Wake Forest Football: Louisville Players to Watch
Ranked as a top-ten team for the second time in program history, Wake Forest still has much to prove over their final five regular season games. Having played only three conference matchups, The Demon Deacons close out their season with road contests against Louisville, NC State, and Duke, and home tilts against ranked foes in No. 16 Syracuse and No. 21 North Carolina.
Louisville sits at 4-3 with four ranked matchups remaining. With the chance to cause chaos in the ACC, the Cardinals will look to start things off with a home win over No. 10 Wake Forest.
Senior quarterback Malik Cunningham is back in action after getting injured at the end of the loss to Boston College, and not playing in the win over Virginia.
“He is one of the most gifted, talented players in the league,” Head coach Dave Clawson said. “He has really improved reading plays and his accuracy on throws. When he sets his feet and is able to get through a progression, this guy puts the ball on the money. Every single year he has gotten better.”
Louisville has won consecutive conference matchups over Pitt and Virginia and can extend its win streak to three on Saturday. Last year’s contest in Winston-Salem was a thriller, ending with a Nick Sciba game-winning kick.
READ: Wake Forest Football: OC Warren Ruggiero on Louisville's Defense
QB Malik Cunningham:
Cunningham has evolved into an excellent dual-threat quarterback during his five seasons with the Cardinals.
Cunningham has run for 2,978 yards and 46 touchdowns in his collegiate career. Through the air, Cunningham has passed for 9,186 yards and 67 touchdowns. In Louisville's program history, Cunningham now sits at No. 4 in career passing yards and No. 3 in rushing yards.
Malik Cunningham bolted to put Louisville on top 🤫⚡️@MalikMalikc10 | @LouisvilleFB pic.twitter.com/RB7IZPYkeG
— ACC Network (@accnetwork) September 10, 2022
As the heir to legendary college quarterback and Heisman winner Lamar Jackson, Cunningham has taken the Cardinals to two bowl games, defeating Mississippi State in 2018 but losing to Air Force last season in the First Responder Bowl.
READ: Behind Enemy Lines: Q&A with Louisville Football Writer
Cunningham can take a game over and deliver in clutch moments (as shown in the clip above). Against the Deacs last season, Cunningham did it all, throwing for 309 yards and two touchdowns while adding 46 yards and two scores on the ground.
The Deacs must focus on containing Cunningham to avoid having this one get out of hand.
Malik Cunningham’s 5 TDs vs Cuse in November: pic.twitter.com/4Ed3aJDenn
— ⚜️Alan Thomas⚜️ (@CardN_AL) July 20, 2022
WR Tyler Hudson:
Opting to enter the transfer portal after last season, Hudson enrolled at Louisville in January. As a former three-star recruit, Hudson spent his first three seasons at the University of Central Arkansas. In his time with the Bears, Hudson hauled in 167 catches for 3,062 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Scott Satterfield has been praising Central Arkansas transfer & FCS All-American Tyler Hudson (@bruhtyler18) a ton over the duration of spring practice
— Dalton Pence (@dpence_) March 24, 2022
A key name to watch throughout the offseason for the Louisville wide receiver room
pic.twitter.com/ERvKIaAqxW
Hudson posted a career season in 2021, recording 62 receptions for 1,229 yards and eight touchdowns. Off to a great start in his first year with the Cardinals, Hudson has emerged as the primary receiving option for Cunningham. Despite not scoring a touchdown through seven games, Hudson has caught 34 passes for 484 yards.
Hudson is an elusive vertical threat on the outside, and Wake Forest will feel much more comfortable if cornerback Caelen Carson is available to cover him.
READ: Wake Forest vs Louisville: Line, Preview and Predictions
LB Yasir Abdullah:
Senior linebacker Yasir Abdullah is indispensable for the Cardinals’ defense. Abdullah has been a dominant veteran presence in the middle, helping to turn the Cardinals’ front seven into one of the elite groups in the ACC.
Notching 29 tackles (17 solo), 3.5 sacks, eight TFLs, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and four pass breakups this season, Abdullah truly does it all for the Cardinals. His performance against Pitt earned him the ACC linebacker of the week.
Slammed the door shut.#GoCards pic.twitter.com/bvZfylUIO6
— Louisville Football (@LouisvilleFB) October 23, 2022
Having recorded 176 career tackles and 17.5 sacks, Abdullah will be on NFL scouts’ radar as the 2023 draft nears. Abdullah’s ability to get to Sam Hartman on Saturday will be crucial in disrupting the Deacs’ offensive momentum en route to a potential upset over the No. 10 team in the country.
Yasir Abdullah dominated in Louisville's win over Pitt last night. He continues to show why he's been such a valuable leader for the Cardinals. Abdullah: "I don't speak so much, but I show by example. When it's clutch time, I always taught those boys to pick it up." pic.twitter.com/hIBkyaKfsL
— Tyler Greever (@Tyler_Greever) October 23, 2022
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Sam is a contributing football writer for Deacons Daily