Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater is on a pace to throw for 4,155 yards and 37 touchdowns, yet he is a forgotten man when it comes to the Heisman race.
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Hopes for the national title and Heisman have been dashed for Teddy Bridgewater, but the QB can go on to be a star in the NFL, Bucky Brooks says. **More ...**
Bridgewater (6-foot-3, 196 pounds) and his Cardinals teammates will be on national TV for the sixth time Friday when they play at Connecticut (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2). It will be Louisville's fifth non-Saturday game of the season, and Bridgewater's presence is a big reason for that: He was a leading Heisman contender before the season and considered the most pro-ready quarterback in the nation, so ESPN wanted to spotlight him during the season.
He still is considered the most pro-ready quarterback prospect by most analysts, but the Heisman dream is gone, thanks to the Oct. 18 loss to UCF. That game also was on a Friday, but to expect Louisville to lose again on a Friday seems folly: UConn is 0-7 and its secondary has issues.
That should mean another big game for Bridgewater; he is averaging 319.6 passing yards per game, with 23 touchdown passes, two interceptions and a 73.7 completion percentage. He leads the nation in completion percentage among the quarterbacks who qualify. He also has six 300-yard games this season and four times has thrown at least three TD passes.
What impresses UConn interim coach T.J. Weist? Bridgewater's efficiency.
"Just look at their overall efficiency as an offense," Weist said in his weekly teleconference. "They're number one in third-down efficiency and offense. You don't do that without having a quarterback that's smart, that makes good decisions, that's athletic, all that. Their passing efficiency -- they're second in the country. That's what's impressive about him.
"... He's a very sound, fundamental quarterback that makes good decisions and that's efficient. That's what it comes down to."
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
