Louisville Cardinals Football

Louisville Cardinals running back Jawhar Jordan put on an impressive offensive display in Saturday's Fenway Bowl victory over Cincinnati, making a case for a bigger role next season.

Jordan racked up 115 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries to lead Louisville to a 24-7 win. The transfer from Syracuse has two years of eligibility remaining and should be the focal point of the Cardinals offense in 2023.

This season, Jordan shared the backfield with dual-threat quarterback Malik Cunningham, who led the team with 12 rushing touchdowns. Cunningham sat out the bowl game after declaring for the NFL draft, giving Jordan the freedom to showcase his skills Saturday. Freshman running back Maurice Turner also had a strong game with a career-high 160 yards on 31 carries.

Fans on social media were impressed with what they saw from Jordan as he propelled Louisville to its first bowl victory since 2019:

After back-to-back losing seasons, the Cardinals finish 2022 an 8-5 record.

With Jordan leading the way, the Cardinals should have a better chance at being competitive in the ACC.

The Louisville Cardinals are losing a major piece from their 2023 recruiting class, while Texas A&M is gaining one.

Running back Rueben Owens II told Nick Harris of Rivals he decommitted from the Cardinals on Wednesday. Harris reported Ohio State, Georgia and Texas A&M were the front-runners to land him, and it didn't take long to make a decision.

Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports reported the running back chose the Aggies.

Owens is a 5-star prospect and the No. 23 overall player, No. 2 running back and No. 5 player from the state of Texas in the 2023 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

Gabe Brooks of 247Sports suggested Owens could eventually be an early-round draft pick in the NFL, underscoring his overall potential to be a game-changing addition for Texas A&M.

He is the first running back in the Aggies' 2023 recruiting class.

The first thing that jumps out about Owens is his speed, which follows since he also competes in high school track and field. That helps him turn small gains into long touchdown runs, and Brooks highlighted his elusiveness and moves in the hole as well.

He is also a solid receiver and physical enough to power through arm tackles and convert short-yardage situations if needed.

That Owens is leaving Louisville doesn't come as a major surprise given the change in the coaching staff.

Cincinnati hired away head coach Scott Satterfield, while ESPN's Chris Low reported the Cardinals are bringing in Purdue coach Jeff Brohm to fill the vacancy. Brohm is returning to his alma mater after leading the Boilermakers to the Big Ten Championship Game this season.

Coaching changes inevitably impact recruiting since prospects were so often recruited by the previous staff, and Owens is headed to Texas A&M as a result.

Purdue football head coach Jeff Brohm is finalizing a deal to take the same position at Louisville, per Chris Low of ESPN.

The reported pact would pay Brohm $35 million over six years.

Louisville had an opening at head coach after Scott Satterfield left the team to take the job at Cincinnati earlier this week.

Brohm has spent the past six years at Purdue, producing a 36-34 record. The squad went 8-5 in 2022 and made an appearance in the Big Ten title game.

The 51-year-old took over a program that went 3-9 in 2016, winning just nine games in the previous four years combined. Brohm led Purdue to a winning record in his first year, including a victory in the Foster Farms Bowl.

Last year, the Boilermakers won the Music City Bowl to end the season at 9-4, the program's best record since 2003.

Before his time at Purdue, Brohm went 30-10 across three seasons at Western Kentucky, including three bowl wins. The Hilltoppers went 12-2 in 2015, making their only appearance in the Associated Press Top 25 that year.

The coach will return home after starring as a player at Trinity High School in Louisville, winning the Kentucky Mr. Football Award as a senior in 1988. He went to Louisville from 1989 to 1993, throwing 38 career touchdown passes while leading the squad to a 9-3 record as a senior.

Brohm was inducted into the school's Ring of Honor in 2006.

After a seven-year NFL career, mostly as a backup, and one year in the XFL, Brohm returned to his alma mater as a coach. He led the quarterbacks from 2003 to 2006, becoming an assistant head coach in 2007 and offensive coordinator in 2008.

Louisville is coming off a 7-5 regular season and will face Cincinnati in the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 17.

Rueben Owens is headed to Louisville.

The 5-star running back announced his commitment to the school Monday, choosing Louisville over Texas and Texas A&M.

Owens originally committed to Texas but reopened his commitment in June. The El Campo, Texas, product still kept the Longhorns in the mix but took several visits as he attempted to determine his next stop.

"We're just going to open it up and make sure we're making the right choice for him and making sure he's making the right choice," Owens' father told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports.

Owens is ranked as the No. 16 overall player in the 2023 class and No. 1 running back, per 247Sports' composite rankings. Equipped with strong breakaway speed and flashing solid hands, Owens has the profile of a running back who could step in and make an instant impact at the next level. He's compiled 5,308 yards and 76 touchdowns on the ground over three seasons for El Campo.

247Sports profiled Owens as a T.J. Yeldon-type runner. Yeldon had a highly successful career at Alabama before playing six NFL seasons.

Owens is the 10th player to sign with Louisville in the 2023 class, which is ranked No. 11 among all schools.

Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham made history on Thursday night in the Cardinals' 62-22 win over Duke.

Cunningham accounted for seven touchdowns, five through the air and two on the ground, and threw for 303 yards while adding 224 rushing yards. He became the second player in FBS history to pass for at least 300 yards and rush for at least 200 yards in the same game, joining Washington's Marques Tuiasosopo, who did so in 1999.

Cunningham didn't even play the final 12 minutes of the game as Louisville improved to 6-5 and 4-4 in the ACC. It was the first time since November 2019 that the Cardinals have won consecutive conference games, as they defeated Syracuse 41-3 on Saturday.

Cunningham ran the ball 11 times and completed 18-of-25 passes. His rushing scores were for 44 and 72 yards in the second quarter. All five of his passing touchdowns went to different receivers. 

"I felt I could have done better," Cunningham said after the game. "I left a couple yards out there."

Cunningham actually entered the game at less than 100 percent. He said he was "feeling pretty bad throughout the week" as he dealt with an illness.

The Blue Devils tried to generate pressure on Cunningham, but he used his speed to beat their blitzes and he also made good decisions from the pocket. Duke has allowed at least 45 points in each of its last five games, all losses.

"When Malik broke the line of scrimmage, there wasn’t anybody there," Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield said. "He had a calm about him, a great poise tonight. He let the offense come to him. But when it was time to shine, he did."

The Cardinals will be back in action for their final regular-season game on Nov. 27 at home against Kentucky.

Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson will be honored with a statue at the University of Louisville outside Cardinal Stadium.

Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra announced the news Monday on the Deener Show (h/t Shawn Barbour of Cardinals Sports Zone).

The statue will be placed at the main entrance alongside fellow Louisville great Johnny Unitas, who also went on to a great professional career in Baltimore.

Jackson was the first Cardinals player to win the Heisman Trophy in 2016 during a season in which he totaled 30 passing touchdowns and 21 rushing touchdowns.

Over his final two seasons in college, Jackson totaled 7,203 passing yards, 57 passing touchdowns, 3,172 rushing yards and 39 rushing touchdowns. He won the Heisman in 2016 ahead of other top quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson before finishing third in voting in 2017.

He also earned the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback, Maxwell Award as the nation's top player and twice won the ACC Player of the Year award. 

The individual accolades will help him be immortalized at the school alongside Unitas, who went onto be named a Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Jackson will hope for similar success in his professional career and is already on his way with an MVP award in his second NFL season with the Ravens. If he keeps it up, he will be alongside Unitas and Ray Lewis with another statue outside M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. 

Just four months after transferring from Nebraska, quarterback Luke McCaffrey has left Louisville's football program.

According to Ben Kercheval of CBS Sports, Louisville head football coach Scott Satterfield announced McCaffrey's departure during an appearance on ESPN Radio 93.9 The Ville on Wednesday.

Satterfield noted that McCaffrey decided to transfer after it became clear that he wasn't going to beat out Malik Cunningham for the Cardinals' starting quarterback job.

McCaffrey is the younger brother of Carolina Panthers superstar running back Christian McCaffrey and the son of former Denver Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey.

As a redshirt freshman last season, McCaffrey appeared in seven games for the Cornhuskers and started two of them, although he was primarily the backup to Adrian Martinez.

McCaffrey completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 466 yards with one touchdown and six interceptions. While he struggled as a passer, he did plenty of damage with his legs, rushing for 364 yards and three touchdowns on 65 attempts.

At Louisville, McCaffrey was looking to take the starting job from Cunningham, who had an up-and-down season for a 4-7 Cardinals team in 2020.

Cunningham became the full-time starter in 2019, completing 62.4 percent of his passes for 2,061 yards, 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions, and he rushed for 482 yards and six touchdowns.

He didn't take the step forward that the Louisville coaching staff likely hoped for and expected in 2020, though, completing 64.1 percent of his attempts for 2,617 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 picks, along with 609 yards and seven scores on the ground.

The door was open for McCaffrey usurp Cunningham with a strong performance during the spring, but Satterfield's comments suggest that McCaffrey didn't do enough to earn the job.

It isn't yet known where McCaffrey will transfer, but he will still have four years of eligibility remaining and a chance to reach his lofty potential once he makes the move to a new school.

Louisville football coach Scott Satterfield wrote a letter apologizing to fans for his interest in the South Carolina job:

Satterfield has spent the past two years with the Cardinals, going 8-5 in 2019 before struggling to a 3-7 mark with one game remaining in 2020.

His name came up regarding the South Carolina opening in November after Will Muschamp was fired, but he reaffirmed his commitment to Louisville on Twitter. It was later revealed he interviewed for the open position, but Satterfield then said it was just a "conversation."

"My intentions were never to leave or go anywhere else, but I thought I owed an obligation just to listen because of where it’s at. That’s it," he said last week, per Cameron Teague Robinson of the Louisville Courier-Journal.

The coach is now apologizing to the season ticket holders and vows to be more honest.

"In the days, weeks and months ahead I will do what is necessary to earn back the trust and support of each and every one of you," Satterfield wrote.