Tag: Louisville football

9 photos of Lincoln Riley taking the inaugural egg nog bath after USC’s Holiday Bowl win

Lincoln Riley enjoyed some egg nog for the holidays.

You’ve heard of the Gatorade bath for winning head coaches, and you’ve even seen the disgusting mayonnaise baths delivered to coaches who win the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Now, I present to you the egg nog bath.

An almost perfect middle ground of the consistency between gatorade and mayo, egg nog was poured on the winning coach of the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl for the first time in 2023. That meant Lincoln Riley was the first coach to take nog to the noggin Wednesday after his USC Trojans beat Louisville.

Depending on your feelings about un-spiked nog, this was either the most disgusting thing you’ve seen, or something you’d be down to try.

These photos are guaranteed to reinforce whatever those feelings are.

Here are the ten CFB programs that have produced multiple 1st round QB selections since the 2010 NFL Draft

Texas A&M is one of ten CFB programs since the 2010 NFL Draft with multiple 1st round quarterback selections.

Over the last decade-plus, the quarterback position has continued to evolve with the game itself, and while having a live arm paired with accuracy and touch remain the traits needed to succeed in the NFL, the ability to make plays “out of structure,” while possessing at least moderate duel-threat running ability has become even more vital.

While many of us can pinpoint the Power 5 college football programs that consistently produce quarterback talent, the ever-growing transfer portal has completely thrown off any past trends outside of Oklahoma and now USC under head coach and “QB guru” Lincoln Riley.

Credit to College Football Report for narrowing down the list of the ten programs that have produced multiple 1st Round NFL Selections since the 2010 NFL Draft, which happens to include Texas A&M and, yes, North Dakota State during their incredible run, winning nine FCS National Championships from 2011-2021.

Including several Heisman Trophy winners and potential future NFL Hall of Fame inductees, the ten college football programs have had multiple first-round picks since the 2010 NFL Draft.

Trojans Wire talks to Card Chronicle about the Holiday Bowl

Card Chronicle wanted to learn more about USC.

The Louisville SB Nation site Card Chronicle reached out to us before the 2023 Holiday Bowl. USC prepares for a game Louisville is expected to win. The main story is Miller Moss, and the long-term impact of this contest is uncertain.

Here’s Card Chronicle’s interview of Trojans Wire. One small excerpt:

“Expect a lot of short, ball-control passes with Miller Moss to establish a rhythm and some confidence. Also expect USC to run the ball early and see if its offensive line can form a tougher identity. USC’s O-line disappointed this season. Lincoln Riley will want to test that unit and see if it can mash a little in San Diego. If USC can run the ball really well in this game, that would build confidence heading into the offseason and the Big Ten. If Louisville’s front four plays a great game, it’s hard to see how USC will win.”

There’s a lot more on this game, but also on the bowl system and Alex Grinch as well.

Our thanks to Card Chronicle for the conversation before USC’s last football game of 2023.

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Other than Miller Moss, what else matters for USC in the Holiday Bowl?

It seems the Holiday Bowl isn’t a big deal, but we don’t know that for sure.

Just how important is this 2023 Holiday Bowl for USC? Everyone knows it is really important for Miller Moss, the quarterback who will get to play the full game and demonstrate what he can do on the field as the unquestioned leader of this offense. There’s no Caleb Williams. There is no Malachi Nelson. This is Moss’s game. Maybe Moss is playing for the chance to be USC’s starting quarterback on opening day in 2024, when the Trojans face the LSU Tigers in Las Vegas. Maybe Moss is not playing for his USC status, but to give other schools and coaches a good piece of game film before entering the transfer portal.

We don’t know if Moss will enter the portal, but it could be that Moss will play this game for USC and then reconsider his options. Lincoln Riley and USC haven’t yet signed Will Howard or any other transfer portal quarterback. Moss might have made his decision behind the scenes, but nothing has been made public just yet. It’s clear this game is big for Moss.

What about the rest of the USC Trojans?

Defensive players might be playing for roster spots in this game, since new coordinator D’Anton Lynn will be evaluating players. Lynn won’t coach the Trojans, but he will certainly take notes on who does well and who fails. Who does Lynn think will be part of the 2024 roster, and who will Lynn ask to enter the transfer portal and find an opportunity elsewhere? These are the kinds of questions which will tell us how important the Holiday Bowl is.

Also: Will a loss turn off more recruits and portal prospects, or will a loss tell players that the roster is weak, meaning that new and incoming players might have a better chance of starting in 2024? That could work both ways. A loss might not be a negative for USC in terms of building its roster for next season.

Ultimately, we will know more about the importance of this Wednesday night game on Friday and Saturday.

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It’s very good for Miller Moss that Louisville is his bowl game opponent

Miller Moss will have a chance to earn high marks on a report card.

The USC Trojans and quarterback Miller Moss face the Louisville Cardinals in the 2023 Holiday Bowl on Wednesday. It’s a tough matchup for Moss, which could set him up for failure. Yet, that’s just the way it should be for Moss.

It wouldn’t really mean much for Moss if he went up against an opponent with a pillow-soft defense, such as Syracuse or Wake Forest. Lighting up a not-that-great defense would only carry so much value for other college programs, not to mention NFL scouts. If Moss is going to elevate his stock — either as USC’s quarterback heading into 2024, or as a potential transfer prospect at another school — he needs to show he can play well against a legitimately good, tough defense.

Louisville’s defense, under coordinator Ron English, is legitimately good.

As we noted a few weeks ago, “Imagine a world in which USC had Louisville’s defense, not Alex Grinch’s defense, in 2023. This 2023 Louisville defense shut out opponents in the first quarter in 11 of 13 games. If USC’s defense had shut out UCLA’s offense in the first quarter on November 18, the Trojans very likely would have won that game against the Bruins.

“Louisville’s defense was similarly strong in fourth quarters this year as well as first quarters. The Cardinals allowed more than seven fourth-quarter points in only one game this season, to Kentucky. If USC had that kind of a defense in 2023, the Trojans would have a 10-2 record, not a 7-5 record. They wouldn’t have beaten Notre Dame, given how bad the USC offense was. They probably wouldn’t have beaten Oregon, given that they trailed 29-7 before scoring a few cosmetic touchdowns.”

Moss has a tough assignment. He needs to pass a difficult test in order to prove he is ready to be a QB1 — for USC or anyone else. It’s good for Moss this challenge is substantial. If he aces this test, we can know with added certainty that Moss is ready to lead a college offense in 2024.

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ACC Football 2024 Team Recruiting Rankings After Early Signing Day

Here is a full look at how the ACC stands in team recruiting rankings after early signing day.

Early signing day was, as it should be for every college football program nationwide, a very busy day.

High school players across the country signed their national letters of intent and secured the next step in their football careers as they prepare to join their new teams. The ACC had some good success on early signing day, with multiple ACC programs landing in the top 25 of class team rankings following the day. 

So, how does the ACC stack up against each other? That’s what we’re going to take a look at today. Here is a look at every ACC team’s 2024 team recruiting ranking according to 247Sports following early signing day.

Updated 12/25

Current ticket prices for the Holiday Bowl between USC and Louisville

You can get in for a very cheap price at the Holiday Bowl in sunny San Diego.

With Caleb Williams not playing, the 2023 Holiday Bowl between USC and Louisville took on a distinctly different feel. Imagine a scenario in which Caleb Williams was playing his last college game for USC. That would have been a very hot ticket in San Diego for the Holiday Bowl. Instead, this game at Petco Park won’t carry quite as much buzz.

Also keep in mind that Louisville fans had expected to go to the Orange Bowl, given that Florida State was expected to make the playoff after going 13-0. When the Seminoles were snubbed, that kicked them down to the Orange Bowl and pushed Louisville out of the New Year’s Six.

It’s true that San Diego is as attractive a bowl location as one could possibly imagine, but USC and Louisville would have preferred to be elsewhere.

The good news: This has made ticket prices very affordable for the Holiday Bowl. At SeatGeek, you can find a lot of tickets with good sight lines for well under $100.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Holiday Bowl tickets at Seat Geek” link=”https://seatgeek.pxf.io/B0V7yW”]

The 2023 Holiday Bowl is next Wednesday, December 27, at Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres. The game starts shortly after 5 p.m. local time in San Diego and will be televised by Fox Sports.

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Texas A&M loses Transfer Portal WR Caullin Lacy To Louisville

Former South Alabama WR Caullin Lacy has announced that he will transfer to Louisville instead of Texas A&M.

Texas A&M has struck out yet again in the transfer portal, as highly productive former South Alabama wide receiver Caullin Lacy will instead transfer to Louisville after many believed that the Aggies were the clear-cut favorite to land the veteran route runner.

Lacy is coming off his productive 2023 season, ranked 5th in the country in receptions (91) and yards with 1,316, including seven touchdown receptions. For reference, this season combined, Lacy recorded more yards than both of the Aggies’ leading receivers, Ainias Smith and Evan Stewart (1,309).

While the Aggies have landed a wide receiver in the portal with former Old Dominion WR Javon Harvey, adding one of the more dynamic playmakers to what should be an already talented and experienced wide receiver rotation would have been a luxury. However, with Ainias Smith headed to the 2024 NFL Draft, it looks like Harvey won’t have any competition to earn a spot in the lineup.

While wide receivers Evan Stewart, Moose Muhammad III, Noah Thomas, and Jahdae Walker are expected to return, replacing Smith’s snaps in the slot is why new head coach Mike Elko and his staff fielded offers to several Transfer Portal wide receivers outside of Lacy, including Ja’Mori Maclin, who instead committed to Kentucky.

Texas A&M still has a chance to land former Louisiana Tech WR Cyrus Allen, competing with fellow programs, including Mississippi State.

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Report: 2024 3-star QB prospect Anthony Maddox decommits from Texas A&M

Class of 2024 3-star quarterback prospect Anthony Maddox decommitted from Texas A&M on Friday according to Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports.

Class of 2024 3-star quarterback prospect Anthony Maddox has decommitted from Texas A&M.

According to a report from Chad Simmons of On3 Sports, Maddox announced his decision on Friday afternoon. He originally committed to play at Kyle Field back in February.

“It was a tough decision. I had a great connection with coach Jimbo Fisher and coach Bobby Petrino, so when they left, it opened me up to other schools,” Maddox told On3 Sports. “I talked to different coaches, I took some visits and I decided to open back up. I saw a great opportunity at Texas A&M under the old staff, but I see better opportunities elsewhere now with the new staff there. The coaching change was a huge factor in my decision.

“I am looking to make a decision by the end of the weekend and it will come down to the atmosphere, what the program can bring me and how I fit into the offensive scheme. I am looking for an opportunity to get onto the field early too, then have a chance to make explosive plays in the offense.”

Maddox is 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds from Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Miss. He has 20 total offers, including to both Southeastern Conference schools in his home state, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

Per On3 Sports, Maddox visited the Rebels program this past weekend and had a trip planned to College Station that has since been called off. Other frontrunners for the talented quarterback are Louisville and Miami, Simmons said.

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Elite Louisville running back Jawhar Jordan won’t play in the Holiday Bowl vs USC

This is a significant limitation for the Louisville offense.

The Louisville Cardinals were able to win 10 games in the 2023 college football regular season despite the profound limitations of quarterback Jack Plummer. Louisville and first-year coach Jeff Brohm authored one of the more surprising stories in the sport this year, reaching the ACC Championship Game and making a strong run at a New Year’s Six bowl. Had Florida State been selected for the College Football Playoff, Louisville would be preparing not for the Holiday Bowl, but for the Orange Bowl. It was a very impressive year for the Cards, and one of the men who helped them get to this point is running back Jawhar Jordan. USC has learned Jordan won’t play in the Holiday Bowl for the Trojans. Jordan will prepare for the 2024 NFL draft.

Jordan was one of Louisville’s three best skill-position players in 2023. The other two were receiver Jamari Thrash and fellow running back Isaac Guerendo. These guys were so talented that Plummer’s flaws at quarterback were minimized for most of the season. Louisville went 10-1 before Plummer turnovers became pivotal in season-ending losses to Kentucky and Florida State. Not facing Jordan in the Holiday Bowl will level the playing field to a degree, even though USC being without Caleb Williams is by far the biggest “opt out” storyline of this upcoming game on December 27 in San Diego.

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