Louisville football game-winner “divine intervention” but there’s more to the story

Louisville football head coach Scott Satterfield called his team’s game-winner against UCF “divine intervention,” but don’t let one play overshadow an unbelievable game and promising future.

When Louisville football linebacker Jaylin Alderman streaked down the sideline en route to a game-winning touchdown on Friday night, if you didn’t know any better you would have thought him to be a savvy veteran. A pass behind a UCF receiver was deflected in the air and Alderman calmly caught the ball in stride and turned on the jets.

What most didn’t realize amid the pandemonium in Cardinal Stadium was that it was Alderman’s first snap of the game.

After star linebacker Monty Montgomery was forced to the sideline with an injury, the 18-year-old true freshman subbed in for his first snap of the game and one of the first of his career.

“That was (Jaylin) Alderman’s only play and he gets in the game and he gets a touchdown,” head coach Scott Satterfield said postgame. “I said that was divine intervention. He’s in the game right there at the very end with 18 seconds to go into the game. He sits out there in the flat, the ball gets tipped right to him, he’s not even supposed to be there, he catches it and goes and scores a touchdown. You can’t write a script any better than that. He’s a great kid, too. He’s going to be a really good player for us. I said that the coaches were screwing up because we’re not playing him more. He played one snap and got a touchdown so he’s got to play a lot more, right?”

Be it due to the Holy Spirit, the Dalai Lama, or the ghost of Johnny Unitas, the stars certainly aligned for one magical, season-altering play.

However, it’s what lead up to that play that truly made the Central Florida victory more magical than a parade for a fictitious championship in the middle of Main Street in Magic Kingdom.

Let’s take a look at a few of the reasons Louisville football fans should be excited about the future after Friday’s massive win.

Win over UCF can be a program-changer

Oftentimes after a massive play ends a game, a lot of what leads up to the moment is lost. Now that the dust has cleared, here’s to hoping that won’t be the case going forward.

The magnitude of this win may lose its luster since UCF QB Dillon Gabriel, injured on the final play of the game, is unlikely to return this season. Thus, UCF might not return to the form we saw them in on Friday night.

It should still be noted that the win was over a really solid UCF team. The Knights were 18-7 with Gabriel under center entering the game and UCF was playing its third game under national championship-winning coach Gus Malzahn.

Even in solid seasons in 2014 and 2016, Louisville lacked any solid non-conference victories. The Cards dropped non-con games to the likes of Alabama, Auburn (Malzahn’s former employer), Houston, LSU, and Kentucky in recent years. One of the most crushing conference losses of recent was a last-second loss to UCF.

This non-conference victory over a team ranked 26th in the AP Polls is a big deal and we should treat it as such.

Louisville football was a program headed in the wrong direction. This win breathed life back into a team in desperate need of a big win and some momentum.

Louisville’s secondary is legit

We talked about this a but prior to the season and it has absolutely been the case thus far. Louisville football’s back seven is just really solid and particularly its secondary has been really fun to watch.

Jack Fagot made the move to CARD linebacker this year and his strengths are being utilized much more effectively. The dynamic duo of Q. Cole and Kenderick Duncan was electric on Friday, combining for 11 tackles and 3 tackles for loss. Cole’s pass break-up with 1:47 remaining in the 3rd quarter was one of the better defensive plays of the game.

Any conversation about the UofL secondary is incomplete without a serious discussion about Tre Clark. Louisville’s all-conference corner is beginning to have the Jaire Alexander impact on teams. Clark rarely has balls thrown in his direction, and it took an unbelievable catch for Clark to allow one of his only TD’s in memory.

As pointed out by UCF SB Nation Site Black and Gold Banneret, Louisville is the first team to ever hold Gabriel under 200 yards passing. Gabriel had previously passed for more than 300 yards in 13 of 25 career starts.

Gabriel completed 75 percent of his passes on Friday, but the Cardinals did an excellent job of keeping things in front of them holding the Knight’s QB to 188 yards through the air.

The first UCF passing play of the night was a 41-yard laser. Over his next 21 completions, Gabriel only averaged 7 yards per pass.

Malik Cunningham is a gamer

Going back and re-watching the game, perhaps the thing that stands out the most is that Malik Cunningham played so well. Cunningham turned in a 23-38 night good for 265 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns.

It felt, more against UCF than ever before, like Cunningham’s play-making was timely. He hung in the pocket to pass for more yardage, he rolled outside and completed difficult passes, he climbed in the pocket and extended plays. Cunningham kept multiple drives alive with his legs on 3rd and long. Simply put, he was probably the best he’s ever been in his career.

Additionally, Cunningham completed passes to 10 different players. Although Marshon Ford is likely to lead the team in targets going forward, Cunningham has shown growth in his willingness to go through his progressions.

Cunningham ran the ball 13 times and passed 38 times. If you’d have told a Louisville supporter during Cunningham’s freshman season that he passed 38 times in a big win and that was a good thing, they’d have laughed in your face. That shows the progression of Cunningham’s game.

Scott Satterfield is a capable offensive play-caller

Much of the scrutiny surrounding Louisville football this week was aimed at Satterfield.

After offensive coordinator Dwayne Ledford bolted for the Falcons in the offseason, Satterfield opted not to replace his play-caller and do it himself.

The start of the season saw the Louisville offense lack creativity. Louisville’s offensive line failed to get much push and the team appeared unprepared for the Mississippi defense.

Two weeks later, Satterfield’s creativity and Louisville’s overall preparedness were on full display. Louisville football opted to pass the ball much more often and UofL found creative ways to get Cunningham rolling out of the pocket. Louisville got its running backs running more off-tackle and towards the sidelines, which later opened things up to run up the middle.

Overall, the creativity and thoughtfulness behind the offensive game plan were what fans have wanted to see all season.

Louisville’s defensive discipline is refreshing

As previously mentioned, the discipline of the Louisville football defense is something to be really excited about.

Louisville kept everything underneath, forcing UCF into undesirable situations. The Cardinals focused on lining up and being ready on every play after getting burned frequently against a similar Ole Miss up-tempo offense.

Most importantly, UofL is doing a much better job of getting defenders into the opposing backfield and putting the opponent in undesirable situations. Louisville recorded 2 sacks and 5 tackles for loss.

Situationally, Louisville dialed up the right plays at the right time. The Cards’ D held UCF to only two conversions on 10 third-down attempts.

Overall, Louisville still has plenty to work on, but the turnaround from a poor start to 2021 was impressive and refreshing.

Also read: Was Louisville football fan reaction to Scott Satterfield warranted?