The Daily Nole

Q&A With the Courier-Journal’s Jake Lourim on FSU-Louisville

Mitch White/FSU Athletics

Florida State and Louisville meet on Saturday in what was supposed to be a much bigger match-up. Many expected the Seminoles to still be in the hunt for a playoff spot at this point, while few could’ve predicted that Louisville would experience such a massive drop-off from 2016.

But alas, here we are.

Joining The Daily Nole to preview Saturday’s noon EST kickoff is Jake Lourim from the Courier-Journal. Below, we talk about how the Cardinals will attack FSU’s offense, which players aside from Lamar Jackson to look out for, and make some predictions.

Louisville sits at 4-3 after back-to-back losses to N.C. State and Boston College. What were your expectations for the Cardinals in 2017?

Lourim: I think a lot of people, myself included, expected Louisville to be much better this year. I thought they’d be in the 10-2 range, with a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback and a manageable non-conference schedule. But not much has gone according to plan for the Cardinals. They’ve suffered injuries to their best running back, best wide receiver, best linebacker, best cornerback and one of their best defensive linemen. The biggest loss was Jaire Alexander, a preseason All-American at cornerback. This just wasn’t a group with enough depth to withstand the loss of a player like that. The season so far has been a major disappointment for a team that went into that showdown against Clemson in Week 3 at 2-0 with a legitimate shot to win it. 

Louisville’s defense has struggled this season, but FSU’s offense has struggled as well. How will the Cardinals defense attack the Seminole offense?

Lourim: Louisville’s defense is really down right now. The unit just gave up 45 points against Boston College, which has struggled on offense as much as just about anyone in the conference over the last couple of years. I’m not sure what to expect from the defense Saturday — coordinator Peter Sirmon has tried everything to fix the problems, whether it’s plugging gaps created by injuries or simply making substitutions for underperforming players. The Cards played 22 players last week as they tried to search for a winning combination. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sirmon move toward a more run-oriented approach this week. Louisville played a lot of hybrid 4-3/4-2-5 against Boston College, and it hurt up front. Against a Florida State team that should go to the run game first, the Cards may make some adjustments.

Lamar Jackson gets all the attention, but who are some lesser-known players that fans should watch out for on Saturday? Which players do you think will have the most success, whether it be on offense or defense?

Lourim: The biggest one is Dez Fitzpatrick, whom Florida State fans didn’t see last year as he redshirted. Fitzpatrick is having a breakout year at wide receiver for Louisville, with seven touchdown catches through seven games. He also leads the team with 33 catches and 541 yards, and he’s been a huge boost for a receiving corps that played without Jaylen Smith for three weeks. Another name I’ll float is Dae Williams, whom we haven’t seen at all last year. He redshirted last year and then tore his ACL in the spring, so he was just cleared to play last week but didn’t see action. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him out there this week, and I think he could really help a badly depleted group of running backs.

Which match-ups do you like for Louisville’s defense against the Seminole offense, and vice versa? Which ones concern you?

Lourim: It’s tough to project success on defense for Louisville after last week, but the defensive front has had some success with the pass rush and could win some battles against Florida State’s dismal offensive line. Jonathan Greenard has spent a lot of time in the backfield this season, with 11.5 tackles for loss and five sacks. In terms of issues, the biggest one is between Louisville’s linebackers and Florida State’s running game. As I mentioned, Louisville is playing without fifth-year senior linebacker Stacy Thomas, who sprained his knee in the N.C. State game. If he can’t go Saturday, the remaining players will have to do a better job wrapping up ball carriers.

Louisville started fast last season but limped to the finish, and it seems like that’s carried over into 2017. What is the difference between the Louisville team that beat FSU by 43 and this season’s team that lost to Boston College and struggled to beat Purdue?

Lourim: It’s a combination of all of the above factors. In general, Lamar Jackson just doesn’t have as much help around him as he did last year. Louisville’s running back from last year, Brandon Radcliff, is gone, and three more tailbacks have suffered long-term injuries so far. The receivers aren’t quite as good overall, especially without Jaylen Smith. And the defense has really been the problem; that unit is putting Jackson in difficult situations that force him to try to do it all himself.

Finally, give us a prediction. Who comes out of Doak Campbell Stadium victorious on Saturday?

Lourim: I think Louisville will bounce back a bit from last week and play well, and last year’s 63-20 rout certainly is still looming. But especially with all of the injuries, I just don’t think Louisville has the athletes to compete with Florida State in Tallahassee. The Seminoles recruit much better, and it’ll show. I say Florida State wins.

Special thanks to Jake Lourim for taking the time to help preview Saturday’s game. For all things Louisville, follow him on Twitter @jakelourim and catch his work at the Courier-Journal.

Game Info
Florida State vs. Louisville
Time: Noon EST
Location: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Fl.
TV/Radio: ESPN/XM Radio 193

Josh Mixon covers Florida State athletics for The Daily Nole. You can find him on Twitter @JoshDMixon.

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