If a receiver is open, Teddy Bridgewater is going to find him. If not, he’s going to pull it in and run for daylight. Puts his team on his back, he does. Whatever it takes.
South Florida was shutting down the University of Louisville offense, allowing the Cardinals only 384 total yards for the game. Heralded running backs Senorise Perry and Jeremy Wright managing only 60 yards between them. Bridgewater would not be denied, however, on the ground or through the air.
The UofL sophomore quarterback would rush for 74 yards and complete 21 of 25 passing attempts for 256 yards and two touchdowns. The decisive play would be Teddy’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Eli Rogers with 1:35 remaining on the clock, providing the final margin in a 27-25 win over South Florida.
The game seems to come instinctively to Bridgewater. “I wasn’t scared at all. My mind was completely blank. Coach asked me the same question yesterday like what do I think about during the game, so my mind was completely blank,” he said afterward.
UofL’s defense will mostly be remembered for a five-play goal line stand but it was allowing South Florida 197 yards on the ground, the highest rushing total this season. South Florida would also score 15 straight points to take a 25-21 lead with only 3:09 remaining in the game.
Bridgewater remembers the defense differently. “The defense did a great job,” he said. “South Florida had five opportunities and they stopped them each time. Those guys just fight and grind and they’re all in it together. They all trust each other.”
Damian Copeland, who pulled in another of those pass with Bridgewater standing on the half foot line, indicates that Bridgewater has ice water in those veins. “He just stays poised and does what we do in practice,” he said. “He didn’t say anything. We knew what we had to do. Everybody was focused and we went out onto the field and converted.”
Linebacker Preston Brown knew Bridgewater would deliver in the end. “We knew Teddy could lead us down the field. Losing wasn’t an option in my mind.”
Bridge over troubled water, for sure.
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Here’s the final play of that goal line stand:
Steady Teddy! He is the anti-Russ Smith, he is always in control. Which just goes to show, winners come in all kinds of packages.
What was with our run play-calling? It seemed every play was designed to go between the tackles?
Bridgewater is on his way to becoming a legend, maybe the best in a long line of quarterbacks at the University of Louisville. Everything seems to come so effortlessly for him. A very special player.