Boston College Eagles: What to watch for against Louisville Cardinals

Louisville Cardinals: Who to watch

Offense has been showcased at Louisville for the past few seasons so seeing them struggle in this regard has been a little surprising.

A step down was to be expected in the post-Jackson era but, despite early season struggles, seem to be trending in the right direction.

Senior wide receiver Jaylen Smith was a favorite of Jackson over the years. He has 132 career receptions and over 2200 yards to go along with 15 touchdowns.

Adjusting to a new quarterback, Smith started off being held in check. He’s had eight receptions over the past two weeks, though, bringing his season total to 16 for 266 yards.

Jawon Pass has taken over the quarterback duties, with freshman Malik Cunningham spelling him on occasion in special packages. Pass has thrown for 1,059 yards, completing 54.8% of his passes. He’s thrown six touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Cunningham is the leading rusher for the Cardinals but only carried once for 11 yards last week.

The defense for Louisville has only made six sacks and forced four turnovers so far in 2018. Senior safety Dee Smith leads the team in tackles with 37.

Boston College will face another top-tier defensive end in redshirt sophomore Tabarius Peterson. Peterson has 29 tackles, includes four for loss.

Prediction

Boston College gets back in the win column: Boston College 35 Louisville 24