Be forewarned, future Louisville opponents. Lamar Jackson apparently knows what he’s doing now.
Jackson put together a solid first season as the Cardinals quarterback, but all interested parties acknowledged that the now-sophomore could use some work in the passing game. That work paid off handsomely in the Cardinals opener Thursday night as the U of L steamrolled overmatched Charlotte 70-14.
“Last year, I didn’t know the plays,” Jackson said. “So I’d sit back, and if I didn’t like what I saw, I’d take off. It’s not like that now. I’m mature now. I know what I’m doing.”
The 49ers, a second-year FBS program would certainly attest to that.
Jackson accounted for eight total touchdowns, six passing and two rushing. He also totaled 405 yards of offense, 286 through the air and 119 on the ground. Making those numbers even more impressive? Jackson accumulated all of those statistics in the first half as he watched from the sidelines for the final two quarters.
The touchdown passes were one off the FBS record for a half set by a couple of players, most recently by Hawaii’s Bryant Moniz in 2001 vs. USC. His eight total touchdowns were a school record; the previous record was six.
“I was really happy to see us look like a passing team in the second quarter,” Jackson’s head coach, Bobby Petrino, said. “I liked our timing, our understanding of what the coverage was.”