(Photo: The Courier-Journal)
Campus Clash
ACC Championship
(15) Louisville Cardinals at (4) Florida State Seminoles
Louisville: I began to pay more attention to them after punching the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the mouth on October 7th. This is what happens when you overlook opponents and they made the Irish pay. They have coasted along throughout the season if you look at it. This past Saturday was rivalry week and they were the only top ten team to lose their game to end the year and to add insult to injury, they fell to a Kentucky Wildcats team that was unranked so it was an upset. They were able to outgain Kentucky in total yards, 403-289, but what hurt them was making mistakes in pivotal moments of the game. To win football games, taking care of the ball and winning the turnover battle meaning you take care of the ball on offense and your defense forces a takeaway or two. That’s what I’m talking about when it comes to securing the ball. This Louisville Cardinals offense is quick and anchored by Quarterback, Jack Plummer who is the son of former NFL Quarterback, Jake Plummer and typing that just made me feel old because I remember when Jake played. Jack decided to use his final year of eligibility by transferring to Louisville and he’s a big reason why the Cardinals had the success they did this year. He spreads the ball around and knows how to extend the plays along with playing with that gun slinger mentality. I like how he moves within the pocket and we all know how important pocket awareness is today. On Saturday night, they will have their hands full with a conference title showdown against the best team in the conference.
Florida State: I remember when I watched their first game of the year against the LSU Tigers and how dominant they were. With a trio of Jordan Travis, Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, they will give defenses fits just as they did LSU in week one. There have been moments when they looked a bit pedestrian at times and appeared to play down to competition, but they always found ways to win. I was high on this group entering the year and they have been one of the best teams in the country. Mike Norvell has his most talented roster ever as Head Coach and Jordan was regarded as one of the best Quarterbacks in the nation. Now, let’s rewind to November 18th, 2023 when Jordan suffered a very gruesome leg injury. Tate Rodemaker has been named Jordan’s replacement and in his first game as the starting Quarterback for the Seminoles, he threw for 134 yards. What I’m about to say right now is just the facts. You can’t have a new Quarterback come in and be just like the guy he replaced because that’s putting him in a position to fail. You want to coach him and cater to his skillset and let him be the best version of him. Now, the Seminoles offense changes and they will be more rush oriented moving forward to complement Tate. Also, he has an elite defense to shoulder some of the pressure off of him as well. They are looking to win their first conference title since 2014 and will look to do so against the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday night.
Louisville X-Factor: Jawhar Johnson– The Cardinals have one of the more prolific rushing tandems in the ACC with Jawhar Johnson and the Wisconsin transfer, Isaiah Guerendo. Jawhar averages a little over six yards per carry. I like his ability to stop, then start up and keep moving. He also has that speed that will get him into the second and third tiers of any defense and if you don’t tackle him and allow him to get into open space, it could be a challenging day for your defense.
Florida State X-Factor: Akeem Dent– Florida State has a thing for developing secondary players. The greatest Cornerback ever (Deion Sanders), Jalen Ramsey and Derwin James are a few names. Watch for Akeem Dent next. He’s always playing downhill and plays that aggressive style of football. Akeem tackles the ball carrier, plays center field and has improved his pass coverage considerably since his freshman year. He keeps his eyes on the Quarterback, then uses that quickness to get to the football. Louisville needs to be aware of this guy on Saturday.
Final Thoughts: I remember when I previewed this matchup in 2016. Louisville had a Quarterback by the name of Lamar Jackson leading them and that was his Heisman Moment beating a Florida State team that was ranked second in the country that year. This time around, they will meet for the ACC title. Louisville will have a chance in this game if they can get that running game going and this is something the Seminoles should be paying attention too. Rodemaker must play better than he did against Florida last weekend. I’m not saying he needs to throw for over 300 yards in this game, but he needs to show he can take control of this offense and make some throws down the field. The key for the Seminoles in this game will be their defense. Jared Verse and company will be way too much for Plummer and the Cardinals offense to overcome. I like the Seminoles to win the ACC Championship and advance to the College Football Playoff for the first time since it all started back in 2015.
Prediction: Florida State 27, Louisville 13
