Card Chronicle

"(Stein) didn't lose the game; he played his little tail off all day long," Kragthorpe said. "He...

2009-11-08T15:27:00Z

"(Stein) didn't lose the game; he played his little tail off all day long," Kragthorpe said. "He got a little impatient at times, but that's going to happen. No, Will Stein is a winner."

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/2009911070351

Open Thread: Louisville at West Virginia

2009-11-07T15:45:20Z

Think we have a shot, Will?

Will thinks we've got a shot.

GO CARDS

Game Day: Louisville at West Virginia

2009-11-07T13:30:22Z

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (3-5, 0-3) AT WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS (6-2, 2-1)

Game Time: Noon

Location: Mountaineer Field at Milan-Puskar Stadium: Morgantown, W. Va.

Television: Big East Network/WHAS-11

Announcers: Mike Gleason/John Congemi

Favorite: West Virginia by 17.5

All-Time Series: West Virginia leads 8-2

Last Meeting: West Virginia won 35-21 last year

Excitement Level: 3.2

.07 of that is because I really don't like West Virginia, 2.5 of it is Stein Fever.

Pregame Meal: Waffles and coffee

Kragtastic Prediction: We commit a penalty none of us have ever heard of before for the third time this season.

Predicted Star of the Game: Darius Ashley

Shines in an otherwise dismal offensive performance

NOTABLE

--Louisville has not beaten West Virginia in Morgantown since 1990.

--Louisville is ranked last in the Big East in scoring offense (20.3), pass efficiency offense (117.69), sacks allowed (3.0), scoring defense (27.6), total defense (371.8), rushing defense (147.4), sacks (1.75) and tackles for losses (5.0).

-- West Virginia has failed to score just four times in 32 red-zone opportunities this year. Twenty two of the 28 scores have been touchdowns.

Quotable

--"It's about finishing up strong. We know what's in front of us with these four Big East games, and we're trying to win this conference. We know if we take care of business, we'll be in good shape." --Chris Neild

--"When you're in the Big East, they are all trap games. You let your guard down, then you are going to get beat."--Bill Stewart

--"They get after it, man – they love football! They love playing football there. They love coaching football there. They love watching football there. It’s a great football place. I’ve had friends that have gone to school there. And it’s a great football town." --Steve "Football" Kragthorpe

--"They have a rabid fan base. They all have good arms — whether they are right-handed or left-handed, they all throw those batteries extremely well. They are very accurate." --Steve Kragthorpe

CC Prediction: West Virginia 38, Louisville 13

Yeah, BUT, last year it was so cold.

Dub Vee links

2009-11-07T00:07:00Z

--Spread check: 'Eers by 17.5

--The Parkersburg News and Sentinel takes a look at the past "unforgettable" matchups between Louisville and West Virginia.

For a while there, it looked as if West Virginia and Louisville were starting one of the better rivalries in the Big East.
Both teams were loaded with NFL talent - Pat White and Steve Slaton with the Mountaineers, Elvis Dumervil and Brian Brohm for the Cardinals, to name a few.

And the matchups were fascinating.

Who could forget that colossal fourth-quarter comeback White engineered as a redshirt freshman for WVU at Mountaineer Field. Or the next season at Louisville, when the Cardinals beat the Mountaineers in a battle of Top-5 teams back at Papa John's Stadium?

Then Bobby Petrino left Louisville for 13 games with the Atlanta Falcons before signing a lucrative deal to coach at Arkansas.

In came Steve Kragthorpe, out went Louisville's national ranking, and the Cards haven't beaten the Mountaineers since. In fact, West Virginia is 8-2 all-time against Louisville.

--The folks at The Smoking Musket somehow got a hold of Steve Kragthorpe's personal diary.

--Louisville isn't the only squad limping into action Saturday afternoon. The Mountaineers are battered and bruised following last week's 30-19 loss to South Florida.

--Despite that, WVU head coach Bill Stewart hasn't made any major changes in preparation for Louisville.

--Pat White's gone, Noel Devine isn't, and Louisville hasn't been very good on the road.

--Annndddd game notes.

Will Stein will start against West Virginia

2009-11-06T20:23:32Z

Adam Froman will serve as his backup.

Catch the fever.

Former Cards selected in D-League Draft

2009-11-06T03:54:52Z

Former Louisville great Reece Gaines was selected by the Bakersfield Jam with the 13th pick in the second round of tonight's NBA Developmental League draft. In the 2003 NBA Draft, Gaines was selected by the Orlando Magic with the 15th overall pick. I'm guessing this is a rare feat.

Perrin (PERRIN!) Johnson also heard his name called when the Springfield Armor took him in the sixth round.

Best of luck to both in their continued efforts to make money playing a game.

And now, because I can...

Louisville 88, Bellarmine 65

2009-11-05T18:21:42Z

To be perfectly honest, I've been fairly pessimistic about the upcoming basketball season since the '08-'09 squad went down to Michigan State. Not "football program" pessimistic, just "I think we may be taking more of a step back than some people think" pessimistic. There's the loss of two lottery picks, the offseason Pitino scandal and a tough Big East from top-to-bottom to deal with. I think lowered expectations are understandable.

While reading into any November game, especially an exhibition, is foolish, Wednesday night was the biggest shot of optimism for me since that loss in Indy last March.

Louisville was never really tested by a Bellarmine team that played pretty well and will challenge for the Division-II national title. The Cards shot well, defended well and cut down on a lot of the mistakes they'd made a week earlier against Georgetown. Overall, this was the most solid exhibition performance from a U of L team in recent memory.

It's safe to say that Peyton Siva again stole the show...

It's impossible to replace the excitement that T-Will brought to the Hall, but the kid is certainly trying.

Bellarmine simply didn't have anyone who could guard him. There was a string of about three minutes where it looked like he was playing a basketball video game against the computer with the difficulty set at "Beginner." Siva would make a simple move and blow past his man, take a couple more dribbles and have an uncontested lay-up or an easy pass to make.

He's insanely quick, he's insanely athletic, he's got terrific vision and apparently an extraordinary attitude.

Again, by the time he leaves Peyton Siva will have become one of the most beloved Louisville basketball players of all-time.

On a team loaded with good shooters who lack the ability to create their own shot, Preston Knowles' ability to knock down the contested jumper with the same ease as when he's left all alone may be the single most valuable skill any player on this team possesses.

PK was advertised as a streaky shooter coming out of high school, a characteristic I thought would stick with him throughout his collegiate career. Not quite sure how it happened, but suddenly he's one of the biggest outside threats in the Big East.

He also plays defense.. and does cool re-enactments of Peyton Siva dunks for his teammates.

With all of the attention Peyton Siva has received today, it should be noted that it may have been Edgar Sosa who played the better all-around game. He hit several shots early to set the tone, finished with a team-high four assists and did a good job of covering Bellarmine's outside threats.

Solid move by Pitino to call off the press and go strictly man against the Knights. Matching up for 40 minutes against a smaller team with several terrific outside shooters was a big test for a pretty young Louisville team playing its second exhibition game. Even though Justin Benedetti and Braydon Hobbs both got several really good looks from beyond the arc, the Cards still handled a difficult task very well.

Really surprised that Kuric didn't get the start and even more surprised that he played so sparingly, but it's a safe bet that the five starters on Wednesday will be the same five being introduced before the game come late February/early March. I know Pitino's mad at Jennings, and I agree that he doesn't appear all that much improved from a year ago, but that combination may have more potential than any other quintet on the roster.

I really think Jerry likes faking defenders out and making them jump more than he likes scoring points. It's the only explanation.

"Run This Town" was a solid improvement for the pregame video. Still, the highlight choices need to be re-edited as the year goes on. I'm looking at you, unnecessary Kuric dunk at the end of the Arizona game.

This was the most impressive performance Jared Swopshire has put forth yet. He snagged some contested rebounds, made a couple of big hustle plays and also scored off some nice moves with the ball.

Here comes the putter throw...wait a minute, maybe this is a new Jared Swopshire.

He also looks like he might be trying to grow his fro back out, which, I have to tell you, I'm completely in favor of.

Reggie Delk also stepped up and had a nice game. I don't think there's a player on the roster whose '09-'10 season is more difficult to predict.

Pitino had the following to say about freshman Mike Marra's shooting struggles:

"He's a very nervous young man, he's from a prep school league where the largest crowd he's played in front of was probably 300 or 400 people. We've got to get him some exposure."

You'd think that if you had the balls to sport those tatoos in public every day not much else would phase you, but who knows. Keep shooting, Mike.

A ladybird messed up during the second routine.

I'm not going to stand for this, girls. How badly do you really want that 877th straight national title?

Rakeem Buckles is a mixture of Otis George and Juan Palacios. This, coupled with the fact that his name is Rock Buckles, has made making him my new best friend the lone goal in my life.

Stephen Van Treese has really taken Pitino's "just rebound" philosophy to heart. He snagged an offensive board right around the rim and did not even think about going up with it. His skill set might be limited, but he's a very big boy and he can be a contributor if he develops a little bit.

Chris Smith: I applaud your outfit.

Dating back to last season I've correctly picked four straight winners in the Kentucky Lottery race thing. What's up, Vegas?

Not sure why but I really, really wanted Chris Brickley to score. The three seconds after he missed that jumper were the most upset I was all night.

The Cardinal Bird jumped on the platform by the railing right behind me and it scared the absolute shit out of me.

Ready for Arkansas.

Red-hot rivalry ready to burn across the Kentucky bluegrass

2009-11-05T15:58:50Z

Red-hot rivalry ready to burn across the Kentucky bluegrass

Big article from USA Today this morning on college basketball's most intense rivalry.

Up the road in Louisville, some are immune to the Kentucky hype.

"They had the same buzz two years ago," Louisville athletics director Tom Jurich says. "Remember when they were recruiting eighth-graders?"

That was a route taken by Gillispie that became fodder for sports talk shows and bloggers.

Louisville, which won 1980 and 1986 NCAA titles under coach Denny Crum, has enjoyed far more success than its state rival in recent years. It made the Final Four in 2005 and advanced to the Elite Eight the past two seasons.

"We are the No. 1 revenue producer in college basketball," says Pitino, whose program raked in $23,519,846 in 2008 in operating revenue, according to the latest NCAA figures. "Nobody's close. (Kentucky is) going to say, 'We have the most wins in college basketball.' I've painted the argument on both sides."

20 % = Edgy Eddie ?

2009-11-05T09:39:06Z

I am starting to become a very nervous University Of Louisville Cardinal fan, and what follows is a series of disjointed insights that, when compounded together, help to explain my anxiety.

1. I believe that this UofL basketball team's shooting skills will rival those of the Final Four team of Garcia, Dean, and O'Bannon. The long range shooting potential that exists between Jerry, Preston, Marra, Delk, Edgar, Kyle, even "Rock," is exciting just to think about.

2. I believe that this UofL basketball team's rebounding skills will rival those of the team that lost Garcia, O'Bannon, Miles, and Otis and entered the Big East. That team's inability to rebound was painful to watch, and I fear that this year's team will struggle mightily on the boards.

3. After considering those two points at the same time, I am beginning to think that the key to our team's success will be the guards' ability to play together, sub in and out seamlessly, and score score score unconciously.

4. On a busy sports night across the land (World Series clincher, NBA games coast to coast, etc.), 20% of Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays was dedicated to your boy, my boy, OUR BOY Peyton Siva. Coming in at #7 was Peyton coming from the other side of the lane and jumping 26 feet in the air to block a Bellarmine shot. At #2, Siva reverse slamming a Jerry layup that rolled off the front of the rim.

5. Here is my concern. I hope that every person affiliated with Cardinal basketball gets a chance to see the Top 10. The fans, the coaches, Peyton himself along with his teammates, everyone. Well... everyone but one special player that has become so near and dear to our hearts. I hope that Edgar "Get fouled,score the bucket, check to make sure that you're ready for the camera, pose for the camera during the middle of a Sweet 16 game" Sosa forgot to pay his cable bill and never gets the opportunity to witness Siva's national media exposure (which Edgar so violently craves) before we even tip the ball off when it counts. My concern is that this team's success hinges on the ability of our guards to play unselfishly, to think team, to make the extra pass, to not dribble into the lane without a plan and cross your fingers for a bail out foul, to play team defense; ultimately, to do all the things that seem to come so naturally to freshman Siva, but seem to escape senior Sosa. I am willing to bet that if you sat and had lunch with Sosa and Siva together without having any previous knowledge of either, you'd be able to tell in less than a minute which was the senior and which was the freshman. In other words, I am sure that during his time at UofL, Edgar has matured into a great young man. But I'm also sure that Edgar Sosa did not come to Louisville to pursue a degree in Upstaging a Freshman in Maturity Level at a Hypothetical Lunch; he came to get better as a basketball player.

6. I'm just starting to think that by conference time, playing Peyton a majority of the game will be the high percentage choice, and I just don't know how either Edgar or Pitino will react to that reality. And if this scenario does in fact become a reality, Edgar's ability to adjust to a role playing spot up shooter in his senior year may be the difference between a good year and a special year. I just hope that this year, Edgar's last, is the year that he begins to make mature decisions on the court for the betterment of his team.

Open Thread: Louisville vs. Bellarmine

2009-11-04T23:00:36Z

Jumpin' Alvin Simms is ready.

GO CARDS

The Gode.....the bad......the ugly

2009-11-04T18:48:22Z

The Gode.....the bad......the ugly

My distaste for Luke Harangody just jumped a notch or two. From the article in SI:

"When Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry told Harangody that the Cavs considered former Louisville forward Earl Clark a better pro prospect, Harangody told him, 'I have a f------ problem with that'."

Maybe he forgot about this?

Beware of Bellarmine: they know too much

2009-11-04T16:06:00Z

Last night's news that "Le Moyne stuns Syracuse" must be resonating on the lips of coach Pitino this morning before taking on ~~the DII powerhouse~~ Bellarmine Knights. UofL can draw a couple of parallels to this Syracuse team: both have lost many of their veteran leaders, both are ranked in the preseason top #25, ~~they both have an orange for a mascot~~, and both blow chunks at football.

I won't be the first to say that Bellarmine will be more of a test that le Moyne will be for the Cards. The Knights return a veteran cast, including nine of their top 10 scorers, who are looking to make a statement to future opponents. Their starting line up also would seem to tower over the home Cardinals. And who's to say that this won't have neutral site feel with all the Bellarmine Alumns in the house?

But here's the kicker: this Davenport-led team has been playing against UofL all summer to boot, so they have been planning the logistics of this game for months and will not come out scared against the big, bad D1 defending Big East champs (still feels good to say that).

So fear not Syracuse, the Cardiac Cards may be "getting some motivation" tonight.

The six most memorable Louisville/West Virginia games

2009-11-04T15:18:25Z

Yes, the rivalry has been dialed down about seven notches, but there's still something there and that's all because of what took place below.

6. 11/8/07: West Virginia 38, Louisville 31

A struggling 5-4 Cardinal team nearly went on the road and ruined the sixth-ranked Mountaineers' national title hopes, but Pat White rumbled 50 yards for the eventual game-winning touchdown with 1:36 to play.

The win was especially sweet for White, who claimed afterward that U of L linebacker Preston Smith spat in his face during the third quarter. The allegation led to subsequent denials by both Smith and Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe.

5. 3/9/07: Louisville 82, West Virginia 71 (2OT)

After inexplicably not being paired against one another in the regular season, the Cards and 'Eers met in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament, presumably with West Virginia's NCAA Tournament fate on the line. Like so many others in this rivalry, the game was chock-full of controversy.

WVU used an 18-0 run in the second half to erase a 17-point deficit, and Darris Nichols' runner with 4.3 seconds left to make the score 58-56 looked for a moment like it might be the decisive basket. But then freshman point guard Edgar Sosa got the ball in his hands and went the length of the court to beat the buzzer with an overtime-inducing lay-up. Some Mountaineer fans said Sosa walked, others said that the clock didn't start when he touched the ball, but the play stood and the Cards ultimately prevailed two overtimes later.

Louisville would go onto earn a six seed in the NCAA Tournament while West Virginia was relegated to the NIT.

4. 10/9/93: West Virginia 36, Louisville 34

For any rivalry to be truly heated, there has to be at least a little bit of ancient history. This game, a 9-7 U of L win a year earlier, and a quartet of Mountaineer blowouts in the '80s is about as ancient as this feud gets.

The Jeff Brohm-led Cardinals brought a perfect 5-0 record into Morgantown to take on an equally unblemished Mountaineer squad. Tailback Robert Walker rushed for 161 yards and three scores as WVU used two late Cardinal turnovers to turn a 21-10 deficit into a 36-34 victory. U of L would go on to beat Michigan State in the Liberty Bowl, while West Virginia ran the table in the regular season before being blown out by Florida in the Sugar Bowl.

In a box somewhere there's a tape of a very young - but very serious and professional - me giving my depressed thoughts on the game as part of a low-budget/high-content news show I used to run. If I remember correctly, that commentary segued into a groundbreaking exposé that revealed what our Bulldog Spike was doing to make me mad.

The ratings were never great, but it was a tremendous achievement for (my living room's) television. The Wire of the early '90s you might say.

3. 10/15/05: West Virginia 46, Louisville 44 (3OT)

With Louisville having already suffered a stunning blowout loss at the hands of South Florida and West Virginia coming into the game unranked, the first gridiron meeting between these two as members of the Big East didn't have nearly the hype of the other games on this list, which is a shame since it very well may have been the most exciting.

Brian Brohm and Michael Bush helped Louisville to a 24-7 third quarter lead, causing some of the blue and gold faithful to head for the exits, a move they would eventually lament. Freshman quarterback Pat White took over for the injured Adam Bednarik in the fourth quarter, and he and fellow freshman running back Steve Slaton proved to be a duo the Cardinal defense had no answer for.

Slaton would finish the game with 188 yards rushing and a school-record six touchdowns, the last of which helped to put the Mountaineers up eight in the third overtime. After a Bush touchdown, safety Eric Wicks tackled a scrambling Brohm on the two-point conversion try to secure the victory.

Controversy, yet again, marred the aftermath of the game as Louisville backers claimed West Virginia had utilized an illegal onside kick following a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Big East acknowledged that an error had been made and issued a formal apology two days later.

The Mountaineers would not lose the rest of the season, and capped the year off with an upset win over SEC champion Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. The Cardinals would win their five remaining regular season games, but fall to Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl.

2. 3/6/05: Louisville 93, West Virginia 85 (OT)

The rivalry became official seven months later, but if these two programs continue to do high-stakes battle for years to come then people will forever point to the 2005 Albuquerque Regional Final as the feud's jumping point.

Led by Kevin Pittsnoggle (God that sign) and Mike Gansey, the Mountaineers put on insane exhibition from beyond the arc and jumped out to a 20-point first-half lead. The Cardinals used a furious second-half rally to get back in the game, but leading scorer Francisco Garcia fouled out with four minutes remaining, and second leading scorer Taquan Dean was forced to leave the game multiple times with cramps. The game was put on the shoulders of home-grown senior Larry O'Bannon, who scored two of his 24 points on a driving lay-up to tie the game and ultimately send it to overtime.

Dean, O'Bannon and senior captain Ellis Myles completed the stunning comeback by outscoring the exhausted Mountaineers 16-8 in the extra frame. Rick Pitino became the first coach in history to guide three different schools to the Final Four as the Cards advanced to the national semifinals for the first time since 1986.

1. 11/2/06: Louisville 44, West Virginia 34

Designated as the Big East's "End Game" since early that summer, West Virginia and Louisville entered this Thursday night clash with equal records, top five rankings, and national title aspirations. With No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan set to play each other in three weeks, the popular opinion became that whoever prevailed inside Papa John's Cardinal Stadium would be four wins away from a birth in the national championship game.

The build-up during game week was like none other the Derby City had ever seen. Fans dressed in black and arrived at the stadium to tailgate/mentally prepare in the wee hours of the afternoon. They would not be disappointed.

In the game he'd been playing in his mind since he was a child, Brian Brohm was sensational, connecting on 19-of-26 passes for 354 yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals also used a Malik Jackson fumble return for a touchdown and a Trent Guy punt return for a score to capture arguably the biggest victory in program history.

Louisville's national title hopes were crushed one week later when they lost a 28-25 contest at Rutgers. Still, the memory of a sea of black swarming midfield with fireworks exploding in the background will live forever in the hearts of Cardinal fans and the minds of Mountaineer fans.

Here's to another chapter Saturday afternoon...and hopefully not like a really depressing, completely one-sided chapter.

Five for Tuesday morning

2009-11-03T15:04:33Z

1. When Louisville takes the field in Morgantown on Saturd---OH MY GOD THE SITE'S DIFFERENT. I DON'T...I DON'T LIKE THIS....

2. Steve Kragthorpe opened his Monday press conference with the following:

"Sorry I'm late. I was actually on the phone with Jon Gruden. He wanted to know how tall Will Stein was."

Kragthorpe's press conference antics have bothered me almost as much as his teams' on-field performance, but this is funny. It's sort of like when a candidate you've supported but have always wanted to open up a lot more gives a tremendous, heartfelt concession speech.

3. The other big story to come out of the press conference was that walk-on freshman Will Stein may again get the call under center this Saturday at West Virginia.

I'm not saying Louisville has Will Stein fever, but...

Again, at this point in the season Stein is really the only shot the program has at a positive story, so I'm all for rolling with him.

4. Louisville will be facing a No. 1 team for the third time in under a year when the fighting Mike Rutherfords of Bellarmine University step into Freedom Hall tomorrow night.

I'd be surprised if Kyle Kuric didn't get the start over Reggie Delk, but I wonder if Pitino will do any more shuffling. He's said from the beginning that Sosa, Smith and Samuels are probably going to start each and every game, and he's planted his feet pretty deep in Swop's corner, so the rest of the lineup staying the same is probably a safe bet.

Regardless of who's out there, Louisville will get pushed.

5. Is the Louisville/West Virginia rivalry officially dead? Unless the Cards spring a huge upset and someone kicks Noel Devine in the stomach at some point during the game, I'd have to say so.

Kickoff is set for noon with ESPNU covering the game. The 'Eers have opened as 19.5-point favorites.

Mike WIlliams (Yes, Syracuse's best player) quits the team

2009-11-02T20:34:44Z

Mike WIlliams (Yes, Syracuse's best player) quits the team

"Williams, one of the top receivers in the country, told coach Doug Marrone on Monday morning of his decision.

Williams, who did not play last year because of academic problems, was suspended for Syracuse's game against Akron nine days ago for violating team policy."

I've heard rumors that he was scared of playing in the upcoming game against the UofL secondary.

Three years ago today...

2009-11-02T17:58:46Z

Because of the massive amount of preseason and in-season hype, Nov. 2 will always be one of those dates that just sticks with me.

There isn't a Cardinal fan who doesn't remember how anxious and excited they were during the day and then how fantastic they felt that night. A truly amazing 24 hours.

Tobias Harris is on campus

2009-11-02T14:56:03Z

My disdain for recruiting is overshadowed only by my affinity for embedded videos.

You look sort of like Edgar Sosa, you play sort of like Earl Clark; let's go ahead and make this thing official, young man.

Louisville 21, Arkansas State 13

2009-11-02T01:11:07Z

First things first, congratulations to the guys on the field for picking up a victory. With everything that's happened and with all that's been said it can't be easy to keep showing up day after day, but they have and they certainly deserved to enjoy Saturday night.

Still, you may not think it's pretty, you may not think it's right, but this is the story of the game:

And I agree with Rick Bozich, the fact that U of L actually announced the crowd as 21,497 is probably the surest sign yet that Kragthorpe is definitely out of here

Hopefully so are numb Saturdays.

Even though apathy has been in complete control since somewhere the third quarter of the Utah game, I don't think any of us can deny that the Will Stein story is a pretty neat one.

I don't think he has the tools to guide any team to a BCS conference title, and I sincerely doubt that he'll ever start another game for U of L after this season, but he's really fun to watch and really easy to root for, and at this point that's about as much of a compliment as you can pay to any Cardinal.

I'm all for letting the kid take the reigns for the rest of the year.

Chris Campa is an absolute monster and he's one of those guys who I can see wowing coaches at a training camp and hanging around on practice squads in the league for multiple years. I really wish we had he, Dempsey and Campa for another year.

Maybe the highlight of the game for me was Victor Anderson going crazy on the sidelines during a long Bilal Powell run. There seems to be nothing fake about Vic. He genuinely loves his team, his teammates and this program.

Here's hoping we can get him at least one postseason trip before he leaves town.

Might be time to at least experiment with wearing a shoe, Ryan.

When the ball was in the air on the last play of the game, I only remember saying, "oh my god he's open." The sad thing is there was no fear or panic in my voice, it was pretty much just an observation.

I hate this.

Goal No. 2 for the rest of the season (behind keeping key players healthy) is getting Doug Beaumont into the endzone.

I do not believe Steve Kragthorpe is a good football coach.

Again, congrats to the team and thanks so much for working so hard so that we here have stuff - good or bad - to think and talk about.

Open Thread: Louisville vs. Arkansas State

2009-10-31T18:00:27Z

Go Halloween.

GO CARDS

Game Day: Louisville vs. Arkansas State

2009-10-31T14:30:53Z

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (2-5, 0-3) vs. ARKANSAS STATE RED WOLVES (2-4, 1-2)

Game Time: 3:30

Location: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium: Louisville, KY

Television: WHAS

Announcers: Drew Deener/Doug James

Favorite: Louisville by 2.5

All-Time Series: First Meeting

Last Meeting: First Meeting

Excitement Level: 0.3

As bad as it gets

Pregame Meal: Who cares?

Kragtastic Prediction: We fumble more than two snaps.

Predicted Star of the Game: Will Stein

Why the hell not?

NOTABLE

--Nothing

Quotable

--"He’ll employ a lot of the game things we saw against Cincinnati in terms of quarterback running game, which is tough to defend when you’ve got a guy that can run it and pass it. And they’ve got big play receivers and they’re very solid in the running game.” --Steve Kragthorpe

"I hoped we would stay healthy. We haven't stayed quite as healthy as I would have liked, but that's the nature of football." ---Steve Kragthorpe

CC Prediction: Louisville 21, Arkansas State 7