With the naming of a new Louisville football coach, there comes a lot of expectations. Most expectations are unrealistic, but our fandom requires us to yearn for success. And we want that success to happen quickly.
Let’s be honest for a minute. Scott Satterfield, Jeff Brohm, Nick Saban or whoever you choose, is not going to turn this program around overnight.
I said earlier this season that things have to get worse before they can get better. Well, they got a lot worse – In fact, it hit rock bottom – so now it’s time for things to get better. Hiring Scott Satterfield is just the first step in the process. It’s not the only step but it is the most important one.
Now, we the fans, need to be patient and supportive. Give coach time to clean up this mess and trust in his process. Is it a guaranteed process? No, it’s not but judging from his history, you have to believe it will work. Regardless of the end result, it has to be better than the previous path of the program.
What should you expect next season from this team? I would guess that 5 or 6 wins is a real possibility. That doesn’t sound like a great season but you have to remember that this will be year 1 in a major change and it sure sounds better than 2 wins. Right?
Satterfield understands the challenge ahead and he said “We recognized the fact that there’s a lot of work that needs to be done. Usually if you want to look for a new head coach, there is promise for more to be done. I do recognize that, but I also recognize the potential. I think that the potential outweighed the work that needed to be done. I think we got a great opportunity here. We got some hungry young men in that locker room right now. I mean hungry. Starving for discipline, starving for success.”
I know there is talent on this team but that talent is not deep. In fact, there is currently 1 tight end on the team and exactly 0 tight end commits. There are just 2 scholarship quarterbacks on the current roster. Louisville is also losing 3 starters from the offensive line. On a positive note, Louisville is loaded at running back, including Hassan Hall who set a freshman school record in all-purpose yards. They are also loaded at wide receiver too despite losing Jaylen Smith.
Satterfield said in his introductory presser “We’re going to try to run the same defense that we’ve been running.” That’s great news considering App. State had a top-10 defense and ranked fourth in the country in yards allowed per play this season, behind Clemson, Mississippi State and Miami. Louisville has some very talented linebackers that should fit well into the 4-3 scheme Satterfield will most likely implement. The tough part for the players is that Satterfield’s defensive coordinator (probably Bryan Brown or Nate Woody) will be Louisville’s fourth in the past four seasons, succeeding Todd Grantham, Peter Sirmon and Brian VanGorder.
Just remember that Satterfield said he is trying to change the culture and that takes a little over a year. He also said that he believes that “once the culture is right, winning takes care of itself” – So adjust your expectations accordingly. I know the season is a long way off but we can be excited about it without thinking it’s going to be a 10 win season. Remember where we are and think about where we can be. Now just know that we are somewhere in between and enjoy the rise back to where we should be. It could be a very fun ride if you don’t expect too much, too fast. I have faith that Louisville football will be great again in due time.
Full press conference transcript – https://gocards.com/news/2018/12/4/football-scott-satterfield-introductory-press-conference-quotes.aspx
As Always, GO CARDS!
