Louisville Report

Preview: Louisville Cardinals vs. Ole Miss Rebels

The Cardinals kick off the 2021 season against the Rebels in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game.

Matthew McGavic

Louisville Cardinals (0-0, 0-0 ACC) vs. Ole Miss Rebels (0-0, 0-0 SEC)

- Kickoff:Β Monday, September 6 at 8:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
- Weather Conditions:Β Intervals of clouds and sunshine in the morning with more clouds for later in the day. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 86F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
- How To Watch: ESPN
- How To Listen: WHAS 840/790 WKRD
- Betting Favorite: Ole Miss -10.0
- All-Time Series: First Meeting
- Last Meeting: N/A

Game Notes

Louisville

  • The University of Louisville begins its 103rd varsity football season, and the third under head coach Scott Satterfield, when it plays Mississippi in the Chick-fil-a Kickoff Game on Sept. 6 in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.Β The Cardinals are making their second appearance in the kickoff game, losing to No. 5 Auburn 31-24 in the same contest to open the 2015 season.
  • The Cardinals are 56-40-6 in season openers and have won seven of the last 10. The Cardinals defeated Western Kentucky 35-21 at home in the delayed 2020 season opener.
  • The Cardinals welcome back 31 players who started at least one game during the 2020 campaign, including three who started all 11 games β€” all coming on offense.
    • Of the 31 players who started at least one game, 17 come on the offensive side of the ball and 14 were on defense.
  • Quarterback Malik Cunningham reached career highs last season in both passing and rushing yards. Entering his third season as the starter, Cunningham threw for 2,617 yards and 20 touchdowns, while rushing for a personal best 609 yards and seven scores last year.
    • The redshirt-junior averaged 293.3 yards of total offense per game β€” ranking 20th in the country. He averaged 7.42 yards per play, including 4.6 yards a carry.
  • Defensive end Tabarius Peterson and cornerback Kei’Trel Clark both started 10 games, while linebacker C.J. Avery saw action as a starter in nine contests.
  • Avery has led the Cardinals in tackles the last two seasons after posting 78 in 2020. The native of Grenada, Miss., recorded four double-digit tackle games in 2020, including a season-best 12 in a win over Florida State.
    • Avery has registered 249 career tackles over his first four seasons, including a career best 93 during the 2019 campaign.
  • The Cardinals are averaging 31.4 points per game during Satterfield’s first two campaigns, averaging 33.1 in 2019 and 29.5 last season. Over a 24-game span, the Cardinals have scored better than 30 or more points in 12 contests and 40 or more in six games.
  • Turnovers have told the story in wins and losses for the Cardinals during Scott Satterfield’s first two seasons at Louisville. Last season, the Cardinals were -12 in that category en route to a 4-7 record.
  • The UofL defense took a dramtic turn in 2020 under defensive coordinator Bryan Brown. The Cardinals went from 102nd nationally to 39th in the country in 2020, allowing only 369.1 total yards of offense.
    • After finishing ninth in the ACC against the pass in 2019, the Cardinals closed the 2020 season as the leaders allowing just 189.2 yards per game and holding quarterbacks to just a 53.6 completion rate.

Ole Miss

  • The Rebels Will be without head coach Lane Kiffin for their season opener vs. Louisville, as he tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.
  • The Rebels are 92-29-5 (.750 winning percentage) in season openers and have taken 19 of the last 24 on the field.
  • The Rebels ranked top-20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories last season. Ole Miss broke the SEC record for total offense in conference games (562.4 ypg), besting LSU’s mark of 550.0.
  • Junior Matt Corral returns as the Rebels’ primary signal caller and is one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country. Corral became just the fourth SEC player ever to finish as the NCAA leader in total offense per game (384.9) last season, joining Pat Sullivan (1970), Rex Grossman (2001) and Johnny Manziel (2012).
    • The signal-caller also finished No. 5 in passing yards per game (333.7), No. 7 in passing TDs (29), No. 9 in passing efficiency (177.6) and No. 11 in passing yards per completion (14.5). A preseason All-America selection, Corral is the returning SEC leader in eight separate categories. He led the SEC last season with eight completions of 40 yards or more.
  • Ole Miss returns 100 percent of the rushing production from the running back position, including junior Jerrion Ealy. Ealy finished last season with 745 rushing yards on 147 carries and nine TDs on the ground. He ranked No. 25 in the FBS in all-purpose yardage (132.1 ypg).
    • Ealy also serves as a dangerous return threat, with one kickoff return TD in each of the last two seasons. Ealy is a first-team preseason All-American as an all-purpose player and third team as a running back.
  • Orlando Umana joined the Rebels after spending four years at Utah where he appeared in 40 career games, including 26 starts. Twenty-two of those starts came at center for the Utes. Battling injury, Umana appeared in just one game for Utah during a shortened 2020 season. As a junior, he earned Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention honors in 2019 after starting 12 games at center.
    • Umana played in all 14 games on the offensive line as a sophomore in 2018, starting four at left guard and the last nine at center for Utah. The Sacramento, California, native allowed just one sack in 472 pass blocks in 2018.
  • The Rebels also return numerous key starters and loads of additional depth in the secondary. Starters Keidron Smith, AJ Finley, Jakorey Hawkins and Jalen Jordan are back after all starting a majority of games last season. Smith led all returning DBs in 2020 with 64 tackles, while Finley led the Rebels with three interceptions and seven pass breakups. Otis Reese, a transfer from Georgia, became eligible for the final three games of the 2020 season and averaged eight tackles per game.
  • The Ole Miss football team landed four Rebels on the preseason All-Southeastern Conference team voted on by the 14 league head coaches. Matt Corral (QB) and Jerrion Ealy (RS, AP) both earned first-team accolades, while Mac Brown (P) earned second-team honors and Nick Broeker (OL) was named to the third team. Ealy also earned thirdteam recognition as a running back.

Depth Charts

Here are the depth charts for both teams ahead of their matchup: Louisville vs. Ole Miss

Comparison

See how the Cardinals stack up against the Rebels, and who the statistical models favor: Tale of the Tape, Predictions: Louisville vs. Ole Miss

Uniform Report

Louisville will be wearing their all red "color rush" uniforms, while Ole Miss will be wearing their traditional powder blues:

Additional Coverage

(Photo of Scott Satterfield, Louisville Players:Β Geoff Burke - USA TODAY Sports)

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Published
Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic

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