CARDINALS

Instant Analysis | Louisville 38, BC 19

Jeff Greer
Louisville Courier Journal
CHESTNUT HILL, MA - NOVEMBER 8:  Lorenzo Mauldin #94 of the Louisville Cardinals stands on the field before a game with the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium on November 8, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

Louisville's last ACC game went the way the Cards wanted, at least on the scoreboard. A first half full of hijinks didn't stop Louisville from coming back from a 13-3 deficit.

Here are a few takeaways from the game:

MVP: I gotta give it to Gerod Holliman and DeVante Parker. Sorry, it's a cop out, I know. Holliman snatched three picks, and we'll talk more about him below. But DeVante Parker just reeled off his third consecutive 100-yard receiving performance, and he did it before halftime. Guy already had 24 catches, 474 yards and a touchdown ... in his first 10 quarters of the season. It's crazy to think, but Parker could still get 1,000 receiving yards this year if he keeps up the pace. He finished Saturday with eight receptions for 144 yards and a score.

Play of the game: For me, it's Reggie Bonnafon's perfect throw to Parker for a 29-yard touchdown. Bonnafon's really only had a small handful of what-a-pass throws this year, and that was one of them. He put it over a defender and right to Parker. Reminded me of his TD pass to Michaelee Harris in the Murray State game.

Turning point: BC got a huge stop inside its own 1-yard line, keeping Michael Dyer out of the end zone. But the Eagles then ran three plays for zero yards and had to punt from their own end zone, which allowed Louisville to get the ball back at the BC 44. The Cards roared downfield, mostly on DeVante Parker's 35-yard catch from Will Gardner, and then Brandon Radcliff muscled in from five yards. That started Louisville's run of 21 consecutive points.

Surprise: I don't know how or why this always surprises me, but Gerod Holliman snapped up another interception -- actually he had three That's eight games with a pick this year. Louisville's played 10. Ridiculous. This one was similar to a few others he's had this year: He's in the right place at the right time. The first-quarter interception -- on the first play of the game -- came off a deflection and led to a Louisville field goal. His second and third picks set up a Louisville TD. He now has four games with multiple picks this year.

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Final takeaway: Louisville's coaches wanted to see how their team reacted to the FSU loss and it didn't exactly start off well, but the Cards answered the bell with a strong run of play after a sloppy, sometimes unlucky start. The fumbles, miscommunications, the miscues -- they seemed to fade away once Louisville got its mojo going.

The offense, by the way, had its struggles in the red zone, but it still improved again for the third consecutive week. Call it the DeVante Parker Effect.