Belk Bowl: Louisville Loss Doesn’t Dampen Successful Season
The Louisville Cardinals finished up their second season under head coach Charlie Strong with the exact same 7-6 record that they had in his first season.
The difference however, is nobody expected this team to be as successful as they were.
After starting the season very slow, the Cardinals won five of their final seven games and were led by some very talented freshmen who are certain to play a big part in the coming years.
The biggest name among those freshmen is quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
He burst onto the scene midway through the season and passed for over 2,100 yards and 14 touchdowns as a true freshman.
Fellow freshman Michaelee Harris led the team with 455 receiving yards.
Bridgewater and Harris are both from Miami and are just two of the talented freshmen who stepped into starting roles for the Cardinals.
While the 7-6 record may not jump out, the Cardinals were good enough to be tri-champions of the Big East and very close to an Orange Bowl berth.
Next season, the Cardinals will return virtually 15 starters, including sophomore running Dominique Brown who is poised to have a big junior season.
The key to next season will be the growth and development of Bridgewater and his ability to continue to gel with Harris.
The two could develop into one of the best quarterback-receiver combinations in the country in coming seasons.
With the talent Strong has brought in over the past year and the players he has coming in, the Louisville program is clearly on the rise and will continue to get better and better as long as Srong is in control.
Things are looking bright for Louisville and they should soon find themselves in the top 25.
A place they will likely stay for a long time.
