The University of Louisville might have been the oldest young football team in the nation this season. The Cardinals' 25 seniors — fewer only than Hawaii (28) and TCU (26) — helped pave the way to a 7-6 record and the team's first bowl since the 2006 season.
At the same time, the Cards played 23 true or redshirt freshmen, which tied for fourth in the FBS. Getting experience for so many rookies is one reason the coaches don't expect a dropoff in 2011.
“The expectations are just going to go higher and higher, and the standards are going to be raised,”
head coach Charlie Strong said. “So guys have to understand, that's why it's so critical when we go and recruit that we get guys with the right fit — the right fit — for this program.”
Youth won't be used as an excuse next season — including at quarterback, which is likely to be filled with high-ranked talent. Recruiting commitments DaMarcus Smith of Seneca High School and Teddy Bridgewater of Miami Northwestern, rated the nation's No. 2 dual-threat quarterback by Rivals.com, figure to compete for the job.
Whether either eventually starts could depend on whether they graduate from high school early and enroll at U of L in time to participate in spring drills.
Whoever becomes the signal-caller will have a lot of top-notch targets. Wide receivers Josh Bellamy and Andrell Smith will return, joined by Michaelee Harris, who would have played this season as a true freshman but was injured in August camp.
Bellamy, Smith and tight end Josh Chichester combined for 13 of the team's 22 touchdown receptions.
On the other hand, the senior-laden offensive line gets sacked. Center Mario Benavides will be the lone returning starter, and only Ryan Kessling and Alex Kupper factored into the rotation.
“It's going to be tough, but I have more than enough faith for the young guys to step in,”
Benavides said. “They watched guys like Mark (Wetterer) get the job done; they've got a lot of experience from mental reps.”
Running back Jeremy Wright got more than that. Filling in for an injured Bilal Powell, he rushed for 98 yards and two scores against Syracuse. He and senior-to-be Victor Anderson should keep the ground game moving. Wright was second on the team with 327 rushing yards and 5.5 per carry, and Anderson was third at 286 and 4.5.
