LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The contrast between the true freshman quarterback and the senior quarterback was remarkable. One orchestrated a pair of flawless scoring drives in the first quarter that carved up the opposing defense. The other looked flustered in the pocket with rushed, inaccurate throws and zero points to show for it.

In just his fifth career start at quarterback, Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater outplayed Syracuse’s seasoned veteran Ryan Nassib.

‘(Bridgewater) was the sixth-best quarterback coming out of high school,’ SU head coach Doug Marrone said. ‘He had great poise back there. He’s comfortable with his receivers. … I was very impressed with him.’

Bridgewater put forth the best game of his career in Louisville’s 27-10 win over Syracuse at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium Saturday, taking control from the opening possession. His two first-quarter touchdown passes took advantage of defensive lapses by the Orange and gave the Cardinals an early — and eventually insurmountable — lead. It was Bridgewater’s first turnover-free performance as Louisville’s starting quarterback, and he looked the opposite of a developing freshman.

An illegal block in the back penalty during the opening kick off put Bridgewater in a hole on the Cardinals’ first possession. Faced with a drive that began at his own 8-yard line, Bridgewater moved the ball into SU’s territory within two plays.

He found his former high school teammate, Michaelee Harris, deep down the right sideline for a 44-yard gain after miscommunication between Syracuse cornerbacks Keon Lyn and Ri’Shard Anderson — a common theme in the first quarter for the Orange.

Two plays later, Bridgewater connected on a 42-yard touchdown pass to DeVante Parker on a beautiful back-shoulder throw that fooled Lyn, who didn’t have his head turned around. That capped a breathtaking four-play, 92-yard drive that seemed to stun the Orange, and it was Louisville’s first opening-drive touchdown of the season.

‘We didn’t communicate well out there and a just couple missed assignments and stuff,’ SU strong safety Shamarko Thomas said. ‘They got the little edge on that particular part.’

A fumble derailed Louisville’s second drive, but Bridgewater responded on his team’s third possession with another confident series under center. He converted a third-and-16 with a well-executed throwback screen to Harris; ran for 10 yards to pick up a second first down; and exploited a mismatch by finding tight end Josh Chichester for a 2-yard touchdown.

Chichester, a 6-foot-8 red-zone weapon, was being covered by the 5-foot-10 Olando Fisher. Bridgewater lofted a perfect pass to the back of the end zone that allowed Chichester to nimbly pluck it out of the air for the easy score.

By the time the first quarter ended, the Cardinals boasted a commanding 14-0 lead. Bridgewater was 7-of-7 for 124 yards and two touchdowns. And the Cardinals outgained the Orange 160-36.

‘You just like the rhythm there the first two drives where we were very successful moving the ball, throwing the ball and guys just making plays on offense,’ Louisville head coach Charlie Strong said.

Though Bridgewater cooled off in the final three quarters, he continued to play mistake-free football. He finished 17-of-24 for 198 yards and only those two scores, but his zero turnovers made up for his lack of production after the opening 15 minutes.

But perhaps most importantly, he burned the Orange one final time on a brilliantly executed option play with just under 11 minutes remaining in the game.

On a third-and-8 play from the Louisville 39-yard line, Bridgewater lined up in the shotgun with running back Victor Anderson flanking him. But he saw something in the defense and quickly called an audible into the pistol formation with Anderson behind him.

What followed was an unexpected option play — something the Orange hadn’t seen from the Cardinals on film, Marrone and Thomas said. Bridgewater’s perfectly timed pitch allowed Anderson to turn the left corner and race 61 yards for the game-clinching touchdown.

‘They had our card,’ Thomas said. ‘They had good checks and adjustments to our defense, and they made plays. They really surprised us on that option.’

It was an audible to be expected from a multiyear starter with more than just five games of experience under his belt. And as the youngster left Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on the heels of the best game of his career, Marrone saw a polished quarterback with a bright future.

He didn’t see a freshman.

‘He’s a good quarterback now,’ Marrone said. ‘I think he’s going to be one of the top quarterbacks as he progresses in their system.’

mjcohe02@syr.edu

Published on October 28, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Michael: mjcohe02@syr.edu | @Michael_Cohen13