Yes, college football is back and so is the fun for Louisville football fans. Many of them arriving four to five hours early for the noon kickoff. The multiple parking lots a sea of red and black canopies and tents, the partisans thriving on the early morning menus and liquids ranging from coffee to booze. Football season is a time to party for UofL fans, so much more fun when accompanied by winning.
No one was expecting Austin Peay to put up much of a fight against the University of Louisville in the opening game. The Governors stuck with the script and provided UofL with a cakewalk to get the season off on the right track. A 62-0 romp for the Cardinals in an offensive clinic for the 47,067 fans at L&N Stadium.
A memorable debut for new UofL quarterback Tyler Shough, now in his seventh football season. Making good on 18 of 24 passing attempts, for 232 yards and four touchdowns. A promising start, maybe he can steer clear of the injuries that have extended his career. A long and winding path led him to the Ville and, hopefully, the best is yet to be.
“It’s such a blessing. I’m really grateful for the opportunity, and that was kind of my thought process the whole time: just go out there and have fun,” said Shough. “Really no nerves. You only get so many opportunities with this game, and you never know what is going to happen. I was really proud of the way we played and how the team performed.”
Louisville racked up 571 yards, including 293 of the rushing variety. Freshman Isaac Brown also had an impressive first game as a Cardinal, rushing for 123 total yards and a touchdown on only five carries. The 5-foot-9 freshman joined the program in the off season as a four-star signee from Homestead, Florida. No stranger to quality competition, may be only the beginning.
“Very proud of our football team today,” said Brohm. “You practice for a long time through the spring, summer and fall camp. You try to get through fall camp with as few injuries as possible, but you don’t have as many live reps, so to get on the game field and execute pretty well not only in the first half but the second half with some backups was good to see.
“I thought we played hard to the end. We limited penalties as much as we could, we got some turnovers and didn’t turn the ball over as well, so a lot of things to build on. I thought our guys came ready to play and did a good job finishing.”
