CFB: Louisville Cardinals Vs. Charlotte 49ers Preview, Predictions, And NFL Prospects


The Louisville Cardinals and the Charlotte 49ers will kick off their 2016 college football seasons at Papa John Stadium in Louisville on September 1. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m. E.T. and the game can be seen on ESPN3 as well as Fox Sports South.

Louisville enters the season with high expectations as the Cardinals return 18 starters. SB Nation projects the Cards to be one of the top teams in the ACC, likely finishing behind Clemson and Florida State in the tough ACC Atlantic division. In the meantime, Charlotte is just beginning its fourth season of college football and second in the FBS. The 49ers have more experience than they had a year ago, and that fact alone will give them a couple more wins than last season, according to Fansided.

Quick Overview

Louisville closed last season by winning six of seven to finish the season at 8-5. The Cards are now 58-18 under head coach Bobby Petrino, who began his second stint with the program three years ago, and is 17-7 since returning to the program.

Louisville begins the season ranked No. 19 in the AP poll and No.23 in the Amway Coaches poll. Offensively, the Cards are led by sophomore quarterback Lamar Jackson. Jackson was more of threat running the ball than throwing last year. Overall, he completed 54.7 percent of passes (135-of-247) for 1,840 yards along with 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He picked up a team-high 960 yards on the ground and 11 more touchdowns on 163 carries.

Several of Jackson’s weapons also return. Senior Brandon Radcliff is the top running back of the four backs returning that got at least 35 carries last year, totaling 634 yards and seven touchdowns on 139 carries. Junior backs Jeremy Smith, L.J. Scott, and Reggie Bonnafon also return.

While the running game is solid, the Cardinals “big play “guys are at wide receiver with seniors Jamari Staples and James Quick along with sophomore Jaylen Smith. Staples, Quick, and Smith combined for 105 receptions for over 1,600 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior TE Cole Hikutini also can cause defense problems due to his size. Louisville also returns four starters on the offensive line, though they gave up a lot of sacks in 2015.

Defense was a strength last year for the Cards, and they have a lot of experience on that side of the ball. Louisville returns four of their top six defensive linemen, four of their top six linebackers, and six of their top seven defensive backs.

The Cardinals play an aggressive defense that likes to get after the quarterbacks, but they are also strong against the run. Seniors DeAngelo Brown, Keith Kelsey, Devonte Fields, and Josh Harvey-Clemons are among the top players on that side of the ball.

Louisville’s biggest concerns heading into the season besides its offensive line is its pass defense and special teams.

Charlotte lost 10 straight games after starting their inaugural FBS campaign 2-0. The 49ers do have a few good players but lack quality depth overall. Charlotte returns 15 starters overall, nine on offense and six on defense.

Charlotte is bowl eligible for the first time. The 49ers are 12-22 in their football history, including 3-0 in season openers. This game marks the first time that Charlotte has played a team that is ranked in the top 25.

Former University of Miami quarterback recruit Kevin Olsen will be behind center when Charlotte goes out on offense for the first time against Louisville. The six-foot-three junior played at Riverside City Community College last year, completing 98 of 178 passes for 1080 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Senior running back Kalif Phillips is expected to carry the offensive load for the 49ers, though he should get help from wide receivers Austin Duke, Trent Bostick, former University of Georgia transfer Uriah Lemay, and T.L. Ford. The 49ers also return four starters from an offensive line that really struggled last year in both run and pass blocking.

Seniors defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi and linebacker Nick Cook lead a shaky front seven. However, the 49ers’ secondary is decent with senior safety Terrence Winchester along with the additions of transfers Kedrick Davis (North Carolina) and safety Ed Rolle. Last year, Winchester broke the single-season school record with a C-USA-leading four interceptions.

Predictions: Louisville should have no trouble at all with Charlotte. ESPN’s Football Power Football Index gives the 49ers just 1 percent of pulling off the upset. Meanwhile, Louisville is given a 64 percent chance of covering the 39.5 percent point spread. And there is a 51.1 percent chance that the teams combine to score less than 57.5 points, which is the over/under line.

NFL Prospects

Larry Ogunjobi, Charlotte DT: The six-foot-three, 297-pound senior is a 2016 preseason all-Conference-USA selection after racking up five sacks and 14.5 tackles for losses last year. He is the program’s all-time leader in tackles (152), tackles for losses (35.3), sacks (10.0), and quarterback hurries (23).

Kalif Phillips, Charlotte RB: The five-foot-10, 221-pound back is stocky with some burst. The 2016 preseason all-Conference-USA choice had five 100-yard rushing games last year — including a school-record 204 yards against Old Dominion. Overall, he rolled 961 yards on the ground and five touchdowns on 190 carries in 2015. Phillips has 3,113 career rushing yards and 38 touchdowns overall, 37 of those coming on the ground.

Austin Duke, Charlotte WR: The five-foot-nine senior wide out is the program’s all-time leading receiver. While he is not a prospect right now, Duke could get his name on NFL scout’s list with a good season. Duke caught 53 passes for 534 yards and five touchdowns last year, but he had 79 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns in 2014.

Jamal Covington, OL Charlotte: The six-foot-four, 305-pound senior left tackle could develop into an NFL prospect.

DeAngelo Brown, DT Louisville: The six-foot-one, 312-pounder is a hard-nosed player who defends the run very well. Brown had a breakout season last year, compiling a career-best 40 tackles to go along with two sacks and six tackles for losses.

Devonte Fields, Louisville OLB: The six-foot-four outside linebacker is the Cards’ top prospect. He has the ability to get after quarterbacks and has excellent first-step quickness along with great closing speed. Fields, voted the team’s DPOY last year, totaled 66 tackles along with 11.0 sacks and 22.5 tackles for losses.

Keith Kelsey, Louisville LB: The six-foot-one senior inside linebacker has a tremendous work ethic, possesses a high motor, and is extremely tough. While he doesn’t have elite physical traits, he is very productive — leading the Cards with 107 tackles with 3.5 sacks and 12.0 tackles for losses.

Josh Harvey-Clemons, S Louisville: The six-foot-five senior safety had a big season in 2015, recording 88 tackles along with three interceptions, one sack and a forced fumble. Harvey-Clemons also had three pass breakups and one quarterback hit.

Harvey-Clemons, who has had his share of off-field problems, is very good against the run, although he has only average instincts, ball skills, and cover skills.

Cole Hikutini, TE Louisville: The six-foot-five senior is a big target who finished fourth on the team in receptions and yards in 2015. Hikutini caught 18 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns last year. He previously played at Sacramento State and the City College of San Francisco.

Jamari Staples, WR Louisville: The six-foot-four senior is a fringe NFL prospect due to his big-play capabilities. Staples caught 37 passes for 638 yards and three touchdowns in his first season with the Cards. He spent two years at UAB before the Blazers shut down their football program.

James Quick, WR Louisville: The six-foot-one senior is also a fringe prospect at this time. He led the Cards with 39 catches for 624 catches and five touchdowns last season.

Keith Towbridge, TE Louisville: The six-foot-five senior could be a sleeper prospect. Towbridge is a big target who demonstrated an ability to make big plays last season. He had 10 receptions for 154 yards and three touchdowns a year ago.

[Photo by Mark Wallheiser/AP Images]

Share this article: CFB: Louisville Cardinals Vs. Charlotte 49ers Preview, Predictions, And NFL Prospects
More from Inquisitr