Following his performance coming into the game in the loss to Auburn on the opening week, Louisville are going with Lamar Jackson as their starting quarterback from now on, leaving Reggie Bonnafon behind.
Bonnafon started in the 24-31 home loss to #6 ranked Auburn and was the frontrunner for the position all summer long. However, he got pulled from the game in the second quarter, never coming back. He completed 8-of-13 passes for 67 yards, rushing for 14 yards on 8 carries.
We had four series in the second half we had two touchdowns and a field goal. He made a lot of big plays, some of them with his legs and some of them with his arm. He showed great competitiveness and I liked what I saw on the sideline. Not just from him but the entire offense. There was a lot of positive energy and a lot of positive talk on the sideline when you’re behind. Sometimes you don’t have that. That was encouraging. There was a lot of young guys out there making plays at receiver, offensive line. I was encouraged by their energy and competitiveness on the sideline. But we’ve got to do things right all the time.
Jackson, a freshman, put Louisville back in the game following a 24-0 start for the visitors. He finished with 100 yards on 9-of-20 passing and an interception, but also ran for 106 yards and a touchdown. If earlier his ability wasn’t enough for Bobby Petrino to be convinced, his running performance in the game convinced him.