Lamar Jackson is the Truth
Lamar Jackson proved his eye popping stats weren't a fluke on Saturday when he spearheaded Louisville's thorough thrashing of number 2 ranked Florida State. Jackson threw for 216 yards and a touchdown and ran all over the Seminoles' defense, gaining 146 yards on 17 carries for 4 tuddies in the 63-20 blowout that wasn't even as close as the final score.
Some pundits believed that Jackson's statistics through his first 2 games, against Charlotte and Syracuse, were inflated because they were inferior competition, but the notion of Jackson being 'overrated' was quickly laid to rest by halftime on Saturday.
Lamar Jackson makes football look easy. A lot of star players are 'fun to watch,' but Lamar Jackson is beautiful to watch. The way Jackson carved up the 'Noles defense on Saturday was like listening to Mozart, or Adelle, for the first time. I was nearly brought to tears when he hurdled over the poor Syracuse defensive back on his way to the end zone 2 weeks ago. The way he runs makes him look like Vince Young 2.0. He is slippery and elusive, and his long strides make it look like he's casually jogging through defenses. Because of his running prowess, his passing ability is underrated, but he still ranks 15th in the NCAA this year in yardage, even though he's only played in 9 out of a possible 12 quarters and every one of Louisville's games has been a blowout by halftime, thus changing the offensive game plan. He ranks third in the country in yards per attempt at 11.1 and 8th in passer rating at 181.8.
The sophomore from Boynton Beach has become must watch television and even people who don't like football can appreciate his dominance. Louisville, thanks to Jackson and their potent offense, have vaulted themselves into the driver's seat for the ACC Championship and College Football Playoff, but face another gigantic test in 2 weeks at number 5 Clemson. You can bet the Tigers' defensive staff is racking their brains right now to figure out a game plan to contain Jackson, but I truly don't believe anyone in the country has an answer for this guy.
Here is a quick recap of Lamar Jackson's season so far:
Game 1 vs. Charlotte: 17 of 23 passing for 286 yards and 6 TDs 0 ints. 11 carries for 119 yards and 2 TDs before he was pulled at HALF TIME. 70-14 win.
Game 2 vs. Syracuse: 20 of 39 passing for 411 yards and 1 TD 1 int (receiver's fault). 21 carries for 199 yards and 4 TDs before being pulled in at the end of the 3rd quarter. 62-28 win.
Game 3 vs no.2 Florida State: 13 of 20 passing for 216 yards and 1 TD and 1 int. 17 carries for 146 yards and 4 TDs. First game he played all 4 quarters. 63-20 win.
Season Totals through 3 games: 50 of 82 passing for 913 yards for 8 TDs and 2 ints. 49 carries for 464 yards and 10 TDs.
