If this was his last game in a Louisville uniform, Teddy Bridgewater ended his career with one of his best performances. The junior quarterback, who is considered one of the top prospects for the NFL Draft but has yet to declare, threw for 447 yards and three touchdowns as the Cardinals dominated Miami in the Russell Athletic Bowl, 36-9.
Bridgewater, who also scored a touchdown on the ground, led the Cardinals offense to 554 total yards in a completely dominant performance. On the other side of the ball, the Louisville defense was tremendous, holding the Hurricanes to just 174 total yards.
Things got off to a bit of a shaky start for Bridgewater as he was sacked in the end zone just five minutes into the game for a safety to give Miami a brief 2-0 lead. The Louisville offense rebounded quickly from the safety with 22 straight points to end the half with three John Wallace field goals and Bridgewater touchdown passes to DeVante Parker and Michaelee Harris.
All the while, the Louisville defense was dominant, racking up three sacks, a fumble and limiting the Miami offense to just four first half first downs.
The second half was more of the same from the Louisville defense. With Cardinals defenders constantly in his face, Miami quarterback Stephen Morris, who was limited to just 160 passing yards, never had a chance. Hurricane running backs Gus Edwards and Dallas Crawford were also held in check as they combined for just 73 yards on 23 attempts. Miami was also held to 0-for-11 on third down.
Bridgewater and the Louisville offense continued to pile on the yardage, throwing the ball when the game was firmly in hand with less than four minutes to go. Bridgewater, after surpassing his career high in passing yards, was finally taken out with under two minutes remaining and received a standing ovation from the crowd in his home state of Florida.
When asked of his draft intentions after the game, Bridgewater, who already has earned his degree from Louisville, appeared to tip his hand by saying “what a way to go out.”

The Cardinals, who will join Miami in the ACC next season, end the season with a 12-1 overall record. The loss dropped Miami to 9-4.
- - -
Want to join the conversation? Hit us up on Twitter @YahooDrSaturday be sure to "Like" Dr. Saturday on Facebook for football conversations and stuff you won't see on the blog.