Ri’Shard Anderson can see the confidence Teddy Bridgewater exudes. In his second season, the Louisville quarterback knows how to place each throw. He knows when to go deep and when to dump it off. And he knows how to improvise outside the pocket.

His rapid development ranks him among the nation’s most prolific passers, as he is sixth in the country with a 70.4 completion percentage. He has also thrown for 18 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions en route to leading the No. 11 Cardinals (9-0, 4-0 Big East) to an unbeaten start heading into their matchup with Syracuse (4-5, 3-2) in the Carrier Dome at noon Saturday.

Anderson said Bridgewater’s “not far from” the level of Southern California quarterback Matt Barkley, adding he is only a sophomore with time to develop. But SU head coach Doug Marrone thinks the Louisville signal-caller has been elite in 2012.

“Teddy Bridgewater is the best quarterback that we’ll have faced this year to this point because he can do so much,” Marrone said.

SU defensive coordinator Scott Shafer said Bridgewater provides a different challenge than Barkley because of his ability to extend plays with his feet. Shafer said Bridgewater is constantly aware as he scrambles, displaying impressive instincts on a variety of shovel passes at the line of scrimmage.

“He’s got a nice moxie about him like all the good quarterbacks do, and it will be a great challenge,” Shafer said. “It starts with him.”

After struggling to contain dual-threat quarterbacks against South Florida and Cincinnati, Bridgewater is another athletic quarterback.

But while Daniels burned the SU defense for 134 yards on 12 carries and Munchie Legaux has rushed for 335 yards and four touchdowns, Bridgewater has only rushed for 80 yards and one touchdown this season, as Shafer said he runs more to buy time for plays to develop.

Anderson said the focus of the SU defense is different this week. Rather than being ready to help corral B.J. Daniels and Legaux when they took off downfield, the secondary needs to lock in on its assignments in coverage.

“He’s running, but he’s just making more time so he can throw downfield, so you got to stay and lock on your man, and while he’s doing all the scrambling,” Anderson said, “you have to lock onto your man so we can’t come off heavy like we did last two weeks.”

When Bridge water scrambles around the pocket,Louisville’s wide receivers will improvise on routes, making it crucial for Anderson and his teammates to stick to the game plan.

That has been a challenge for Louisville’s opponents this year as the Cardinals are second in the Big East in scoring, averaging 34 points per game. Bridgewater has spread the ball around, hitting eight different receivers for touchdowns.

With Bridgewater directing the offense, Louisville has eclipsed the 30-point mark six times. SU’s defense will need some help from Ryan Nassib and the offense to slow the explosive attack down.

And for an Orange unit susceptible to big plays, Marrone highlighted Bridgewater’s ability to throw the deep ball as a concern.

“It’s a big challenge for us not to give up the big play against a quarterback that has been making those big plays all year round,” Marrone said.

The turnover battle, something Marrone has harped on all season, will also be tough for SU to win against a team with a quarterback who has thrown just four interceptions. U of L is second in the conference in turnover margin while Syracuse is sixth.

Ultimately, Anderson and the SU defense is prepared to take on one of the nation’s top passers. It can see how he has developed since his freshman season on film.

And Louisville’s numbers and perfect start are all Marrone needs to point to when describing the Big East’s best team.

Said Marrone: “If you keep giving their offense a lot of chances during the course of a game, they have shown and proven that they will beat you.”

Published on November 9, 2012 at 2:27 am

Contact Ryne: rjgery@syr.edu