just days after the Cardinals (7-5, 5-3) found out that Scott Satterfield won ACC Coach of the Year and that four players were given all ACC honors with junior Mekhi Becton and sophomore Tutu Atwell on the 1st team, and freshman Javian Hawkins  and sophomore Hassan Hall on the 2nd team, they found out they were headed to Nashville for the Music City Bowl Game.

Louisville will meet up in Nashville and face off against Mississippi State (6-6,3-5). It has been two years since Cards have faced the Bulldogs to the date for the 2017 Music City Bowl.

On Dec. 30, 2017 they lost to Mississippi State in what would be Heisman winner Lamar Jackson’s last game as a Cardinal 31-27.

Louisville will look to make new fortune against the Bulldogs this time around. Led by sophomore quarterback Micale Cunningham the Cards look to take care of business in Nashville.

The city is buzzing about going bowling again and are hoping the Cards can win their first bowl game since 2015 against Texas A&M. Ironically enough, that was also the Music City Bowl.

With the Seniors going through a coaching change after playing with a Heisman winner, it would be nice to see them go out with a win to finish off their wild careers at Louisville.

Louisville looks to stay undefeated in Nashville this year after a win against Western Kentucky at a neutral site early in the season. The Cards will play at 4:00 pm on Dec. 30 on ESPN at Nissan Stadium.

Jessica Abell // The Louisville Cardinal 

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Louisville topples No. 19 Wake Forest 62-59 Sunday, Oct 13 2019 

#2019football and #ACCFootball and #Wake Forest and Dez Fitzpartrick and Evan Conley and Football and Hassan Hall and Scott Satterfield and Seth Dawkins and sports and Tutu Attwell Gabriel Wiest 3:49 pm

Gabriel Wiest —

After Louisville’s (4-2, 2-1) first ACC win against Boston College, the Cardinals upset undefeated Wake Forest 62-59. This mid-season win marks head coach Scott Satterfield’s first victory against a ranked team with the Cardinals.

The win against No. 19 Wake Forest (5-1, 0-1) came as a challenge on the road, with Louisville claiming their second ACC win for the season. Notably, this was Wake Forest’s first ACC game in this years schedule. Starting with a loss in conference play puts the Deacons at a deficit, needing to prove their ACC strength.

The second highest scoring game in ACC play started off with an energetic Cardinal offense that scored 21 points within the first quarter. Freshman Javian Hawkins started off scoring for Louisville and ran the ball eight yards for a touchdown.

Quickly after, sophomore Seth Dawkins scored a touchdown off of a pass, advancing 55 yards. The first quarter ended with a touchdown by sophomore Hassan Hall who returned the ball 100 yards. Wake Forest only scored a touchdown, leaving the score with Louisville on top 21-7.

During the second quarter Wake Forest caught some traction with two touchdowns. Louisville also had a touchdown by sophomore Tutu Attwell off of a nine-yard run. The Cardinals scored a field goal, with the score 31-21 at the half.

The third quarter came with moderate gains by the Cardinals scoring 14-10 over Wake Forest. This left the Cardinals four more points better off than at the second quarter with 44-31 at the end of the third.

Wake Forest rallied during the fourth quarter, nearly toppling the Cardinals. The Wake Forest offense exploited a weak Cardinal defense and amassed 28 points.

Even with a revitalized Wake Forest offense in the fourth quarter, Louisville maintained the lead scoring 17. The final score left Louisville with the three-point win margin over Wake Forest.

Receiving for Louisville was led by redshirt junior Dez Fitzpatrick with 125 yards who earned two touchdowns. Overall the Cardinals gained 295 yards off of passing.

Rushing for the Cardinals ended with an impressive 225 yards. Freshman Evan Conley led the pack with 79 yards and one touchdown. Not far behind, Hawkins had 60 yards and also earned a touchdown during the game.

Wake Forest respectively had over 100 yards over Louisville in the receiving game with 423 yards where they focused on quick passing.

This gives the Cardinals a two-win streak as their schedule reaches the most challenging point. Louisville will face off against undefeated Clemson (6-0, 4-0) home at Cardinal Stadium on Sat. Oct. 19 at noon.

File Photo / The Louisville Cardinal

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Football looks for first ACC win against Boston College Saturday, Sep 28 2019 

#2019football and #ACCFootball and #Wake Forest and boston college and Cardinal Stadium and Football and fsu and Hassan Hall and malik cunningham and sports Gabriel Wiest 2:47 pm

By Gabriel Wiest–

After taking a 35-24 loss against Florida State (2-2, 1-1), the Cardinals (2-2,0-1) are looking to claim their first ACC win against Boston College.

In Louisville’s last game against Florida State, the Cardinal’s defense took heavy damage in the first quarter with 21 points scored by the Seminoles’ offense.

Louisville’s offense against the Seminoles also had a slow start in the game with only one touchdown scored in the first half.

In order to claim their first ACC win, Louisville will need to buckle down on the defense line, limiting Boston’s (3-1, 1-0) scoring opportunities. Boston College has already put an ACC win on the board against Virginia Tech, giving them the edge in conference standings.

The Cardinals will also need to build off of offensive energy. In the previous game versus Florida State, the Louisville’s offense made their greatest plays in the second half. However, sophomore Malik Cunningham was the only player who caught passes for the Cardinals, gaining 286 yards with two touchdowns.

While rushing has been a strength for the Cardinals, they were stopped by FSU’s defense, only allowing 164 gains off of rushes. This is the lowest this season, meaning other teams are paying attention to yard gaining players like sophomore Hassan Hall, who has had 239 yards in four games.

Losing against FSU is a tough blow to Louisville’s schedule, with the Cardinals having to face off against four more ACC teams consecutively. After playing Boston College, Louisville will square off against No. 24 Wake Forest for the mid-season game.

With a week off from play, Satterfield will be looking to secure the team’s first conference win. This game will be significant in gaining ground lost from a 2-10 deficit last season. If the Cardinals win against BC, this already puts Satterfield’s first year one win higher than last season.

The Cardinals face off against Boston College on Oct. 5 at 12:30 p.m. at Cardinal Stadium.

File Photo / The Louisville Cardinal

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Sports staff predicts Louisville’s 2019 football record Monday, Aug 26 2019 

#ACCFootball and 2019 football and Dae Williams and Football and Hassan Hall and Javian Hawkins and Scott Satterfield and sports Gabriel Wiest 2:00 pm

Gabriel Wiest– (4-8)

The 2019 football season will not be a break-out year by any means. With a fresh coaching staff, players will still be adjusting to new offensive and defensive schemes. There are many questions to be answered on how the new coaches will fair their first season with the Cards, and I have reserved expectations. The last season left players feeling defeated, while I think coaches have been working to combat this, I do not think it will be enough for ACC play.

Guest predictions

Dalton Ray– (5-7)

The new style of play — attacking defense and lean on the run — will fend well for this group, but likely won’t hit six wins. U of L’s talented receiving core can help the uncertainty at quarterback and their athletic linebackers can shore up some holes from the questionable defensive line. Hassan Hall, Javian Hawkins and Dae Williams have a lot to prove at running back. Satterfield can use their advantage at wide out to open up running lanes and likely will dabble in football’s latest trend of run-pass-option plays. The team can fluctuate from two and five wins, I’ll take the latter to switch up predictions.

Matt Bradshaw — (3-9)

A great coaching change and positive outlook for the future may bring an air of hope to Louisville football, but it won’t necessarily bring wins. While the 2019 season will certainly not be as bad as the last one, the Cardinals still have a ton of room to improve and a lot to prove. Their ACC schedule will be tough, and they will be hard-pressed for every win other than in-state opponents early in the year. I see the Cards scrapping together three wins on the schedule, maybe one or two more if their opponents slip in any way.

Matthew Keck — (2-10)

With a new coach on board I think morale around the program will be up but it won’t be enough to turn the program around first year. There will be a lot of struggles getting used to a new coaching scheme and when the Cards are on the road is when this will really show. The cards will pull out a couple home victories and possibly one neutral site game but I don’t see them taking home any road games this season.

Mariam Prieto-Perez — (4-8)

Louisville’s greatest strength is with their receiving game. But when looking defensively, that has the most room for growth. The new head coach, Scott Satterfield will focus more on defense, with him bringing his defense coordinator from App. State. I’m interested to see how the players and coaches work together under the new leadership.

File photo / The Louisville Cardinal

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Football’s offensive outlook for 2019 Monday, Aug 12 2019 

#Cardinal Football and Dwaine Ledford and Football and Hassan Hall and Keon Wakefield and Louisville Football and malik cunningham and Mekhi Becton and Mountaineers and Scott Satterfield and sports and Tutu Attwell Gabriel Wiest 4:54 pm

By Gabriel Wiest —

After only winning two games last season, Louisville football has a lot to prove offensively for 2019.

Head coach Scott Satterfield is known for a Run-oriented offense, but adjusts to the talent he has. While he sets the standard with running the ball, Satterfield has shown that he is willing to adapt to the growing trends in the game.

Satterfield led the Mountaineers from Football Championship Subdivision to Football Bowl Subdivision in 2013. Appalachian State tallied 47 wins in the past five years under Satterfield with the help of talented running backs.

Marcus Cox (2014-16) rushed for 3,858 yards on 656 carries to become the Appalachian State’s all-time leading rusher. Following Cox’s departure, Satterfield produced another pair of 1,000 yard backs in consecutive seasons.

Sophomore running back Hassan Hall showed explosiveness last season, finishing with 300 yards and three touchdowns last season with 270 yards happening in the last eight games of 2018.

Expect sophomore quarterback Malik Cunningham to be utilized in the run game as he is the teams returning lead rusher with 497 yards and five touchdowns.

Efficiency is stressed under Satterfield’s quarterbacks, as App. State starters have thrown only 12 interceptions for the last two years. Juan Pass of App. State threw 12 interceptions last year alone. In 2017 and 2018 Mountaineers’ Taylor Lamb and Zac Thomas led the sun belt with a quarterback’s rating of 152.

Louisville’s receiving game is arguably the teams greatest offensive asset. The Cardinals will expect explosive plays out of their slot receivers Sophomore’s Tutu Attwell and Keon Wakefield.

Tight-ends could be a sore spot for the Cardinals as red shirt senior Jordan Davis is the only scholarship receiver tight-end of the team.

The offensive line has the potential for exponential growth under Offensive coordinator and Offensive line coach Dwaine Ledford.

Junior Mekhi Becton has star potential as he has been added to the Outland Trophy watch list. The Outland Trophy is given to the best offensive lineman.

While Satterfield rips off the band-aid of old wounds, this year’s offense has the potential to develop and compete this season.

File Photo / The Louisville Cardinal

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