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.

Cards Will Hope To Feel Better With Tennessee Tech Coming To Town

If Louisville's offense is going to make themselves feel better it will have to be this week. The Cards will be hosting the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles on Saturday at Papa Johns Stadium at 3:30 for the first time since 1961. A game the Cards won, and even though it's 48 years later, the outcome should be the same. Tennessee Tech , who play in the Ohio Valley Conference, are coming off a 28-12 win over Gardner Webb (something Kentucky basketball couldn't do). They will be led by three year starter Lee Sweeney at quarterback and versatile halfback Henry Sailes (26 yards on the ground with 10 catches for 78 yards last week). Tech is coming off a 4-7 season last year but started out 4-1 as well as losing 35-3 at Auburn last year. The Golden Eagles are coached by Watson Brown (younger brother of Mack Brown), Brown formally was Head Coach at UAB for 12 seasons including paving the path for them from DII to DI before returning to his hometown of Cookeville, Tennessee to take over Tech. Head Coach Brown will be on both the "John Renshaw Show" and "Sport Night" (6:41pm) with Jody Demling, Matt Jones and myself tomorrow on 93.9 FM The Ticket.

You should think the Cardinal offense will look better this week but I hope everyone doesn't start to think everything is fixed because of good numbers against a bad team. Even against a DII team I am nervous and I have every reason to be after the way we played against the Cats. I am not giving my prediction yet but I will soon...I promise.