UCONN Aftermath

The Cards blew it. Plain and simple. Whether the blame is placed on Josh Chichester for his crucial drops or Hunter Cantwell for his poor decision making, Louisville had the game by the short and curlies and gave it away. The Cards amassed over 500 yards of total offense and saw just 21 points on the scoreboard. That is ridiculous. Former coach Bobby Petrino's Arkansas team gave up 420 yards to Texas this past weekend, allowing 52 points in the process. The Cards scored less than half the points with over 80 yards more offense. UCONN 26 Louisville 21. Winning the conference just became a lot more difficult.

The defense played well with a bend-but-don't-break approach. UCONN's QB Tyler Lorenzen was knocked out of the game early with a fractured foot and the Ron English defense was getting good pressure throughout the first half. The one thing I am concerned with is the lack of turnovers created. Woodny Turrene was given 2 gift-wrapped interceptions against Kansas State. Other than that, turnovers have been hard to come by. The defense should not get any blame for this loss. Turnovers are extremely helpful, however the team shouldn't rely upon them. UCONN was patient and Cantwell served theirs up on a platter.

In the second half, UCONN started throwing quicker passes to counter the pressure the Cards were giving. It should have been the defensive back's responsibility to play tighter, intelligent coverage, yet they didn't get the job done. Turrenne went for a pick and got burnt for a TD and Daniel Covington had a huge penalty called on him on a 3rd and long which kept UCONN's 4th quarter FG drive alive. The Huskies did a great job taking care of the ball aside from a botched QB/RB exchange to Donald Brown, a turnover in which the Cards responded with zero points.

The way the two RBs, Victor Anderson and Brown, went at it for both teams was great to watch. I thought it would take Anderson at least a year to get acclimated with the game of college football, but the St. X alum has stormed in and made it very difficult for Brohm and Kragthorpe to continue using 3 RBs. Of course Powell and Bolen will still get the ball on 1st and 2nd downs for reasons I will never understand, but Vic has cemented himself into the starting position. The only times Powell and Bolen should get the ball is in short yardage or if Vic is injured. The cream rises to the top. In this case, Anderson should rise to the top of the depth chart. Powell's yardage (112 on 11 carries) was helped by a career long 52 yarder (a TD for Vic) and he did run harder than he has all year. Anderson just has that extra something that makes him deserve the brunt of the carries.

Louisville must put together consecutive good games in order to get back into the national picture which left for ATL with Petrino. Kragthorpe needs to develop that killer instinct that makes the players scared to commit penalties (7 for 60) and make stupid mistakes such as dropping passes in your chest and throwing INTs for TDs with a lead. It is disheartening to see a defense improve so drastically but not be rewarded with a win. English's boys have given up about 60 points in 4 games, which is a hell of an improvement. The offense was riddled with mistakes (running on 4th and 6??) and the special teams are some of the worst in D-1. The Cards need to make a bowl this year to get the fans behind Kragthorpe and regain some respect nationally. The way things went last Friday, that might be wishful thinking.

Cardinals in Week 4

-Kerry Rhodes had a season high 8 tackles in the Jets 56-35 blowout of the Cardinals.

-Michael Bush had 14 carries for 48 yards with 7 catches for 80 yards as the Raiders lost 18-28 to the Chargers.

-Dewayne White had 4 tackles and a sack as the Lions lost 13-31 to the 49ers.

-David Akers was 2-4 on field goals Sunday night with 2 extra points in the Eagles 20-24 loss to the Bears.

-Amobi Okoye had 3 tackles Sunday and the Texans lost 27-30 in overtime to the Jaguars.

-Harry Douglas has 2 catches for 8 yards for the Falcons as they lost 9-24 to the Panthers.

-Brandon Johnson had 2 tackles in the Bengals 12-20 loss to the Browns.

-Kolby Smith had 2 rushes for 9 yards Sunday in the Chiefs 33-19 win over the Broncos.

Live From Papa John's...

All the greats do it, so I figured I would. It's your first ever L Yes! Report live blog..

At the end of the first quarter the Cards trail 3-0, but are currently moving the ball pretty well. Ted Washington is getting his jersey retired tonight and the D responded by sacking Huskies QB Tyler Lorenzen twice in the series following the field goal. Got here late after the 93.9 Penn Station/NeutralZone Tailgate Partym More updates later..

SECOND QUARTER
Huskies RB Donald Brown is running wild on the Cards, running for 2 gains of 20 plus yards on a TD drive that put the Huskies ahead 10-0. Louisville then stormed back with a Victor Anderson heavy drive that ended with a short TD run. Adrian Grady made a huge third down stop on Donald Brown, who had 124 yards in the half (his 5th straight half with at least 100 yards) to give the Cards the ball back. Victor Anderson lit up the next drive by running hard and showing off his nifty set of moves. Andrson caught a pass and juked 3 guys to get into the endzone with only 6 seconds remaining in the half. Our halftime score is 14-10 Cards. The two RBs are putting on a show.


THIRD QUARTER
The story before the game was UCONNs running game against the vaunted Cardinal D. However, it is Louisville's running attack that is the difference in the game so far. Bilal Powell and Anderson marched the Cards down the field and Bilal got in the endzone to put the Cards up 21-10. Stud UCONN) Donald Brown then fumbled a botched exchange to give the Cards the ball at the UCONN 31. The Cards were unable to convert an attempted run on 4th and 6 (what?) After QB Hunter Cantwell went down with an apparent leg injury. More to come on the status of our noodling QB.

Both teams QBs are currently playing backups and UCONNs, sophomore Zach Frazier, just threw his first career TD on a error in coverage by either LB Jon Dempsey or Woodny Turrene. The Cards need another score to get some breathing room back.

Word around the press room is that UCONN QB Tyler Lorenzen has a broken foot, nothing official on either him or Cantwell, who is riding the stationary bike on the sidelines. Tyler Wolfe moved the chains once in his first drive but stalled when he was hit while throwing on third down.

Official word is that Cantwell sprained his left ankle and is probable to return. The Cards are doing a great job containing Donald Brown in the second half. Let's hope it stays that way.

Cantwell returns to the game limping as the Cards were pinned within their own 5. Bilal Powell answered with the longest run of his career, a 52 yard scamper. Chichester drops a pass right in his hands on third down and the Cards are forced to punt, up 21-17.

UCONN is driving down 4 on the UL 19.) Donald Brown just went down with an injury but returned to the game after missing one play, catching a pass for 6 yards. First and goal from the UL 7. Cards hold them to a field goal, 21-20 Cards with 5:32. That capped on a 16 play drive taking almost 6 minutes off the clock. UCONN has 2 timeouts left.

Cantwell just threw a pick 6 into triple coverage when he had a wide open reciever down the left side of the field. Knew it was coming sometime. UCONN misses 2 point try. UCONN up 26-21.

Two big catches by Chichester and a solid run by Vic put us inside the 30. Illegal formation penalty puts Cards at 3rd and 7. Krags wants to talk things over.

Chichester drops a huge third down and Cantwell then decides to throw into triple coverage again on 4th. Play is broken up. Turnover on downs. UCONN ball. Not looking too good for the Cards. Just used their last TO with 1:12 left, third and 16.

The Cards get the stop and will have about 30 seconds to make a miracle happen with Doug Beaumont back to return the punt. No return. UL ball at the 27 with 21 seconds to go. The game ends on a Cantwell pick, fittingly and UL has lost their first conference game. More after the press conference.

Live From Papa John's...

All the greats do it, so I figured I would. It's your first ever L Yes! Report live blog..

At the end of the first quarter the Cards trail 3-0, but are currently moving the ball pretty well. Ted Washington is getting his jersey retired tonight and the D responded by sacking Huskies QB Tyler Lorenzen twice in the series following the field goal. Got here late after the 93.9 Penn Station/NeutralZone Tailgate Party More updates later..

Pack the Park 2008

From the voice of the Cards, Mr. Sean Moth...


LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville is asking fans to "Pack the Park" on Sunday, September 28, when the field hockey, and men's and women's soccer teams play home games at Cardinal Park. Admission to all events is free, and will begin at noon featuring inflatables, face painting, free Mexican food from local restaurants and a meet and greet with UofL student athletes.
The nationally ranked men's soccer team will be hosting Notre Dame at 1:00 p.m. at the Cardinal Park Soccer Stadium, while the nationally ranked field hockey team opens the home portion of the BIG EAST schedule against UConn, also at 1:00 p.m. in Trager Stadium. The women's soccer team will host Depaul following the conclusion of the men's game. In addition the softball team will be hosting a fall tournament at Ulmer Stadium with games at 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. ET.
Astro Events of Louisville, LLC will have inflatables set up at the soccer complex, Premier Face Painting will be at the entrance of field hockey from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 and Los Aztecas, Sol Aztecas, Ernestos, El Caporal and El Nopal will be serving free Mexican food to guests.
A number of Cardinal student athletes representing among others, the softball, men's tennis and baseball teams will be in attendance.

Show Me My Opponent - Connecticut Huskies

Record - 4-0
Conference - Big East
Location - Storrs, CN
Stadium - Rentschler Field (40,000)

UCONN defeated Louisville last season 21-17 in Storrs with help from a now infamous punt return for a TD that shouldn't have been. However, Louisville could not hold onto a 10-point lead and a late Brian Brohm interception sealed the deal for the Huskies. Current UCONN QB Tyler Lorenzen completed 9-18 passes for 130 yards and former RB Andre Dixon had 22 carries for 115 yards and a TD as UCONN won their first game ever against the Cards. (Louisville leads 3-1 all-time).

Head Coach - Randy Edsall (54-55 in 10 years at UCONN)
Edsall has helped UCONN transition to D-1 from D-II since becoming head coach in 1998. His squads have appeared in 2 bowl games, winning Motor City Bowl in 2004 over Toledo. Edsall is a protege of current New York Giants Head Coach, Tom Coughlin. He played for Coughlin at Syracuse University and later coached under him at Syracuse, Boston College and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Edsall's name pops up a lot with coaching vacancies, most recently flirting with Georgia Tech just last year.

Notable Alumni - Meg Ryan (overrated actress), Moby (overrated musician), Leigh Montville (legendary sports columnist - Sports Illustrated), NBA PLAYERS: Jake Voskuhl, Charlie Villanueva, Marcus Williams, Cliff Robinson, Kevin Ollie, Emeka Okafor, Ray Allen (aka Jesus Shuttlesworth - left), Sue Bird, Rebecca Lobo, Swin Cash (ESPN), Josh Boone, Scotty Burrell, Caron Butler, Rudy Gay, Richard Hamilton, Ben Gordon, Donyell Marshall

NFL Alumni - Dan Orlovsky (Detroit Lions QB), Deon Anderson (Dallas), Nick Gianquinto (only UONN alum with Super Bowl ring - Redskins)

Cardinal Connection: Here it is... I have yet to forget about it and neither should you..



Outlook - Although they have the leading rusher in the country Donald Brown, who has yet to have a half with less than 100 yards on the ground, the Huskies have not faced a defense as formidable as the Cards. Kansas State had the same problem, but UCONN is a better team in my opinion. Ron English will have the D geared up to stop Brown, so fans should be more worried about getting burnt deep, even though Lorenzen threw only 18 times last year. If the Cards can build an early lead behind the play of Vic Anderson and co., the Huskies will be forced to throw, which could bode well. I expect us to move the ball at will, it's just a matter of not letting them control the clock with their running game. I expect a similar outcome to last week , with the Cards taking an early lead and then giving up some garbage late. 3-game winning streak for the Cards.

Prediction - 35- 24 CARDS

Garcia Gets a 5yr Deal

Former Louisville Cardinal Francisco Garcia got a big contract extension today with the Sacramento Kings. Francisco is a three year NBA veteran who had his best season so far last year. Part of that is because former Louisville Assistant Coach Reggie Theus became the King’s head coach last season.

Last year Garcia averaged 12.3 ppg, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 75 games. Over the off season Sacramento traded SF Ron Artest to the Houston Rockets. This gives Garcia a good opportunity to compete with six year vet John Salmons for the starting SF position.

On the Sacramento Kings website Garcia said this about his extension, “I feel great. It’s good to know that I’m going to be here for years to come. This is a great organization that’s moving in the right direction. We have the best owners in the league. Our general manager is one of the best. And we have a good coaching staff with a lot of talented players. I’m looking forward to the upcoming season.”

It has been reported by ESPN.com that Garcia has signed a four year $23 million deal with a $7 million option for a fifth year.

The Rushing Huskies

Friday night Louisville fans will see a battle of early season heavyweights. Connecticut can boast that they have the sixth best rushing offense with 279.0 ypg and the nation’s leading rusher. Then on the other side of the ball you have the Cardinal defense who is the nation’s second ranked rushing defense. Through 3 games Louisville has only allowed 42.0 yards rypg and 1.88 ypr.

The Huskies have made off a living rushing the ball this season. Connecticut’s Donald Brown is the nation’s leading rusher with 719 rushing yards, and the nation’s second leading scorer with 10 touchdowns. What Louisville has to watch for is Huskies’ QB Tyler Lorenzen running the ball out of the pocket. Lorenzen has rushed for 222 yards on the season and 2 touchdowns.

On the other hand, Connecticut’s passing game is nothing to be afraid of. The Huskies have the 107th passing offense with 142.0 ypg, and they are 103 in interceptions thrown with 6. Louisville doesn’t have the greatest passing defense in the world, but they have only allowed 201.0 ypg passing. After four games UConn has yet to have a receiver total 100 yards receiving on the season. The leading receiver so far is Ellis Gaulden has caught 8 passes for 91 yards. There is not really a true #1 receiver the Cards have to worry about and that should benefit Ron English’s secondary.

Connecticut is 4-0 so far, but they are not a standout team Louisville has to fear. Connecticut has failed to put together a consistent passing attack against their previous three foes. Those foes haven’t been the greatest defensive teams either which includes Hofstra, Temple, Virginia, and Baylor. The Cards have 13th ranked defense in nation after 3 games. Louisville has to work to limit UConn’s big plays after giving up two scoring plays of 50 yards or more in the fourth quarter against Kansas St. If Louisville can limit UConn’s rushing attack Louisville has a very good chance of taming the Huskies.

Cardinals in Week 3

-David Akers was 2-2 on field goals including a 31 yard field goal in the fourth quarter to seal a 15-6 Eagles win over the Steelers.

-Michael Bush ran 14 times for 55 yards and he had 1 catch for 5 yards in the Raiders 23-24 loss to the Bills.

-Harry Douglas had two catches for 10 yards, and 1 rush for -8 yards as the Falcons beat the Chiefs 38-14.

-William Gay had 2 tackles for the Steelers and they lost to the Eagles 6-15.

-Sam Madison had 3 tackles for the Giants in their 26-23 win against the Bengals.

-Amobi Okoye had 3 tackles in the Texans 12-31 loss to the Titans.

-Kerry Rhodes had 3 tackles as the Jets lost 29-48 to the Chargers.

-Kolby Smith had 1 rush for 7 yards and 1 catch for 8 yards for the Chiefs in their 14-38 loss to the Falcons.

In Case You Missed it...

Looks like one of Krag's only '09 recruits is reconsidering his commitment to the Cards. LB Mike Privott is planning a visit to NC State soon, according to the school's scout.com site. This news could be seen coming after the debacle that was the nationally televised UK game. Recruits' attitudes should be bullish towards the defense after the first 3 games, so that makes me think the early commitment might be what Privott is regretting, not the team he chose. ESPN evaluated Privott, saying he is also considering the Wolfpack, Penn St., West Virginia, and Maryland.


Never Nervous Pervis is helping out the youths in Philly by running clinics, coaching a school team, and providing scholarships for under-privledged youngsters. It's good to see the 1986 NCAA MOP (one of only 2 freshman to win the award) doing good with his life after the "Bob Marley phase" he went through late in his NBA career. Coaching could be his calling and as the writer of this story Keith Pompey says: His goal in life is to make sure underprivileged students are able to follow in his footsteps


Mike Bush might be asked to take more carries this week for the Raiders, who may not have Justin Fargas this week. An article in the Sacramento Bee talks about how he step to the occasion and gained the trust of coaches. Mr. Bush was also interviewed by a local news station and they were kind enough to put it on their site. Start picking the man up on your fantasy teams. You saw what happened to A-Pete last year. Although he is amazing as well, I don't expect McFadden to make it through the whole season without missing time.


Kerry Rhodes is becoming the defensive leader for the New York Jets, even to the point where he wears the new helmet with the "sideline communication" for the D. He was asked about the loss to the Patriots by a fellow blogger. Anyone who says they saw Kerry becoming the perinnial pro-bowler he has become is lying to you. He was acceptable in coverage but had sub-par hands. It's great to see him come into his own as an All-Pro safety for the J-E-T-S.

Zinger Says to Wear Cardinal Red

U.S. Captain Paul Azinger strongly encourages all USA golf fans to show their patriotism and wear red for Sunday's Ryder Cup matches at Valhalla Golf Club as a sign of support for the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

We are on the national scene this weekend and the more red the viewers see on Sunday across the Bluegrass State the better. The US currently leads 7-5 after the first set of matches today. No lead will be comfortable going into Sunday, so if you can find a ticket, get out there and support your country and Louisville as we are again in the national spotlight. That ESPN Titletown USA contest might have been a little different if the voters would have seen and felt the electricity of the crowd at Valhalla all week. This is the kind of week that makes you proud to be from the 'ville. Maybe one day our boy Derek Fauthauer will get to play and represent the Cards. As wrestling legend Hacksaw Jim Duggan would say, "OOOOOOOO..USA! USA! USA!...."

Quick Vic and Doug "E. Fresh"

Lately the University of Louisville football team has been fueled by two local standouts. Doug Beaumont and Victor Anderson have been tearing up the stat sheets. Both were Courier Journal All State selections coming out of high school in 2006, and Beaumont was the 2006 Kentucky Mr. Football. Beaumont had 5,954 total rushing and receiving yards and 91 touchdowns in his career at Louisville Male High School. Anderson is the all time leading rusher and scorer at Louisville St. Xavier with 4,008 rushing yards and 75 touchdowns.

The two local boys started off their college careers in different ways. Beaumont wasn’t sure where he would be playing at entering his college career. Then it became apparent that Louisville was in need of receivers when Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia became injured. Beaumont had 1 rush for -2 yards in his freshman season, and he saw the field mostly on special teams as the lead man down the field on kicking coverage.

Anderson was the victim of a supposedly deep backfield in 2007. Louisville thought they would be set with runners like Brock Bolen, George Stripling, Anthony Allen, and Sergio Spencer. Anderson used his inaugural season as Cardinal as a redshirt year. He spent a lot of time on the scout team, imitating opposing running backs such as West Virginia’s Steve Slaton. Not a bad college player to have to immolate in practice.

At the beginning of the year, Louisville was looking for players to stand out. Beaumont used that chance to crack the starting lineup and see a lot of playing time. Anderson was definitely going to be a part of the three back rotation with Bolen and Bilal Powell. We just didn’t know how much time he would see on the field. Both Anderson and Beaumont have made it clear they are going to see a lot of time on the field.

Beaumont caught 9 passes for 119 yards on Wednesday versus Kansas St., and he has 279 receiving yards this season. Anderson used the national stage of the Kansas St. game to have his coming out party. I’m not talking about his sexuality, it was more of his 176 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. That was his second straight 100 yard rushing performance. Anderson’s shortest touchdown runs was 27 yard sprint through Kansas St.’s defense. Three games into the season Louisville has found two go to guys that have plenty of time left as Cardinals.

Cardinals Get a Key Win: 38-29

University of Louisville fans were looking for answers last night and that’s exactly what they got. Every time Kansas St. tried to make a comeback the Cards had an answer. Those answers were frequently running back Victor Anderson and wide receiver Doug Beaumont. Coach Steve Kragthorpe frequently went for it on fourth downs, trying to maximize every Louisville drive.

The defense was also a major story of last night’s game. On Kansas St.’s first drive of the night the Wildcats made it all the way to the Cardinal 12 before Louisville got its first boost of the night. Josh Freeman fumbled the snap out of the shotgun and it was recovered by Louisville defensive end L.D. Scott. Louisville then drove all the way down the field to the Kansas St. 8 before they came up short on fourth and one.

Louisville tied the game up at 7-7 in the second quarter off of a Josh Chichester 18 yard touchdown grab. The rather large Chichester dragged his Kansas St. defender for the last few yards and he stretched out his 6-8 body for six points. Chichester played well except for two dropped touchdown catches in consecutive plays at the end of first half.

The Victor Anderson show then started in the second quarter on a 29 yard touchdown sprint to take the lead 14-7. After the dropped touchdown passes at the end of the half by Chichester, kicker Chris Philpott missed a 31 yard field goal. Philpott also missed an extra point after a Troy Pascley 13 yard touchdown catch in the third quarter. After that, soph. Purdue transfer Tim Dougherty took over the kicking duties for the rest of the game. Woodny Turenne showed his potential by intercepting two Josh Freeman passes in the second quarter.

Just when you thought Louisville might pull away Deon Murphy had an 86 yard punt return for a touchdown to bring the Wildcats within 6. Victor Anderson then decided to shut up the Wildcats with a 56 yard touchdown run in the third, and a 27 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. For a change of pace Tim Dougherty actually made 36 yard field goal to make it 38-21. Brandon Banks had a 59 yard touchdown catch in the fourth to set the final margin at 38-29.

At the end of the day, Victor Anderson was the big story as he ran for 176 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hunter Cantwell and Doug Beaumont showed some great chemistry and Beaumont caught 9 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown. Cantwell ended up completing 22 of 33 passes for 274 yards and 2 touchdowns. Turenne had two interceptions in one quarter, and Brock Bolen quietly rushed for 104 yards. The kicking job is probably up for grabs at the end of the night, if Tim Dougherty didn’t already win it by default.

Kansas St. quarterback Josh Freeman never had a lot of time to throw and the Cards defense stunted a supposedly high power offense. They weren’t very lucky running the ball either and the Cards limited them to 37 yards rushing. A pressure defense and a timely offense gave the Cards a nice win on Wednesday night.

Van Treese is a Card

Coach Pitino was looking for another big man to fill out his 2009 recruiting class and he got it today. Stephen Van Treese a 6-9 225 lb. power forward from Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis committed to Louisville late yesterday. Lawrence North was also the high school of NBA players Greg Oden and Mike Conley. At one point last year Van Treese was included in the top 25 of the 2009 class. After a so so summer Van Treese is now listed as a three star prospect by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. Van Treese was also recruited by UCLA, Kansas, Ohio State, Michigan State, and Purdue. He joins 2009 commits four star prospects PG Peyton Siva, PF Rakeem Buckles, and three star prospect SG Mike Marra.

Wood & Bussey: 100% to Play

The man, the myth, the legend C Eric Wood will play through a sprained PCL and extend his streak of consecutive games started to 40. I was watching College Football Now on NFL network a minute ago and their draft guru Mike Mayock was singing the praises of Wood, calling him the spine of the team and "a definite first day pick". He added that Wood was listed as doubtful and Louisville's chances of winning decrease if he sits. Wood will play, as will G George Bussey who sprained an ankle in the Tennessee tech game. The squad has dodged a bullet. The loss of either would have been hard to overcome.

Show Me My Opponent - Kansas State Wildcats

Record - 2-0 (beat Montana Sate 69-10 Sept. 9)
Conference - Big 12
Location - Manhattan, KS
Stadium - Bill Snyder Family Stadium (50,000)
Starters Returning from 07 - 14

Louisville defeated the Wildcats 23-6 in their only meeting (9/23/06) in Manhattan. Hunter Cantwell started for n injured Brian Brohm and threw a TD pass to Harry Douglas. Brock Bolen also had a TD run in a game Louisville led 23-0 for the majority of the game before K-State scored a late TD and missed the conversion. (All-time record: 1-0)

Head Coach - Ron Prince (14-13 in 3rd year)
Prince succeeded Bill Snyder who spent 17 years at the school winning 138 games and putting the school back into the national picture after years of futility. Prince came from Virginia where he was offensive coordinator for 3 years coaching players such as Heath Miller and D'Brickashaw Ferguson. He led the Wildcats to a bowl in his first year and has back-to-back wins against Big 12 powerhouse Texas to hang his hat on. Prince joined our friend John "The Freak" Renshaw on 93.9 The Ticket. Here's the audio...



Notable Alumni - Earl Woods (father and teacher of the man missing the Ryder Cup due to injury), Craig Bolerjack (NFL on CBS), Gordon Jump (WKRP in Cincinnati), Kirstie Alley (Sam Malone's love interest Rebecca the 2nd best comedy show ever, Cheers), John Allen (COO, Cincinnati Reds), Sam Brownback (Senator R-KS), Pat Roberts (Sen., R-KS), Micheal Beasley (#2 pick by Miami Heat), Mitch Richmond (sharpshooter, former NBA All-Star), Bill Guthridge (former UNC head coach and longtime Dean Smith assistant), Gene Keady (former Purdue coach with a weird looking set of hair), Lon Kruger (current UNLV head man), Rolando Blackman (NBA Mavs), Jim Colbert (golfer who always wore bucket/fisherman cap)

NFL Alumni - QB Michael Bishop ( '98 Heisman Trophy runner-up), DB Chris Canty (2 time All-American '95-'96), K Martin Gramatica (one half of the unforgettable duo of NFL kicking brothers), DB Terrence Newman (starter DAL; '02 Thorpe Award winner), RB/KR Darren Sproles (left; watch last week's Chargers highlights if you don't know who this guy is), LB Mark Simeneau (NO), WR Jordy Nelson (rookie GB), KR Yamon Figurs (BALT)

Cardinal Connection - It might be too early to question whether Steve Kragthorpe and Ron Prince are the right men to lead their teams into the future. However, both are under a microscope this year. This game will ring very loudly throughout the whole season for both squads. The consensus is the winner will get a momentum boost and the loser might become deflated. The predecessors of both coaches are legends in their own ways at the schools and fans never expected this rough of a transition. The coaches are feeling the pressure to win, something the guys they replaced seemed to do a little easier.

Outlook - Kansas State hasn't faced a team worthy of comparison to Louisville in open laughers against North Texas and Montana State. QB Josh Freeman (right) is a pocket-passer who likes spreading the ball around to 5-6 receivers and running backs. He set Big 12 freshman and second year records and hopes to feed on Louisville,s secondary. The match-up between the defensive backfield of Ron English and the arm of Josh Freeman will determine who wins the game. If Freeman is able to pick the DBs apart, it could get ugly for the Cards. I think Louisville's game plan will be to give up the short stuff and eliminate the deep threat like they succeeded in doing against UK.
The Cards are going to score points on the untested Wildcat D, how many depends on the decision making of Hunter Cantwell. If he can manage the game well and limit his mistakes, the offense should be able to mix up run and pass, keeping the K-State defense on their heels. I expect the running load to be evenly dispersed as always among Anderson, Powell and Bolen with Powell leading the way. Lineman Eric Wood and George Bussey will definitely play, so the running game could get rolling like last week.
I'm excited to see how our DBs play against this high-powered passing attack of Kansas St. Whomever wins that battle will win the game.

Prediction - Cards 28-17

Cardinals In Week 2

-RB Michael Bush ran 16 times for 90 yds, including a 32 yd touchdown run in a 23-8 win over the Chiefs for the Raiders.

-David Akers posted up 13 total points Monday night with 3 field goals and four extra points as the Eagles lost 41-37 to the Cowboys.

-Rookie WR Harry Douglas gained 33 yds for on running play for Atlanta, and he had 2 receptions for 34 yds. Atlanta lost 24-9 to Tampa Bay.

-After Cincinnati’s 24-7 loss to Tennessee Sunday LB Brandon Johnson is listed as probable for next week.

-DB Kerry Rhodes had 5 tackles for the Jets Sunday in their 19-10 loss to the Patriots.

-RB Kolby Smith ran once for 3 yds, and he had 4 catches for 19 yds as the Chiefs lost 24-7 to the Raiders.

-DE Dewayne White had 4 tackles and a sack Sunday in the Lions’ 48-25 loss to Green Bay.

The Wildcat Defense

Kansas State is leading the Big 12 in scoring defense, total defense, and passing defense. Louisville might be able to take advantage in the run game where Kansas St. only ranks 32nd after two lesser opponents. The defense is looking for players to step before the Wildcats enter the meat of their schedule. Coach Ron Prince has made some changes in recent days in order to halt Louisville’s offense. After the week and a half of practices leading up to tomorrow night’s game there have been changes on both the defensive line and defensive backfield.

Coach Prince has move two time All Big 12 defensive end Ian Campbell from left end to right end. On the left end, Prince will start freshman defensive end Brandon Harold instead of junior Eric Childs. This is supposed to bulk up the line by inserting Harold and his 6-6 264 pound frame.

The linebackers play vital role in the Wildcats 3-4 defense. Kansas State’s inside linebacker spots have been taken over by two junior college transfers Jr. Hansen Sekona and Jr. Ulla Pomele. These two newcomers have played up to par so far, but they haven’t been tested yet. The bright spot of the linebackers so far has to be Jr. Olu Hall who transferred from Virginia. Sr. Antwon Moore starts at the other outside linebacker spot and he adds some athleticism with his quick 5-11 221 pound frame.

The secondary has been without a doubt the bright spot of the defense so far this season. Recently Coach Prince has made several changes in the starting lineup by distinguishing themselves in practice. Sophomore cornerback Joshua Moore remains the star of the secondary. Senior Ray Cheatham has taken over the other corner spot after this week’s practices. The same can be said for Jr. Courtney Herndon at the strong safety position.

The strong point of the Wildcat defense has to be the secondary which isn’t good for already struggling Louisville passing game. You might see the Cards try to take advantage of the Wildcats three man front line with the physical running style of Sr. Brock Bolen. At least the Louisville offense can’t look worse against Kansas State than it did against Kentucky.

The Wildcats' Offense

Offensively Kansas State has looked efficient in their first two games with 952 yards. They are the third leading scoring offense in major college football with 57.0 points per game. Louisville fans shouldn’t despair though because there are a couple of weak spots in ground game. The Wildcats have rushed for 342 yards in two games against power programs North Texas and Montana St. No one has established themselves as the feature back in the Wildcats run game. Kansas St.’s leading rusher is Keithen Valentine with 104 yards and one touchdown; and the next two rushers have rushed for 63 yards apiece. One reason the run game has looked shoddy, is the inconsistency of the offensive line. The line is made up of all Juniors and Seniors but they have struggled to push around defenders in run blocking.

On the other hand, the passing game has looked pretty impressive. That’s mainly because of 6-6 250 lb. Jr. quarterback Josh Freeman (right). Freeman has the third highest passer rating in college football at 209.29. Freeman has also rushed for 58 yards and 4 touchdowns in his first two games. So far, Kansas St.’s two leading receivers are junior college transfers Jr.’s Brandon Banks and Aubrey Quarles. Banks has stood out so far averaging a little over 90 yards receiving a gam, and 3 total touchdowns so far.

It looks like it may be in the Cardinals’ best interests to play a lot of passing defensive sets this Wednesday. You might see all of Louisville’s main safeties Buchanan, Raglin, and Thomas in the game at the same time. The Cards have passed their pretests defensively so far, but this is the first exam for the group of the college season.

Red & White Scrimmage Date Set

Release from U of L Sports information department...

Cards Will Stage Red-White Basketball Scrimmage Oct. 26

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino will provide a preseason look at the 2008-09 Cardinals when his team plays a Red-White intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. in Freedom Hall.
Tickets for the event are $5 and will go on sale beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 15 at both U of L Ticket Offices, located on the third floor of the Swain Student Activities Center or in the new location across the street from Papa John's Cardinal Stadium at 2799 South Floyd Street. Both locations are open weekdays from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Cardinal fans may also purchase tickets by visiting http://www.ticketmaster.com/ online, calling (502) 361-3100 or by visiting any Ticketmaster Ticket Center, including statewide Kroger locations. Convenience fees are applied with Ticketmaster orders. Further information can be obtained by calling the U of L ticket office at (502) 852-5863.

Wood & Bussey Injury Update

Guard George Bussey will and team captain center Eric Wood is likely to play against Kansas State at Papa John's on Wednesday.

The heart and soul of the team, Wood, suffered a sprained PCL and MRIs revealed no damaged to his injured knee. His status is currently day-to-day and will probably be a game time decision on Wednesday. At the time of the injury, sources say it seemed a lot worse, but thankfully the tests came up negative. Due to the magnitude of the Kansas State game, I expect Wood to gut it out and play. Him at even 50% is better than anything else Krag's could throw at them. Let's just hope further injury doesn't occur. Our running game would be extremely hampered if Wood were forced to sit due to injury. The team's trainers are likely to err on the side of caution when it comes to their prized center.

Bussey suffered a sprained ankle in Saturday's game as well and was held out of game action due to the fact that we were winning the game by a good enough margin where coaches could afford to sit him. His injury is not as severe as his teammates, but caused enough of a problem that the best idea was to sit. There is no question, Bussey will play on Wednesday.

Time to Man Up

If you were looking for answers after the Tennessee Tech game you were given a sneak preview of what may be in the making. The only problem with sneak previews is that sometimes they’re better than the main feature. We saw Sophomore Douglas Beaumont makes some good catches, Freshman Victor Anderson make some shifty runs, but what we didn’t see was a dominant offensive line.


After two games Louisville’s offensive line has given up four sacks total. Some people might be satisfied with that but I’m left questioning their strength. UofL couldn’t establish the run against Kentucky’s big, athletic defensive line. They also gave up two sacks to a Tennessee Tech defense that features smaller, younger defensive lineman in passing situations.


There are two new starters for the cardinals in Sophomores OG Mark Wetterer and OT Jeff Adams. The other starting OG is Abdul Kuyateh who only started a few games last year, after transferring in from Reedley (CA) C.C., before getting injured. Coincidentally, injuries could be the key statistic for the offensive line in the Cardinals upcoming games. Kuyateh left the Tennessee Tech game early, but so did all Big East performers OT George Bussey and C Eric Wood. For a team that has more to prove with its first string, it would be devastating to lose their top two performers on the line even for one game. Louisville fans have to hope the Louisville linemen use the extra few days before the Wednesday night Kansas State game to get some needed rest.

Letter to the Editor

I received this email from a loyal L Yes! Report reader and thought that it was put together well and deserved some space on the site. I know the aforementioned writer did not get mentioned on this blog, but he did appear on the SportsNight radio show on 93.9 the Ticket and say as much. If anyone else wants some cyber-ink, check out the comments section in each post. Here's the first ever L Yes! Letter to the Editor:

Someone explain to me what criteria Gregg Doyel used to formulate his conclusion that Louisville is the worst program in the BCS. Since joining a BCS conference in 2005, the Cards are 28-11 overall and 14-7 in conference play. Against non-Big East BCS opponents they're 8-4. Not to mention 2006 Orange Bowl champs. How many other BCS football programs can boast those numbers?
Perhaps Doyel was using the same criteria as in 2007 when he called the East Regional's "most likely upset" Stanford over Louisville. ("That's no upset," he added at the time – Cards won by 20.) Maybe Doyel wasn't using criteria at all but just the same judgment he used when he called two-time All Big East center and 67% field goal shooter David Padgett a "headcase" in his blog. (Padgett's superb basketball IQ and perseverance after several injuries landed him a spot with the Miami Heat.) Or maybe Doyel was just popping off some arbitrary, off-the-top remark, like when he wrote that Pervis Ellison's Most Outstanding Player of the 1986 Final Four award came only "because of one game." ("Never Nervous" Pervis averaged 18 points, 12 rebounds in the Final Four as a freshman to lead the Cards to their second National Championship.)
Perhaps his lack of data and objectivity is why Doyel's "Media Approval Rating" on deadspin.com is a George Bush-esque 28%, but as a CBS sports writer with a national audience, Doyle seems a little low on criteria and a little much on unfounded chatter.

Tony Colyer
Loyal L Yes! Report Reader

Soph. DB CJ Peake Transferring

Louisville Sophomore C.J. Peake has decided to transfer after just two seasons at Louisville. Peake is a 6-2, 221 lb defensive back, and he hasn’t appeared in any games this season. He appeared in three games last season with one tackle. Peake came to Louisville from Trotwood-Madison Highschool in Trotwood, Ohio; he was rated a three star by Scout.com and a four star by Rivals.com. Before committing to Louisville the Ohio native was recruited by several Big Ten schools.

Pitino Evaluates Squad on Website

I know this is a couple days old, but if you haven't seen it, here's an update from Rick Pitino's official website - RickPitino.com. If you haven't ever seen the site, it is very cutting edge and has the Pitino touch on it. I'd expect nothing less from the Cardinal Don. Nothing in here about instituting a "short-short" rule like they must've had in his UMASS days. Here's what he had to say....

Seniors

T-Will- Always in great shape. Showing great leadership. He should have a special senior season.

Andre McGee- He has worked on his body and is now down to 6% body fat. Lighting quick and also showing a special desire to lead.

Will Scott- Our Rhode Scholar candidate spent time in China this summer. He is learning to speak that language and had a unique experience overseas. Will needs to develop more arc on his jump shot and improve his ball handling skills. Tireless worker.

Juniors

Jerry Smith- Ready and poised for a strong season. Needs to drop 6-8 pounds. That will be easy after our first week of practice. Starting to show signs of leadership qualities.

Edgar Sosa- The sophomore jinx is over. Poised for a special season. He has matured into a team first player. Like everything I see.

Earl Clark- Rounding into shape. Needs a few more weeks to get ready.

Reggie Delk- Improved his strength. Shot is a little flat. Needs to work hard on his defense and passing skills. Wonderful person with a great attitude.

Sophomores

Preston Knowles-No jinx with this young man. Tough and hard working. Fun to coach

Freshman

Samardo Samuels- Love him. Enough said!

Jared Swopshire- Skilled offensive player. Must get stronger and put on about 15 pounds. Hard worker with a tremendous attitude to learn.

Terrence Jennings- Terrific athlete. Must learn to relax and slow down offensively. We will spend a lot of time on his footwork and low post game. Has the potential to develop into an outstanding player but it will take time.

Kyle Kuric-Reminds me of Jeff Shepherd who I coached at Kentucky. Good rebounder from the guard position.. Must work on his ball handling and defense. Like his potential.

George Goode- Has struggled from a conditioning standpoint. But he missed an entire year and will need time to get back into shape. Must push himself harder to maximize his abilities.

Team Strengths at this Point:

*Attitude: Team has experience and strong leadership.

*Depth: Backcourt deep and talented.

*Quickness: We are athletic and physically strong at the 1,2, and 3 positions.

Concerns

*Extremely difficult schedule.

*Young but talented at the Five spot.

*Free throw shooting- We must excel in this area because of our abilities to get fouled.

I will update you on our progress in the next couple of weeks. .

3 things stick out to me

1- "I love this guy, enough said!!" about Samardo Samuels? Seems to me like there is too much to say that would fit in a couple sentences without making the other players feel slighted. This guy is DeJuan Blair with work ethic and more polished post moves. I predict that he will be All Big East as a freshman. Can't wait to see him in action at the scrimmage, which should be coming up sometime in October.
2- No Sophomore jinx for Preston Knowles. He has erased all doubt that people had about him coming out of high school. It's great to see a kid actually "get it" and not go down the path we have seen too many players travel. Hopefully he's been working on his court leadership so we can get the inpenatrable defensive tandem of him and Jerry Smith in the game at the same time
3- No mention of D.C - guess they are at odds again. Maybe that blog report that said he had asked for his release and was headed to Hattesburg to play for Southern Miss is the final chapter. The DC saga continues until anything is made official and with the way it has been handled so far, we might not know anything until practice on October 15th.

Cardinals in Week 1

Week 1 of the NFL season is officially in the books and several former Cardinals made contributions. There are currently 23 players from UofL either on active rosters or the practice squad for the start of the season.

- K David Akers Philadelphia Eagles hit 5 extra points and chipped in a 23 yard field goal in the Eagles 38-3 win against St. Louis

-CB William Gay recorded 2 tackles in Pittsburgh’s 38-17 win over Houston

-Brandon Johnson had 3 tackles for the Bengals in their 17-10 loss to Baltimore

-Kerry Rhodes had 4 tackles for the Jets as they beat Miami 20-14

-G Jason Spitz started for the Packers in their 24-19 win over Minnesota

-DE Dewayne White had 2 tackles including a sack for the Lions in their 34-21 loss to the Falcons

-WR Harry Douglas had 1 rush for 7 yards on an end around on Sunday

Injuries
-WR Deion Branch will not be available for the second straight week for the Seattle Seahawks

-TE Scott Kuhn has been on IR for the Ravens since training camp and he will miss the whole season

DNP
QB Brian Brohm, CB Sam Madison, QB Chris Redman, RB Kolby Smith, and TE Gary Barnidge.

Louisville, the worst program in the BCS?

Since 2000, not including this young season, Louisville's football program has produced a combined record of 74-26. Zero losing seasons and 7 out 8 bowl appearances. The Cards are as likely as anyone to win the Big East (yes, a weak conference) this season. So how could one national columnist really think that Louisville is the worst D-I BCS Conference program in the country. It was brought up on Sports Night (93.9 FM The Ticket) this evening, that the Cards were the worst program in DI among all BCS Conferences. The comments were back tracked by not including "Academic" schools, like Duke but that is just plain stupid, Duke has no problem exceeding in Basketball and other sports as an "Academic" school. So you really think Louisville's program is worst off then such BCS programs like....

Iowa State -
The Cyclones are 46-52 since 2000, going 3-9 last season. They have had only 3 winning seasons in the last 8 years. Yea, they are better.

Baylor-
Do I really need to argue this one? 3-9 last year, 26-66 over the last 8 years and haven't been to a bowl game since 1994. But hey, in 2005, the Bears did go 5-6, that's the closest to a non losing season they have had.

Vanderbilt-
The Commodores haven't gone bowling since 1983!! Need I really say anymore?

Northwestern-
The Purple Tide ( Wildcats really) have had two winning seasons since 2000, with a great 44-52 combined record and have been to just 6 bowls in school history.

Indiana-
32-61 record, with last season being their first winning record since 1993 , yea they are better.

North Carolina-
They are 37-58 and went 4-8 last year. Two bowl games this decade.

Duke-
10 freaking wins over 8 years!!! Do you hate a team so much that you would really say they are worst off then Duke?

Arizona-
33-59, with 6-6 being their proudest year, Louisville went 6-6 and are considered the worst program.

Their are some other schools I could argue and win but these are just the most obvious. Smart people can look dumb when they act like plain haters.

Louisville Stomps Tennessee Tech 51-10

Although it doesn't make up for their poor showing last week in the Governor's Cup, the Cards bounced back to beat an outplayed and overmatched group from Tennessee Tech, 51-10. Ron English has brought back the Red Rage defense that has been missing from Papa John's for a year. Jeff Brohm's offense seemed to have better timing and more chemistry and played well behind the running of redshirt frosh and St. Xavier alumni Victor Anderson, who rushed for 9.5 yards a carry (12 for 114 and 1 TD).

The defense and special teams scored touchdowns as the Cards poured it on the Golden Eagles over the first three quarters before bringing in the 2nd and 3rd teams for the entire 4th quarter. Adrian Grady took an attempted "hook-and-lateral" gone bad 19 yards to the house. It was a very bizarre play where Tennessee Tech coach Watson Brown tried to pull a fast one on the Cards and get back into the game. It backfired. I don't think with Mr. English at the helm that type of stuff is going to happen. He brings that Petrino fear that almost scares players into doing their jobs. Earl Heyman added a sack and Richard Raglin made a few HUGE hits that will have some Tech players feeling woozy when they wake up tomorrow.

I know it has been against a UK offense that is sub-par and a FBS school, but not enough can be said for the transformation this defense has made under English, Delgado and co. The way things are going in the Big East, a good defense (even with the way our offense is playing) could put us in contention for the title. Remember, if the fans stay involved, we play arguably our 2 toughest conference games at home (West VA and S. FLA). The odds are against us, yet it seems very possible based on the competition.

The offense took advantage of a team that couldn't match up physically or athletically. However, both of our all-conference lineman went down with injuries. C Eric Wood with a sprained knee and OT George Bussey with an ankle issue. I'm stating the obvious when I say would devastating blow to an already crippled Cardinal offense if either of these hogs were to miss any significant amount of time. Wood holds everyone accountable for assignments and Bussey protects Cantwell's blind side. The Cardinal quarterback took a couple of big shots after Bussey left with injury. We can't afford to lose either. I'll make a post whenever their status is updated.

Cantwell's accuracy and decision making remained suspect, being masked by the lack of talent in the Tech defensive backfield. He throws bullets however, getting himself out of trouble with his arm-strength. He thinks he can make every throw, even with the smallest of windows. That is something a QB must think, but the coaches must correct. An overall improvement for our noodling, frog-giggin' QB.

The explosion put forth by both Douglas Beaumont and Victor Anderson can not be overlooked. The Louisville natives bring a swagger that this offense would be lacking without them. Beaumont added 5 catches for 83 yards highlighted by a great grab across the middle for 30+ yards with a defender draped over his back. Anderson played outstanding for only his 2nd ever collegiate game as he ran the ball 5 consecutive times to cap off a scoring drive late in the second quarter. I'm not sure if Vic is durable enough to take the whole load of carries, but he adds that elusiveness that left with George Stripling.

Good to get back on the winning side of things. On to K-State next Wednesday.

BOXSCORE from ESPN.com

Show Me My Opponent - Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles

Record - 1-0 - beat Gardener-Webb 28-12
Conference - Ohio Valley
Location - Cookeville TN
Stadium - Tucker Stadium (16,500)
Starters Returning from 07 - 12

The schools have split 2 previous meetings - Tenn Tech won first meeting 21-7 (9/17/60 an Cookeville) - Louisville won second meeting 29-13 (9/16/61 in Louisville)

Head Coach - Watson Brown (5-7 record in 2nd year at Tech)
Watson is the brother of Texas coach Mack Brown. He has complied an overall record of 99-158-1 in 23 years of coaching. He has been the head man at Austin Peay, Cincinnati, Rice, Vandy and UAB and offensive coordinator at bith Mississippi St. and Oklahoma. He's an old ball coach trying to raise the level of TTU football. He joined the SportsNight crew on 93.9 the Ticket on Wednesday night.





Notable Alumni - Jim Youngblood (Rams), Bill McDonald (Boston Red Sox), Ken Sparks (Head Coach at Carson Newman), and Frank Omiyole (Panthers) - can you tell I was stretching a little? It was kind of hard to find anyone. No offense to the Golden Eagles, but I doubt 10% of the people that read those names have any idea who they are.

Cardinal Connection - QB Lee Sweeney is a transfer from Louisville and is going into his 3rd year at Tech. He decided to leave the Cardinal football team after realizing that with Brian Brohm, Hunter Cantwell and co. it would be hard for him to find playing time. He is a very mobile quarterback, something that will test the young Louisville linebackers. I just hope he doesn't pull a Charles Bronson and just torch the Cards in an act fueled by revenge. Glad to see he could get on his feet somewhere though.

Outlook - The Kentucky hangover has to end and the Cards need to get the winning feeling back against a FCS (D-II) team that had a losing record last year and was picked to finish in the bottom half of their conference. Their coach openly admitted that they were coming up her for experience program funding, not necessarily to win. This game brings a good opportunity for QB Hunter Cantwell to work out the kinks and work on quickening his throwing motion against a secondary that gave up 235 yards of passing against Gardener-Webb (haha) last week. With he way the Ron English led defense played last week, the offense should not have to score a lot of points. A blowout would help the psyche of a fanbase that has Coach Kragthorpe walking on eggshells after the first game. Look for Trent Guy to be more involved in the passing game as he eases himself back into action. I expect someone to breakthrough as a primary ballcarrier between Anderson, Bolen, and Powell. The Golden Eagles make one trip to a D-1 school every year and I'm sure they want to make the most of it. They will be be led by Sweeney and RBs Henry Sailes and Derrian Walker on offense. On defense watch out for DB Maurice Smith who had 14 tackles in the opener to go with 3 passees deflected. However, if the Cards come to play they win big.

Funny Tidbit - Their cheerleaders are called the Golden Girls! Yes like the 80's TV show that you all secretly know and love. I bet they have heard their fair share of jokes over the course of time. Still hilarious. Let's hope they are a lot better looking than Estelle, Blanche and co.


Prediction - 42-10 CARDS

Caracter to Southern Miss Now??

Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog is reporting that Derrick Caracter is now going to Southern Miss. For some reason I still see him coming back to Louisville, but I have been wrong before. It just seems like there are too many different rumors going on for me to take any published story completely serious. A couple weeks back a different blog said he was a lead-pipe lock to go to Oklahoma City and that turned up to be bogus. I think this might be the end however, as Zag's source in the story seems very reliable. I wish Caracter would just wise up and realize Pitino is molding him into something that he won't be able to become somewhere else. At Louisville, there would still be the possibility of playing this year and getting national exposure for a possible NBA Draft selection. After thinking Pitino was too hard on him, now I think DC is taking advantage of someone who has given him chance after chance. It is reported that he has been given his release from Louisville and has sent a letter to Southern Miss.
I still have this faint thought that he will be back. However, you can't ignore stories like this.

Basketball Schedule Released

Release from University of Louisville Athletic Department:

Appearances in four special events -- the SEC/BIG EAST Invitational, Billy Minardi Classic, Marques Maybin Classic, and 2008 Stadium Shootout -- at least 14 games on national television, and 19 home games in Freedom Hall highlight the 2008-09 University of Louisville men's basketball schedule.

Twenty of the Cardinals' 30 games will be played against teams that reached post-season competition last season, including 14 in the NCAA Tournament (NCAA Tournament: Austin Peay, Connecticut, Georgetown, Kentucky, Marquette, UNLV, Notre Dame twice, Pittsburgh, South Alabama, Villanova, Western Kentucky, West Virginia twice; NIT: UAB, Minnesota, Mississippi, Syracuse; College Basketball Invitational: Cincinnati, Ohio University).

Nine BIG EAST teams have been included among the nation's top 25 teams in early rankings by CBSSports.com, ESPN.com and FOXsports.com with Louisville ranked second, fifth and sixth, respectively, in those listings. Nine of the Cardinals' 13 possible non-conference opponents competed in post-season tournaments last season and the group collectively won an average of 21 games (274-154 combined record, .640 winning percentage).

"Last year we played one of the most difficult schedules in the nation," said U of L Coach Rick Pitino, whose team played the nation's fourth-toughest schedule by the ratings percentage index (RPI) last season. "This year could be the most difficult. We look forward to the challenge, not only in the BIG EAST, but in non-conference play. This type of competition only makes you better. Certainly, it will challenge our players to reach their potential at the highest level."

With four starters returning from last year's team that posted a 27-9 record and reached the NCAA Elite Eight for the third time in 11 years, the Cardinals will face their first outside competition in an exhibition game against Georgetown College on Nov. 1. The Tigers posted a 35-1 record last season, with their lone loss in the NAIA national semifinals. Northern Kentucky, which produced a 21-8 record and reached the NCAA Division II Tournament, will provide the opposition in U of L's second exhibition game on Nov. 8. That game, along with the U of L women's team facing the Norse in a doubleheader that evening, will be the first played in Northern Kentucky's new 9,400-seat Bank of Kentucky Center.

U of L will play six of its first seven games at home in Freedom Hall, beginning with the Billy Minardi Classic, an event named in memory of Pitino's brother-in-law who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The Cardinals will play Morehead State in its season opener on Nov. 22 and either South Alabama or Florida A&M on Nov. 23 in the event. The Cardinals will play its second intrastate foe in three games when U of L faces Western Kentucky on Nov. 30 at the Sommet Center in Nashville, Tenn.

U of L will then serve as host for the Marques Maybin Classic, a round-robin exempt tournament in Freedom Hall. The Cardinals open the event against Indiana State on Dec. 6, followed by games against Ohio University on Dec. 7 and Lamar on Dec. 8. The event is named for Maybin, the Cardinals' No. 12 all-time scorer who was paralyzed from the waist down in a motorcycle accident on Aug. 5, 2003. He is currently enrolled at U of L to complete his degree requirements. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be earmarked for the Marques Maybin Medical Fund. Austin Peay makes it four straight at home for the Cards on Dec. 13.

U of L will make its first appearance in the SEC/BIG EAST Invitational on Dec. 18 when the Cardinals face Mississippi at Cincinnati's US Bank Arena. Cincinnati will also play Mississippi State in the doubleheader. The Cards then travel to Phoenix, Ariz. to play Minnesota in the 2008 Stadium Shootout, the first basketball game played at the University of Phoenix Stadium, which hosted Super Bowl XLII in 2008. Arizona State will play BYU in the second game of the doubleheader.

After Christmas, the Cardinals will have three home non-conference games remaining: Dec. 27 vs. UAB, Dec. 31 vs. UNLV, and Jan. 4 against intrastate rival Kentucky. U of L will have 14 national television appearances, including nine straight from Dec. 18 through Jan. 17.

The Cardinals will play four of its first six BIG EAST Conference games of the season on the road, starting at USF on Jan. 7. The Cards' 18-game league schedule includes two games each against Notre Dame, West Virginia and USF. Louisville closes the regular season at West Virginia on March 7, a game which will be the centerpiece for ESPN's Gameday telecast. The BIG EAST Conference Tournament will be staged at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 10-14, with all 16 teams participating for the first time.

Tipoff times and television arrangements for all games are incomplete and will be released at a later date.

View the schedule in PDF Format - UOFL SCHEDULE 08-09

5 POSITIVES from UK DEBACLE

I know it's hard to find too many positives from a fan's perspective when the players and coaches on the team had little (if anything) good to say about their own performance. If that isn't as bad as we can get, then I hope I'm not around for anything worse. The way the rest of the teams on our schedule and the Big East as a whole played, we need to stay positive because there is still a possibility that we can return to a bowl game this year. However, you will not find Coach Kragthorpe anywhere close my positives to take away from the game:


1. Douglas Beaumont
The sophomore from Louisville Male had to get treatment on his shoulders and back after the game from carrying the offense the majority of the game. His 9 catches for 77 yards and 88 total yards were more than any 3 Cards combined. Plus, the catches he made weren't that easy due to the fact Cantwell couldn't control his throws worth a crap. Beaumont needs to be even more involved in the offense and given the ball in space so he can showcase his playmaking skills. The way things are going, Beaumont might be the last Louisville high school stud to stay at home with the Cards. 1000 yards for Douglas this year.

2. Johnny Patrick
The converted WR has found his niche at the corner position. He showed signs of greatness last year late in the season and has continued to improve over the offseason. He does not miss open field tackles and is rarely beaten in coverage. UK's bread and butter was said to have been sending their backs to the outside, taking advantage of their speed. However, Patrick put a damper on that plan by containing the UK backs when they attempted to get to the outside. He also did a great job of wrapping up the receiver immediately when he was playing softer coverage. He finished the game with 7 tackles, 1 for a loss.

3. Earl Heyman/ Adrian Grady
Both interior linemen had been criticized for lack of effort last year. It was not apparent in Sunday's game as both did an outstanding job plugging holes and sometimes even making tackles 5-10 yards downfield. Although outplayed by their counterparts on UK, both played with more passion than I have seen from them in a while. That bodes well for a line that had many question marks going into the season. New line coach Ken Delgado's teaching was evident in the way Grady and Heyman performed. We can only hope that the duo remains competitive after such a nasty loss. Both have super potential and it looks like Delgado is grabbing it out of them.

4. English's Blitz Package
WE ARE FINALLY BLITZING AGAIN!! A fundamental part of defense for the lat 50 years returns to the Louisville football program after taking a one-year hiatus under Mike Cassity. English is making up for lost time sending blitzers from anywher and everywhere. The re were a few times where DE's Maurice Mitchell and Rodney Gnat were dropped back covering a RB or TE to account for 2 or sometimes 3 blitzing defensemen. When we face a team that puts more of the load on their QB's shoulders (face it - UK had a dumbed-down playbook for Hartline) these schemes will help create sacks and turnovers. Not only the blitzing, but the defense as a a whole should make anyone that doubted English before become a believer.

5. Josh Chichester
Anyone who watched the basketball team knows that this guy is an athlete. He is slowly overcoming his overall awkwardness at the WR position and is becoming more fluid and crisp in his routes. After seeing how our QBs throw the ball, I can't see how his catching ability can be blasted by coaches and the media. His biggest gain of the day was on a stellar grab that he and only he could have caught. The Giraffe is going to become a huge big play threat as the season winds along, He has deceptive speed and his hands are good enough to corral fade routes thrown to him accurately.