Reggie Bonnafon looked like the University of Louisville football team’s bonafide starting quarterback Friday night.
The sophomore accounted for 275 yards and two touchdowns - all in the first half - to lead the Red team to a 59-0 whitewash of the White squad Friday night in the Cardinals’ annual spring game at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
The crowd of 23,187 saw Bonnafon, who started five games under center this past fall as a true freshman before injuring his knee early in the regular-season finale against archrival Kentucky, make a strong case to be UofL’s signal-caller this coming fall (in spite of the fact that coach Bobby Petrino isn't ready to name a starter yet). The dual-threat quarterback completed 15 of 19 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown and ran 10 times for 37 yards and another TD.
The Trinity High School product led the Red, made up of first-string players, to points on five of its six first-half possessions.
Bonnafon’s favorite target, not surprisingly, was another former Shamrock - James Quick, who posted spring game highs in receptions (seven) and receiving yards (127).
Meanwhile sophomore running back Jeremy Smith, a transfer from Fresno City Community College, ran for 58 yards and a touchdown and junior Brandon Radcliff rushed for 57 yards and three more Red scores.
Radcliff ran for 14 yards while Bonnafon completed a 29-yard pass to tight end Charles Standberry to set up John Wallace’s 40-yard field goal on the Red’s first possession.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Kyle Bolin, who led the Cards to a win over UK after replacing Bonnafon then started in the Belk Bowl, started the game for the White. However he completed just 3 of 7 passes for 20 yards. Two of Bolin's completions came on the White's opening drive, which ended with him being sacked for a 5-yard loss.
Smith ran four times for 27 yards - including a 2-yard TD run - on the Red’s second possession. And the rout was on.
The White went three-and-out on its second possession before Bonnafon engineered a 6-play, 84-yard scoring drive that Radcliff capped off with a 2-yard touchdown run.
Radcliff added another 2-yard TD early in the second quarter before Bonnafon ran for a 2-yard score of his own, then tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to L.J. Scott to finish off the first half.
Bolin switched jerseys at halftime, then completed 8 of 11 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns after intermission for the Red, which finished with 596 yards of total offense.
Meanwhile senior quarterback Tyler Ferguson, a Penn State transfer, completed 7 of 13 passes for 47 yards with one interception for the White.
Sophomore quarterback Will Gardner, who made seven starts last season before suffering a knee injury, sat out the game.
Sophomore outside linebacker Henry Famurewa, sophomore safety Chucky Williams, junior safety Jarrod Barnes and senior defensive end Pio Vatuvel led the Red defense with five tackles apiece. Famurewa also finished with a pair of sacks while Williams added 1.5 QB takedowns.
Photo courtesy University of Louisville Football Facebook Page
