6th Annual Schnellenberger MVP Award Presented to UofL’s Lamar Jackson
Award Given to MVP on Winning Team in Annual Kentucky Governor’s Cup
Louisville, Ky. – November 28, 2015 – University of Louisville freshman quarterback Lamar Jackson earned the Howard Schnellenberger MVP award by rushing for two touchdowns and throwing for one as he led the Cardinals to a 38-24 come-from-behind win over in-state rival Kentucky in Commonwealth Stadium.
The Howard Schnellenberger Award, named after the only person inducted into both the UK and UofL Athletic Halls of Fame, was selected by a vote of the working press covering the game.
Jackson was an immediate impact player for the Cardinals. The true freshman quarterback did not start, but entered the game with 4:42 left in the first quarter after starting QB Kyle Bolin tossed his second interception and led Louisville to a 38-24 win.
With the Cardinals down 21-0 to its arch-rival, Jackson engineered a dramatic comeback that included five Louisville touchdowns.
Jackson said he had a message for his teammates when he first joined the huddle, “There wasn’t any doubt for me. I told them it’s game time, let’s go.”
Jackson rushed for 186 yards and a pair of touchdowns himself while throwing for 130 yards and a touchdown.
Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said Jackson “really grew up.”
“I thought he made some great plays throwing the ball and running it,” Petrino said. “That was the thing that was really good for me to see is that he really concentrated on reading the plays, not guessing and not making a predetermined decision. That’s when you are starting to mature as a quarterback.”
Jackson is the first FBS quarterback this season to record multiple games with 150 rushing yards. He broke his own Louisville single-game rushing record by a quarterback with 186 yards on just 17 carries running the read-option play effectively.
“It really helped, his speed and his ability to read it well every time,” Petrino said of Jackson.
Louisville was down 24-7 at halftime but scored 31 straight points in the second half. The Cardinals’ defense held Kentucky to just 83 total yards in the second half after giving up 208 in the first half.
Schnellenberger was recruited to UK out of Louisville Flaget (fla-jay’) High School by Bear Bryant in 1952 and was an All-American tight end for the Wildcats under Blanton Collier as a senior. Schnellenberger was an assistant coach at UK under Collier in 1959 and 1960. He was an assistant under Bryant at Alabama for three national titles, offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins for the 17-0 season in 1972, and led the University of Miami to the national championship as head coach in 1983. As the head coach at UofL for 10 years (1985-1994), Schnellenberger is credited with rejuvenating the football program and led the Cardinals to victories in the Liberty and Fiesta Bowls.
2014 Schnellenberger Award Winner. UofL junior wide receiver Devante Parker earned the Award with six catches for 180 yards and three touchdowns in a wild back and forth game in Cardinal Stadium that Louisville won 38-34. Parker, a Louisville native out of Ballard HS, notched his seventh 100-yard receiving game and tied the UofL career TD receiving record with 33. The game featured nearly 800 yards in combined total offense and seven lead changes.
2013 Schnellenberger Award Winner. Teddy Bridgewater captured his second consecutive MVP Award when he threw to seven different receivers in UofL’s 27-13 win over UK at Commonwealth Stadium. For the day, Bridgewater was 16-28 passing for 250 yards and one TD with no interceptions. He lofted a second quarter TD pass to wide receiver Devante Parker deep in the corner of the end zone for the go-ahead score.
2012 Schnellenberger Award Winner. Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater earned the Award with a sterling performance in University of Louisville’s 32-14 win over UK at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. He completed 19-21 passes for 232 yards and no interceptions and set a UofL single-game record with a 90.5 percent completion rate. He led UofL on a 15-play 99-yard scoring drive on the Cardinals’ first possession and a six-play 85-yard scoring drive on their second possession for a lead they would never relinquish.
2011 Schnellenberger Award Winner. A senior linebacker and Louisville native, Dexter Heyman earned the 2011 Award as the Cards defeated the Wildcats 24-17 at Commonwealth Stadium. Heyman made 12 tackles, two for a loss, and a forced fumble recovered by a teammate, leading the Cardinal defense that limited the Wildcats to 35 yards rushing in 32 carries.
2010 Schnellenberger Award Winner. UK senior running back Derrick Locke was named the inaugural recipient of the Award for his performance in the Wildcats’ 23-16 win over Louisville at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. Locke registered 150 all-purpose yards, including 104 rushing yards on 23 carries. He scored two first quarter touchdowns for a lead UK would never relinquish.