Jawhar Jordan Shines in Louisville's Victory Over NC State
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - For the most part, the matchup between Louisville and NC State lived up to what it had been billed as. With both teams sporting elite defenses and having to go with backup quarterbacks, offense was at times hard to come by, especially in the early stages of the game.
But if there was any player who was able fight through the grit and shine bright by the end of the game, it was no doubt Cardinals running back Jawhar Jordan. In fact, he played a crucial role in Louisville's 25-10 victory over the No. 24 ranked Wolfpack.
“What is awesome about him is he doesn’t say anything. He just comes to work every single day," head coach Scott Satterfield said after the game. "He just works his tail off and when he gets an opportunity or a chance, he tries to make the most of it. For a smaller back, he runs as hard as anybody I have been around for his size. He is not the 210 or 215 pound back. He still sticks in there and tries to maneuver and get yards."
With regular starting running back Tiyon Evans not fully healthy, it was Jordan who earned the start against NC State, and he answered the call. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound back ran 16 times, totaling 105 rushing yards and a two-yard touchdown in the process.
That stat line might not seems incredibly prolific to some, but considering the defense he was facing, it's a fantastic performance. This was an NC State team that had only given up 66 total rushing yards in their previous three games combined, and was allowing only 92.3 rushing yards per game for the season. In fact, the Wolfpack had allowed just one 100-yard rusher on the year up to this point, with Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis tallying 108 yards in a 19-17 Seminoles loss last month.
Add in a 13-yard reception, and Jordan finished with 118 total yards of offense against the Wolfpack. He became only the sixth player all season to total over 100 yards from scrimmage against NC State, joining Travis, Syracuse's Oronde Gadsden and Sean Tucker, Virginia Tech's Kaleb Smith, Wake Forest's A.T Perry and Boston College's Zay Flowers.
"The game plan was just to gash them out with the run game and just believe in what we practiced," Jordan said. "That’s all that was.”
But offense wasn't the only way that he contributed to the cause. Jordan has been Louisville's primary kickoff returner all season long, and he finally found pay dirt against NC State.
The Wolfpack started to get into a little bit of a rhythm in the second quarter, and were able to tie the game 3-3 on a 30-yard field goal with less than five minutes until halftime. Jordan immediately snuffed out the NC State momentum on the ensuing kickoff, returning it 98 yards for the game's first touchdown.
What made it even more impressive was how he did it. It was a high kick that appeared like it might land to the man in front of Jordan, but he didn't make a play on the ball, and it bounced past Jordan all the way to the two-yard line. Jordan had to pick it up off the bounce, gather himself, then weave through traffic for the score.
“Me and the up-back made eye contact, and I thought he was going to get the ball but he didn’t. So, I said, let’s just make a play," Jordan said. “I was anticipating the kickoff team to be on my tail, so when I picked it up and I saw the hole, I was like, I’ll just take it.”
Jordan finished the game with 210 all-purpose yards, the most given up by NC State all season long. It was also the second time in his Louisville career that he totaled over 200 all-purpose yards in a game, falling just short of the 216 yards he amassed in the First Responder Bowl against Air Force lasts season.
The Chandler, Ariz. native joined the program right before the start of the 2021 season after two seasons at Syracuse. Injuries limited his availability that season, but he has made the most of his opportunities this year. With just one regular season game to go, Jordan has 555 rushing yards - trailing quarterback Malik Cunningham by six yards for the most on the team - as well as two rushing scores.
"I know it’s part of God’s plan. You just got to trust the process, and that’s what I did." he said.
Louisville heads back on the road for their regular season finale, and will take on in-state rival Kentucky in the Battle of the Bluegrass. Kickoff against the Wildcats is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 26 at 3:00 p.m. EST.
(Photo of Jawhar Jordan: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)
You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:
Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report
You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter
