FSU football: 5 keys to victory for Noles against Louisville

By Kelvin Hunt | Oct 22, 2020

Cardinal Stadium will be a lot emptier this 2020 fall football season due to Covid-19 precautions. The video screens will be flashing 'Wear Your Mask' and 'Stay 6 feet apart' as reminders for those 12,000 fans that will be watching the game in person. The University of Louisville football team will open its 2020 football season with a home game against Western Kentucky on Sept. 12. Sept. 9, 2020Cardinal Stadiums Plans To Reopen For Uofl Football Amid Covid 19 /

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(Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /

Stop The Run Against Louisville

I said it last year, and the same holds this year. Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield believes in running the ball, and he’s almost too predictable in running it.

They run the ball 56 percent of the time and do not have a QB the caliber of Sam Howell or Notre Dame’s Ian Book.

Louisville is averaging 4.29 yards per carry as a team and led by sophomore running back Javian Hawkins who’s averaging 5.19 yards. FSU held Hawkins to 52 yards on 17 carries last season. Hassan Hall had 57 yards on 11 carries.

Quarterback Malik Cunningham will run it too, as he averages around 11 carries per game. He’s a threat in the red zone, as he’s scored three rushing touchdowns through five games.

If you remember last year’s game, the ‘Noles defense got after Cunningham, sacking him six times and forcing two fumbles with one interception.

He ran the ball 16 times and passed for 286 yards, but over half of those passing yards came on two plays.

If the Noles can make Louisville one dimensional, I don’t think Cunningham is good enough to beat them with his arm.

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