Surely there is a way to slow down Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson.
Or is there?
Because right now, Jackson is the most unstoppable player in the nation who's headed into a major showdown against No. 3 Florida State. He's rewriting school record books, ACC record books, NCAA record books ... make that all the books.
Jackson followed up his eight-touchdown performance in the opener against Charlotte with 610 total yards and five more scores in a 62-28 victory over Syracuse on Friday night. These video-game numbers made yet another major impression on a national television audience tuned in to watch the rising Heisman Trophy candidate.
Just look at what he did against the Orange:
Set a school and ACC record with 610 yards of total offense in a single game.
Set a school record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 15 ... in only his 14th career game at the school.
Became the only Power 5 quarterback to rush for three touchdowns in the first quarter of a game over the past 10 seasons.
Became the second player in FBS history to record 400 passing yards and 150 rush yards in a game, joining Jordan Lynch (Northern Illinois) in 2012. Jackson fell one rushing yard shy of becoming the first player in FBS history to run for 400 yards and pass for 200 yards in one game.
Louisville ended up with a school-record 845 yards. Those are just the numbers. Then there are the actual plays that showed what makes Jackson so special.
On the first play from scrimmage, he lofted a beautiful 72-yard touchdown pass to James Quick that essentially set the tone for the game. Louisville needed only five plays to score on its first three possessions, including a 72-yard touchdown run by Jackson.
How about his high hurdle in the second quarter? Jackson leapt over a Syracuse defender as if he were in the Olympics final on a 9-yard scoring run. (Heisman moment, anyone?)
How about facing third-and-17 in the third quarter, then scrambling for 32 yards for a first down, cutting and weaving and accelerating with ease (evoking comparisons to Michael Vick).
His performances are not without precedent. Jackson became the third quarterback in bowl history to rush and pass for 200 yards in a victory over Texas A&M last December, a performance that portended a breakout season.
So in his past three games, Jackson has 1,468 total yards and 17 touchdowns.
But it probably will not be so easy against the Seminoles, whose defense is far superior to the past three Jackson has faced. Charlotte ranks among the worst teams in FBS; Syracuse had one of the worst defenses in the country last season and does not have the speed or athleticism Jackson and the Cards will see next Saturday.
When the two teams played last season, Jackson threw for over 300 yards but was held to 1.7 yards per carry in a Louisville loss. But that was only the sixth game of his career. Jackson is a better player now; but you could argue Florida State has a better defense, too.
Perhaps the Seminoles will have the answers Texas A&M, Charlotte and Syracuse failed to find.