Marshall Thundering Herd

Louisville Football: Top quotes from Marshall's head coach about the Cards

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Louisville football is set to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd this Saturday night. We take a look at some top quotes from Marshall’s head coach below.

The Louisville football team is taking their 3-0 record on the road to West Virginia Saturday night to take on the Thundering Herd. After achieving the 3rd spot in the nation, granted by the Associated Press, the Cardinals will have all eyes on them going forward. It will be interesting to see how they respond after their biggest win of the season.

Marshall doesn’t present a huge test for Louisville football, however their fans will be rowdy and ready for game-time. That, however, won’t make the difference in the game at all because Lamar Jackson is coming to town after Marshall just lost 65-38 at home to Akron.

If the Herd couldn’t stop Akron, then there is no way they can slow down this Louisville offense.

Marshall has had some fantastic recent football success. Here is what Marshall’s website had to say about the Herd:

“Marshall has won five consecutive bowls – the current long streak in the FBS – with four of those triumphs coming under Holliday in the last five seasons. Marshall’s three straight 10-win seasons also are a first in the 20-season history of Conference USA football.
His 2015 Herd finished 10-3 with a win over Connecticut in the St. Petersburg Bowl. His 2014 and ’15 teams – with a combined mark of 23-4 – have the best record among the Group”

Marshall head coach Doc Holliday had his press conference yesterday and answered questions about the Cardinals and what he expects in this Saturday night’s game.

Here are some of the top quotes from the press conference via Marshall’s official athletic website:

Sep 17, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) runs the ball against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Papa John

Speaking on Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson:

“Everything Jackson does is a threat, look at his numbers. He can definitely beat you with his feet, there is no question there. He runs away from people and he is not a guy who is going to slide. He is going to run over people and is very physical. If he is down on the goal line in the red zone, he is going to put his head down and try to run over defenders. He is a threat with his feet, and he is a threat with his arm. He has tremendous speed and is just an all-around great player.”

Holliday brings up a great point about Lamar Jackson. He has a tendency to try and run right through defenders, which is amazing for his frame. There are many people who worry about Lamar Jackson taking too many hits, but none of those people are Jackson. He loves to create contact in the red zone.

Marshall will have a hard time finding ways to slow him down. As we have talked about before, they just gave up 65 points, at home, in a loss to Akron. They do not have the personnel or ability to slow down Louisville’s offense.

Dec 26, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Marshall Thundering Herd quarterback Chase Litton (14) throws the ball as Connecticut Huskies linebacker Junior Joseph (11) rushes during the second half at Tropicana Field. Marshall Thundering Herd defeated the Connecticut Huskies 16-10. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Comparing Marshall QB Chase Litton and Lamar Jackson:

“Chase cannot match Lamar. He cannot run like he can. Chase has to be Chase. He has to play our game and not concern himself with what Lamar Jackson is doing. We have to get better as an offensive football team ourselves. We have to take care of the ball and do what we do. Offensively, we cannot worry about what Lamar Jackson is doing.”

This is what any reasonable head coach would tell his offense. However, there isn’t one other team in the country right now that could match what Jackson is doing on a weekly basis. Litton needs to focus on Louisville’s defense way before he worries about Jackson.

The problem is that Litton will have very little room for error on Saturday night. We all saw how Louisville ran the score up quickly on Syracuse, even after the Orange were able to put together a few decent touchdown drives.

The Thundering Herd need to try and dominate the time of possession, but that might also mean the Cardinals just scored five touchdowns on ten plays.

Sep 17, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive coordinator Tood Grantham calls out instructions during the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at Papa John

Speaking on what Louisville’s defense brings to the table:

“They are extremely aggressive. They get after you, they don’t sit back, and they bring blitzes from all over the field. There is a reason they are the number three team in America. You don’t outscore opponents like they do without playing great defense and they do that. There are tremendous on special teams as well. They had a punt return for a touchdown against Florida State, so they are good in all three phases of the game and that’s why they are the number three team right now.”

Louisville’s defense has not received the same attention that Lamar Jackson has so far this season. This is truly one of the best defenses in the entire country and they are proving it every single week. Just like Holliday said, the offense is able to put up so many points because the defense gives them multiple opportunities to vastly outscore the opposing team every week.

The Cardinals dominated the Seminoles in every aspect of the game last weekend, which was a huge factor in Louisville’s 63-20 win. I expect to see the same kind of results this weekend, on the road, for the Louisville football team.

Sep 17, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) stretches out to score a touchdown against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Papa John

Speaking on what he expects to see in Saturday’s game:

“We expect to win every week, just like our fans do. We have reached a point around here where losing a game means the world is going to end, and that’s okay. That’s the expectations and standards of where we are and there is nothing wrong with that. What we have to understand is that you better put that behind you and move forward or you’re not going to get better as a team. At this point, there are no breaks. We have 10 weeks of playing ball ahead of us and if we don’t come back every Sunday and Monday and start preparing for the next week then we are going to look up at the end of the season and not like where we are. I told the (Huntington) Quarterback Club yesterday: there is nothing wrong with being upset. Losing sucks. I hate it and you hate it. Everyone does.”

It isn’t looking too good for the Thundering Herd this weekend either. This will definitely be their toughest game of the 2016 season. Louisville presents a test that most schools in the entire country would have a hard time passing right now. Bobby Petrino has his Louisville football on a roll right now and the Thundering Herd aren’t going to be the team that beats them.