The Tailgate: Louisville

Last week's outcome rejuvenated popular perception of this year's Boston College football team, but elevating expectations occurred in the locker room long before anyone watched the Eagles' week-three game against a top-ranked national championship contender. BC expected to win, and head coach Jeff Hafley's aggressive gameplan reflected his approach and trust in his team. Even in defeat, realizing the majority of those expectations installed a confidence that burns deeper for Saturday's first road game at Louisville because the Eagles failed to accomplish the largest goal of all: a win.

"I don't know if it's a good loss," Hafley on BC's official podcast this week. "I think it builds some confidence for some guys, and I think it brought a good confidence to the team. I think there's a buzz right now with them. But for other guys, there's still a fire inside that's [angry] about the game. We knew we had it to win, and we let it go, which you have to try and learn from and take from and try to bring it to your next one."

Louisville enters Saturday with a shockingly low profile. Its undefeated, 3-0 record flies under the radar of the ACC's ranked titans, and last week's neutral site win over Indiana was the gritty, cross-border battle envisioned by head coach Jeff Brohm when he left Purdue to return to his alma mater. It came two weeks after a week-one win in an ACC game against Georgia Tech, itself an accomplishment for a team forced to replace its head coach after Scott Satterfield accepted the open position at Cincinnati.

Satterfield's exit felt surreal, but the Bearcats' move to the Big 12 preceded the splashy hire of a coach who built his program back from a four-win season in 2020. He was already a head coaching commodity for replacing Bobby Petrino during the downturn at the end of last decade, but the program established a reputation by enduring and persevering over the entirety of Satterfield's reign.

His departure allowed Louisville to reset and reboot under Brohm, the head coach who turned Western Kentucky and Purdue into regional powerhouses. He'd been brought to the Hilltoppers by Petrino, and he finished the conference championship construction project after elevating to the head position when Petrino returned to Louisville after one season. He eventually won a second Conference USA championship in 2015, and the success placed him on a radar that led to a trip north to Purdue, where he replicated a sliver of the championship success with last year's division championship and the Boilermaker's first trip to the Big Ten Championship in the expansion era, success that makes him a dangerous asset from a coaching tree hoping to rebuild the expected caliber of play in the Bluegrass State.

"Coach Brohm is a really good coach," Hafley said. "We know how athletic Louisville is, and their scheme is really sound. It's going to be a great environment, and they're coming home. This is going to be a challenge on the road, and we're going to see what our guys are made of. We have to go attack it, but I can't wait."

Here's what to watch for when the Eagles head to Churchill Downs to play another former Atlantic Division foe:

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Game Storylines (Bono Edition)

Music can change the world because it can change people.

I dare anyone to watch the YouTube clip where U2 plays "Where The Streets Have No Name" during the live performance at Slane Castle. I don't actually know when it happened, but it starts with Bono singing "All I Want Is You" before The Edge breaks into the signature opening guitar riff. The crowd is electric and eventually begins jumping in unison as the lights turn on. It's a video I watch every couple of months because it's a performance worth feeling, and it's a reason why the songs both lead off my workout playlist and provide the last songs I sing to my daughter before I put her to bed.

Love or hate U2, this quote always really stuck out to me because music is an idea that can be felt. It changed over time as innovations made it easier to replicate newer sound, and the current era sounds nothing like any genre, just like how any genre in any era sounds distinctly different.

It strikes a chord with my football mind because times have changed, and Louisville was one of the first programs to embrace innovation within its scheme over the last decade. The torch once held by Lamar Jackson passed to Malik Cunningham, and their ever-present speed combined with a passing ability to wreak havoc on opposing defenses dating back to Jackson's seven-touchdown game at Alumni Stadium.

Louisville was the team pioneering the dual-threat quarterback, which is why it's so intriguing to see how the innovation took a turn with the addition of Jack Plummer in the offseason. He's not a dual-threat quarterback by nature, but he possesses skills unlike anything the Eagles might see this year for an offense that's going to look significantly different from the Cardinals' past iterations.

"If you're playing more of a traditional guy that's going to sit in the pocket and step up to get rid of the ball, you can be more aggressive in your pass rush," Hafley said. "You can be more exotic with your pressures, but I think we have to be careful of [Plummer] because he's run the ball and looks a little bit more athletic than I think people give him credit. There are times he breaks away, and he can run pretty well."

Plummer started his career with Brohm's Purdue program before transferring to California last season, but this is the first time an offense harnessed him outside of straight passing. His rushing numbers are up, and it's added a dimension to a consistent passing game that showed out against Georgia Tech and Indiana, and while his five touchdowns are all in the air, he is also playing behind an offensive line that understands how to protect a six-foot, five-inch quarterback who has the ability to do more than just dissect a defense with his arm.

"I don't think he chooses to do the designed quarterback runs as much as Louisville used to do," Hafley said, "but you can't just be reckless against this guy. He can beat you with his feet, and then all of a sudden, you'll be 40 percent on third down because he's scrambling, getting first downs, and you're opening up those rush lanes."

To be one, to be united is a great thing.

Beating any offense requires a good old-fashioned dose of time of possession, but BC might have found its recipe to its own offense last week when it converted glimpses and flashes into outright performances against Florida State. The mental errors that caused the unsportsmanlike conduct penalties evaporated, and while the Eagles set a record for penalties in a single game during that game, it stands to reason that the cadence issues between the offensive line and quarterback Thomas Castellanos will start fading into the background more frequently as they continue playing more snaps.

"He's used to using more of a clap cadence," Hafley said during his weekly media availability. "It's what he's done, rather than a normal, vocal cadence where he had to call some things out, where he has to audible some plays, or where he has to change the inflection of his voice. Those are things he's done a really good job of working at, and I think it's a combination of the quarterback continuing to work together [with the offensive live] to be on the same page."

Quarterback cadences are one of those things nobody really thinks about because it's impossible to gauge how much they change on a week-to-week basis. Newer models require offensive lines to communicate and call out blocking schemes or assignments while a quarterback simultaneously hits the cadence, and every quarterback uses a different signal, word, or sound based on what's most comfortable. It's very similar, in a way, to when a pitcher and catcher relay signals and get crossed in baseball, but it's also significantly different because the quarterback is directing five players in one fluid motion.

The way Castellanos likes to call the snap is going to be very different from Emmett Morehead, who is also very different from last year's switch from Phil Jurkovec, who was different from Anthony Brown, who was different than EJ Perry, Dennis Grosel, and so on. Tyler Murphy used to wave his arms like a bird before the snap. For a lineman, gaining comfort within that cadence is imperative, but it's also about making sure the quarterback chemistry continues growing.

"We changed some things this week to make it easier and more comfortable for everyone," Hafley said. "It's a credit to the offensive staff that's done a good job, and I'm confident that it will be fixed this week."

We thought we had the answers, but it was the questions that we had wrong.

Plenty of attention was on the BC offense over the past month, but it still doesn't quite feel like the unit fully laid its foundational reputation because the first three games were so unique. The flip-flop against Northern Illinois preceded a long day at the office against Holy Cross, but the Florida State game wiped the slate completely clean when the united unit nearly defeated the No. 3 team in the nation.

I think anyone seeking an answer to BC's offensive reputation can find something in each game, but the answers from each week are so different that it makes sense to change the scope of questioning. Instead of wondering if the Eagles are the team from FSU or Holy Cross, it's worth asking what this team is going to become as the calendar nears its October stride.

"This is the first time that we've had a quarterback who can make plays with his feet and keep things alive," Hafley said. "We've made it hard on [Castellanos], and this is the first time he's going to be in an away game, so we've made it really difficult for him to communicate with the offense. [But] I see that he's more confident this week than he was, and the team has even more confidence in him."

Castellanos presents a number of issues for opposing defenses, and he's the first true dual-threat quarterback since the position conceptually changed over the past 20 years. He's not the traditional pocket passer that existed under Matt Ryan, Brian St. Pierre, Chase Rettig, or even Phil Jurkovec, but he's not the option runner like Tyler Murphy.

He's a different cat, and the real question moving forward is about how liberally BC utilizes his legs because it still needs to strike a balance between letting Thomas cook and turning the offense into a vibrating football game board of Bo Jackson Tecmo Bowl playcalls.

"When you play against running quarterbacks, you really get scared about playing man-to-man because all they have to do is lead you off," Hafley said, "and then you have one linebacker left [in coverage] once your defensive line left to get him down. So you want to have eyes on the football when you pull back and run, which is going to be interesting to see how people play us going forward.

"It slows down your edge rushers," he continued, "and when you have a quarterback that can run, you can't just rush off the edge and get off the field because you create pockets. You need separation for the quarterback to step up and run. A traditional drop-back quarterback will continue to step up in the pocket, but he won't look to escape. That's where all your rush needs to come from the interior, and you've got to collapse that piece of the pocket. When you have a running quarterback, those outside guys almost need to put him in a cage."

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Question Box

Does the defense change for catch-and-run receivers?

BC bullied two enormous receivers last week by jamming their chests with a violent technique at the line of scrimmage, but Louisville receiver Jamari Thrash is a smaller, more agile target who builds his numbers with yards after the catch. The Georgia State transfer exploded for an 85-yard catch last week against Indiana and previously posted a 73-yard catch against Murray State, so the technique used to stop him is going to require some differences from the way the defensive backfield manhandled Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman.

"He's really dynamic," Hafley said, "and then after the catch, I'm really, really impressed with him. He has really good vision and gets away from people, he breaks tackles, and he's hit a lot of explosives that way. He's a really good ball player, and he's talented. It's obviously different from playing a 6-7 giant, but he creates just as many problems because of how athletic and elusive he is."

To cage or not to cage?

All this talk about the BC offense and Louisville's Jack Plummer overlooks how Jawhar Jordan enters Saturday with a rushing average of over 10 yards per carry. He gashed Indiana to the tune of 113 yards on 18 carries, and his breakout is a big reason why the passing game is experiencing its own levels of success.

That's not bad considering he was the fourth string running back at the start of last season.

Jordan is going to run with a violent streak that makes him hard to tackle, and his energy is clearly unselfish and hard working. In another life, he'd be the king of back who would fit Boston College's history rather nicely. Instead, the question becomes about stopping him and slowing down an offense that can break out when safeties or linebackers cheat into the box to cage the running game.

Will I ever replace the door on my shed?

The door to the shed at my house fell off its hinges approximately seven months ago, and I still haven't replaced it or fixed the hardware. My wife has asked me to do it roughly a dozen times, but outside of leaning it against the shed to avoid weather conditions, I haven't touched the thing.

We both finally got fed up with my inactivity, and it led to a Labor Day wager over when I'd get around to it. The request was simple: fix or replace the door, fix or replace the shed, whatever I decided was fine, but it had to be done by October 1. If I did it, I could plan a getaway to the location of my choosing. If not, my wife would be able to plan a vacation on my dime.

At a surface level, I know what you're thinking: "Oh Dan, it doesn't matter because if you tanked the wager, you still go away," but bear in mind that we have very different requests for our first getaway since both of our children arrived. I talk nonstop about getting to Liverpool to see my beloved Everton at Goodison Park, and my wife hates soccer. She deals with me and tolerates it, but she is not going to book a trip to England under any circumstances.

Likewise, if she books the trip, we're absolutely not going to visit Everton. This is the only thing I talk about when it comes to getaways and long weekends, and since Everton is probably getting relegated, it might be my only chance to experience a Liverpool Derby or the atmosphere of a game day around Stanley Park.

I have about a week. Time is ticking.

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Meteorology 101

Located along the banks of the Ohio River, Louisville remains a hotbed, quite literally, for muggier conditions than what New England folks experience around this time of year. The city itself is across the river from Indiana, but the temperatures won't drop into frigid or freezing conditions until they collapse in November and December.

September itself remains pretty temperate, and Louisville itself is an intriguing road trip option for fans seeking options away from Boston and Chestnut Hill. It's the birthplace of Muhammad Ali and the home to the Louisville Slugger bat company, and Churchill Downs, arguably the most famous race track in the world, is visible from the upper deck and press box of L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. I'm more intrigued by the Valhalla Golf Club due east of Louisville's major thoroughfares (just near the small, 200-person census-designated area of Boston), which itself is on the way to Lexington and the Cardinals' ancient rival at the state's flagship university.

Louisville is a fairly easy commute from Indianapolis and Cincinnati, and it's centrally located between Indiana and the more southern Tennessee area surrounding Nashville. The odd shape of Kentucky's northern region moves it far enough away from the Deep South to have a little bit of a different climate, but the city itself has an urban setting that's significantly different from the Western Coal Fields and the Jackson Purchase area.

New England is going right back to rainy conditions this weekend because we apparently hate prolonged sunshine, but Louisville's heat and humidity are a welcome change for people who aren't quite used to wearing sweatshirts and blankets. Personally speaking, the hot weather sounds miserable, but that's nothing a quick glass of Kentucky bourbon can't fix.

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BC-Louisville X Factor

Thomas Castellanos

Yep, I went with the obvious one.

I want to dial back in time for a few minutes and talk about what I once believed in quarterbacks. I was old school. Drew Bledsoe was my first real franchise guy with the New England Patriots, and the passers of my childhood included Randall Cunningham, Kurt Warner, Rich Gannon, Peyton Manning, and other guys who stood in the pocket and fired downfield passes. Brett Favre was an irresponsible gunslinger because he scrambled to create space for receivers, and Steve Young was the most mobile quarterback until Michael Vick reinvented the game.

Vick was a unicorn, and I never truly bought into his style of designed runs at the time. I didn't think read-option would ever matriculate successfully, and small quarterbacks couldn't pass like those big bodies who won Super Bowls. Even Tom Brady was the slowest guy at his Combine workout, and he was the greatest passer of all-time.

I started to change my mind when I watched how dual-threat quarterbacks started making impacts at the next level. The modern era is built around guys who can scramble and run, and players like Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and others completely altered the game forever. Three of the four 1,000-yard rushing seasons by a quarterback happened in the last five years, and only two seasons with a 700-yard quarterback runner occurred outside of the 21st century (shoutout Bobby Douglass with the 1972 Chicago Bears and Randall Cunningham with the 1990 Philadelphia Eagles).

I'm very excited to watch Boston College continue developing its offense around Thomas Castellanos. He's a new type of quarterback and the first true dual-threat since Doug Flutie. That doesn't mean he's the next Doug Flutie, but he's small enough to make those plays on the run in an offense built around his skills.

It took a couple of weeks, but BC really settled into his offense by nearly beating Florida State. Given the assumed improvements in cadence and communication, it's perfectly reasonable to expect something special this week.

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Around College Football

This is your weekly Coach Prime segment, I guess, because my heartburn woke me up at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, and I was grateful because I caught the end of Colorado's overtime win over Colorado State. It was an awesome game to watch, and it set the table for a battle of undefeated teams when the No. 19 Buffaloes head to the Pacific Northwest for a date with No. 10 Oregon.

It's a monster week in college football. No. 22 UCLA is at No. 11 Utah, and No. 15 Ole Miss takes Lane Kiffin's team to No. 13 Alabama, which is shockingly human this year. No. 16 Oklahoma is at Cincinnati for its only meeting as Big 12 teams, and No. 14 Oregon State plays at No. 21 Washington State in a game that reeks of a Pac-12 revenge tour possibility.

The highlight, though, is at night when No. 6 Ohio State plays No. 9 Notre Dame. It's opposite No. 24 Iowa's trip to No. 7 Penn State.

Like I said, a monster week.

In the ACC, No. 4 Florida State, which dropped a spot after last week, heads to Clemson to play the wounded Tigers at noon, but the majority of teams are playing non-conference opponents. Both No. 18 Duke and No. 20 Miami are on the road at UConn and Temple, respectively, and Syracuse hosts Army for a noon start in the JMA Wireless Dome. Virginia Tech heads west to play Marshall, and in league action, Georgia Tech plays Wake Forest while No. 17 North Carolina is at the intersection of the Three Rivers for a game against Pittsburgh.

NC State is at Virginia on Friday night.

Future ACC members Cal and SMU are in action with a pair of big games, with the Golden Bears heading to No. 8 Washington and the Mustangs heading across the Dallas-Fort Worth area to play at TCU.

Those of us with heartburn have a midnight kickoff in Hawaii.

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Dan's Non-Sports Observation of the Week

The small, insulated world of New England football lost a giant this week when Dartmouth head coach Buddy Teevens passed away at the age of 66.

Teevens was injured in March in St. Augustine, Florida when a vehicle collided with his bicycle. He suffered spinal cord injuries and later had a leg amputated, and his family and the Ivy League announced his passing on Tuesday night.

A five-time Ivy League champion, he is well-known for his success on the gridiron while trailblazing a path to improve safety within the game itself. He championed no-contact practices at Dartmouth at a time when the thought of removing full-blown tackling was insane, but it led the Ivy League to remove all contact for its member institutions. Teams eventually moved towards robotic innovations that are widely-used throughout football today, and it did nothing to stop the Big Green from winning three conference championships over the next decade.

Dartmouth never won those championships outright, but the Big Green posted six seasons with at least eight wins over Teevens' final eight years. The 2018, 2019 and 2021 teams all won nine games, as did the 2015 Big Green, despite the cyclical nature of the league being thrown into a meat grinder by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Simply put, he was a legend and a gentleman for the game of football, and he will be sorely missed by all of us who appreciated what he built within the Ancient Eight and beyond. May his memory be a blessing.

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Pregame Quote and Prediction

If you are prepared, you will be confident, and you will do the job. -Tom Landry

This game feels like an important inflection point to the Boston College football schedule. The Eagles are 1-2, but there's plenty of momentum carrying them into the first road game of the year.

Road games are special. I know life on the road isn't glamorous, but those flights and trips to other schools galvanize a team for critical moments down the road. There's less noise away from campus, and the seclusion foments an "us-against-the-world" mentality when the stadium is full of vitriol for your own team. It's always a good thing to play at home, but it's sometimes a good moment to see how a team plays on the road.

Boston College and Louisville kick off on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. from L&N Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. Television coverage is available on national television via ACC Network with online streaming available via ESPN's platform of Internet and mobile apps. Radio broadcast is also available through the BC Learfield IMG Sports Network, which is on local radio in Boston via WEEI 850 AM, with satellite options available via Sirius XM and with streaming audio available through the Varsity Network.

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Players Mentioned

Thomas Castellanos

Phil Jurkovec

Emmett Morehead