For each week of Western Kentucky's 2020 football season, Tyler Mansfield of InsideHilltopperSports.com will connect with a beat writer who covers the opposing team for a Q&A session.
For Game 1, Tyler chats with Chris Person, who covers Louisville for CardinalSports.com on the Rivals network.
Saturday will mark the season opener for both the Hilltoppers and Cardinals. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m (CT) at Cardinal Stadium. ACC Network is carrying the broadcast.
Mansfield: What's your overall take on this Louisville team entering the season? Do you feel that the Cardinals will take another step forward this year under Scott Satterfield?
Person: I think most around the Louisville camp have a good grasp on the Louisville offense and how it projects this year. Having guys like Micale Cunningham, Tutu Atwell, Javian Hawkins, Dez Fitzpatrick, etc. back for another year should make the unit possibly one of the better ones nationally and definitely one of the most explosive.
What we don’t have a great grasp on yet is the defense. By all accounts the defense has taken a good-sized step forward from last year, but that isn’t really saying a lot. Also, there has been some talk that the defense needs to work on not giving up as many big plays and getting pressure on the opposing QB which doesn’t necessarily bode well for them since they were issues last year. While the linebackers should have an incredibly talented, deep unit, we have no idea what to expect of the defensive line that struggled mightily the past several years. Also, the secondary has some question marks, mainly in depth behind the starting unit.
Overall, I think Louisville has the potential to take another giant step forward in 2020 and I truly believe they have the ability to be a top 20ish team if things click, but it remains to be seen exactly what this so-called improved defense really looks like.
Mansfield: Western Kentucky and Louisville both came into 2019 looking to turn things around after disastrous 2018 seasons and both enter this year after doing just that. How do you feel these two teams match up in 2020?
Person: Both teams appear to be on the right path, that is for sure. Specifically, I think WKU’s defensive unit should be a really good one in 2020 with the improvement they made last year and who all they return. With that being said I am all in on Louisville’s offensive potential in 2020 and think they will give opposing defensive coordinators nightmares. I also think the defense will be good enough not to get destroyed like they would have been the past couple years. The storyline for this game, though, will be can WKU’s defense find a way to contain multiple playmakers spread all over the field? I’m not sure how well they will be able to do that.
Mansfield: Louisville brought a lot of guys back that played big roles last season. Who are some players that you expect to have big outings vs. WKU?
Person: On the offensive side of the ball, I expect Micale Cunningham to have a big game at quarterback for Louisville. He already showed last year that he was quite the impressive runner but with an emphasis on improving his passing game this summer, Cunningham may be shaping into Louisville’s next star QB.
Leading the way in the small stature department, both Javian Hawkins and Tutu Atwell should also have huge games. I’m not sure many casual college football fans outside of Louisville know both names but they really need to get familiar with them. As a redshirt freshman last year, Hawkins rushed for 1,525 yards and 9 TDs while the sophomore Atwell had 1,272 receiving yards and 11 TDs. Both are 5’9” at best and are electric with the ball in their hands. Besides them, Dez Fitzpatrick is probably Louisville’s most complete receiver and I have a feeling we will be hearing his name called quite a bit.
On defense, Rodjay Burns and CJ Avery are two linebackers that are primed for huge seasons but Monty Montgomery is someone to keep an eye on. Technically No. 2 on the depth chart, Montgomery is an incredibly athletic, smaller linebacker that makes his living in opponents’ backfields.
Mansfield: How do you see Saturday's game playing out? Feel free to give a score prediction, too.
Person: I talked highly of WKU earlier and that isn’t just fluff; I think this will be an excellent challenge for Louisville to start the season off with and I anticipate the Hilltoppers will go on to have a great year.
With that being said, I feel with the weapons Louisville has on offense, the Cardinals will be able to navigate a formidable WKU defense. I could see a scenario where there are stretches of the game where WKU’s defense looks like they can keep the Hilltoppers in it, but with the homerun nature of Atwell, Cunningham, and Hawkins, Louisville can put points on the board quickly and with a limited number of plays.
My prediction is Louisville 42, Western Kentucky 18.
