Think of 2018, that if we had started Brandon Wimbush against Wake Forest, do you really think we would have won it? Even though Wimbush was 3-0 to start the year, we were all dreading the WFU game, wondering if we would ever see any offense.
Even though Riley Leonard's QB play was adequate enough to get us to a 3-1 start, the loss was to a weak team that we should have blown out by 40+ points. Even in the wins (except against Purdue), the defense was being overly taxed by being on the field too much.
Louisville is a much stronger team than NIU, and if we don't put points on the board early, it's going to be a very long day for the defense. With Leonard at the helm, the offense is going to be sputtering at best, since opposing defenses can squat in a short zone / man to man scheme, and not have to worry about the downfield pass. The running backs will be running into 8 or 9 man fronts all day long.
With Angeli (or dare I say Minchey or Carr) at the helm, they'll have to respect the pass, and that will open up more running space.