Pulse of the fans: Louisville football faithful talk Satterfield's performance, 1-1 start

Louisville football has had a rollercoaster start to Year 4 of the Scott Satterfield era.

After saying his players were "hungry" to "gain the respect that we want" at the onset of camp, Satterfield and the Cardinals laid an egg during a blowout loss on the road to Atlantic Coast Conference foe Syracuse in Week 1.

There was no shortage of incendiary, knee-jerk reactions from U of L faithful in the wake of the beatdown. Days later, athletic director Josh Heird delivered an even-keeled take that perhaps best sums up the situation: "If you weren't disappointed in that performance on Saturday night, I don't think you're a Cardinal fan."

Satterfield's team responded to the criticism in Week 2 by weathering a rocky first half en route to a comeback victory on the road against the University of Central Florida. On Friday night, Louisville took the field in front of a home crowd for the first time this season looking to get above .500 with a third consecutive win over Florida State.

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How are Cards fans feeling about where the program stands heading into Satterfield's 40th game at the helm? The Courier Journal went tailgate hopping with five questions before the U of L kicked off against the Seminoles:

On a scale of 1 (calm) to 5 (hitting the "PANIC" button), how do you feel after Louisville football's 1-1 start to the season?

Matthew Lundergan, a season-ticket holder: "Probably 2. I mean, first game of the season I would say was just a fluke. (The team) wasn't ready to play. Against UCF, they looked ready to play; they looked like they got a bunch of stuff under control. I think we have a really good team. It's just, coaching just needs to get it all together."

Karen Matthews, a season-ticket holder with her husband, Craig: "I'm an optimist, and (darn it) these kids are gonna kick a--."

Craig Matthews: "If we win tonight, I'll feel much better."

Derrick, a U of L alum who lives in Jeffersonville, Indiana: "I'm like a 2. I'm not too worried about it. Syracuse was kind of crazy — don't get me wrong, obviously everybody was upset about that — but (they) bounced back with UCF, had a great game plan and now we're here, Florida State, a coin-flip game. ... We got a chance. We're at home."

Gina, who drove more than 200 miles from Benton, Kentucky, to watch the Cardinals: "A 3, because I need to see a little bit more to see how it's gonna go."

Gerald Mason, a season-ticket holder: "I will say a 2. We'll see today where they're at."

How satisfied are you with where Louisville football is as a program in Year 4 under Scott Satterfield?

Craig Matthews: "That's still to be determined. The recruiting is off the charts, obviously. I like him; I want him to be successful. I'm not certain that he's the right guy yet."

Karen Matthews: "Where we were before Satterfield came in, I mean, I think he's doing pretty well. He could be doing better, but, at the same time, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit. That's what our kindergarten teachers told our kids."

Noah Brixey, a U of L alum and Louisville transplant from Raleigh, North Carolina: "I don't think anyone's satisfied, but definitely I think this is make or break for him. I do feel like if we put up at least six wins — either five or six wins — I think he's coming back on a one-year, prove-it deal just ‘cause of the recruits we got coming next year."

Jim, a Louisville native and U of L alum who lives in Georgia: "I'm satisfied. We can be better, but we need continuity — desperately need continuity."

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Gerald Mason: "I'm really surprised at some of the four- and five-star recruits that he's able to bring in, but I am unsure about his offensive coordinator. When I (watch) on TV, it doesn't look like he's calling the plays. It looks like (Satterfield) has been calling the same plays for three years in a row. I would like an offensive coordinator to come in and call some different plays. It seems like everybody knows what we're going to do."

Jamie, a Louisville native who lives in Georgia: "(Appalachian) State just beat (Texas) A&M. We need to be in a better position than where we are right now."

Matthew Lundergan: "I don't think he's the best fit, as we've seen, but I think Lance Taylor and a bunch of other coaches he's brought in are really good. I don't know if Satterfield will be here (in the) next year or two, but program-wise I think we got really good recruits coming in next year. So he's setting it up to have a good year, but Satterfield as a coach I'm not 100% sold on yet."

How much of your excitement for Louisville football is rooted in the Cardinals' highly-touted 2023 recruiting class?

Matthew Lundergan: "Huge. I think we'll have a really, really big year."

Noah Brixey: "I think there's a lot of excitement, but this is the season where it's make or break. If the team comes out poor, there's a lot of guys that might start looking elsewhere, so I think there's still a lot to prove."

Derrick: "Definitively excited about that class, but, honestly, freshmen, they're not going to change a whole bunch. Now, like last year. Last year was rough. We lost all those games in the fourth quarter. We didn't have a whole bunch of depth. Now, we got some depth. We kept the lead last week. I think that's probably going to continue."

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Richard Carr, a Louisville native and decadeslong fan: "It makes the excitement for the future kind of off the chart, because if we can continue not just one recruiting year but build on that, we'll have a superb team."

Craig Matthews: "That influences us some, but we're also excited that we've improved our roster from last year. We were disappointed in last year. I fully believe we could have won two or three more games last year with the team that we had, but we didn't, so I was as excited as I could possibly be. I'm still trying to maintain that optimism."

Karen Matthews: "I always look for our local kids. As long as they're local kids, I am all about it. I want to see more local kids."

Jim: "Cool, but I like the guys that are here. Cool, but we need to win now."

Which Louisville football player has impressed you the most to start the season?

Derrick: Sophomore defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte.

Matthew Lundergan: Junior running back Tiyon Evans.

Jamie: "Good to see (redshirt senior linebacker) Monty Montgomery back and healthy."

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Craig Matthews: "Don't think it was a surprise, but Ashton Gillotte stood out to me. I think that he is playing some really, really good football right now."

Richard Carr: Senior wide receiver Tyler Hudson. "I think the offense is well-rounded. I think we're in good shape there."

Gerald Mason: "Hudson looked really good. I'm really impressed by him. I'd like to see them throw the ball a little bit more."

What will Louisville football's record be at the end of the 2022 season?

Matthew Lundergan: "I'm hoping for 9-3, because I think we do have a really good team. Maybe 7-5 (or) 8-4 just because of coaching errors or coaching problems."

Richard Carr: 7-5. "They're still building and they have a very tough schedule. If they can get seven wins out of that or better, I'll be really happy."

Derrick: "I think we were probably projected somewhere around six or seven (wins). I think that's probably gonna be where it is again. A couple of games we're not supposed to win, a couple of games that we are. I think we have a lot of coin flips, so we just gotta win a couple of coin flips and try to get one extra one that we're not supposed to."

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Noah Brixey: "I think we get at least six (wins). At the same time, I wouldn't be surprised we get less than six."

Gina: "I'm gonna go as far as to say six (wins)."

Gerald Mason: "I think a seven-win season would be really good, so that's what I'm hoping for, at least."

Karen Matthews: Seven wins. "We're gonna do it; we're gonna be at a bowl game, and we will see you there."

Craig Matthews: "That's a tough one. I'm gonna stay positive and say seven (wins). If they lose tonight, then four."

Reach recruiting and trending sports reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @brooksHolton.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football fans talk Scott Satterfield, 2022 season