Jackson suggests Louisville 'underestimated' Purdue

Despite ultimately emerging victorious Saturday, Lamar Jackson believes No. 16 Louisville lacked focus against Purdue, causing the Cardinals to struggle mightily against the unheralded Boilermakers.

"First and foremost, shoutout to Purdue," the Heisman quarterback said after the 35-28 win, according to Jeff Greer of the Courier-Journal. "They played a helluva game. We underestimated them, I feel."

Louisville came into the contest expected to all but wipe the floor with the Boilermakers, who went 3-9 last season - two of those victories came over FCS opponents, the third came against a woeful Illinois team. The contest didn't go according to script, though, as Jackson was forced to rally the troops en route to a fourth-quarter road comeback.

Jackson had 485 yards of total offense in the win. Following the contest, first-year Boilermakers coach Jeff Brohm labelled the junior "a once-in-a-generation player," per Greer.

The Cardinals hoped the experience they gained last year, when they started the year on fire but fizzled down the stretch, would be a source of motivation in 2017. Louisville barely looked inspired Saturday night, but will take a 1-0 record into a Week 2 affair with North Carolina, nonetheless.