All summer long and during the spring we all talked, and wrote about the potential and talent that the 2015-16 version of the Louisville Football team would have. We knew that we would have some issues up front on the offensive line and we knew that we would have some young guys that would have to step in and fill some gaps. I think we all expected some inconsistency over-all. This is all part of growing pains. The one thing that nobody ever questioned was if this team would play with passion and intensity. Being around these guys in the spring and watching the videos of these guys during their summer weight lifting and workouts I just knew they would be hungry for every down, but these first couple of games has been just the opposite.
In the season opener the team came out and fell behind early. They lost most of that first game excitement during the first half against Auburn and really the intensity level you would expect in a big game like this was not there. Being on the field at times it seemed as if most of the guys on the field and on the sidelines were just going through the motions. Then in that second half Lamar Jackson’s performance seemed to carry over to the rest of the team and the intensity returned. Guys were flying around all over the field and making plays that only a certain level of intensity allows.
On Saturday I think we all expected to see that same level of intensity the guys had on the field in the second half of that Auburn game. Instead they came out in the first half and it never felt like they were completely bought in to what they were trying to do. Sure there were moments in the game when things felt right but it was more of the latter. This was not just the players either. I don’t think the coaches were as fired up and intense as they should have been. I was on both sidelines Saturday and I can tell you that the Houston coaching staff was about as intense a group as I’ve ever seen and this obviously carried over to their teams performance.
There’s no shame in losing to Auburn or to Houston. Both of these teams are very well coached and have solid athletes on both sides of the ball. The shame is in how our team lacked the passion and intensity needed to perform in both. There is going to be a learning curve with this edition of Louisville Football as it pertains to the x’s and o’s but passion and intensity can’t be taught. You either have it or you don’t. I have seen moments of this and we know that all of these guys want to give their best efforts. My hope for the rest of the season is that the real Louisville Football team will stand up and play with that level of passion and intensity Cardinal fans have grown to love over the last four seasons. I’m still very optimistic at how this season will turn out and think we’ll see a big difference in this group on Thursday night.
There’s no place like home and there’s nothing like the home opener of the College Football season. The smell of pigskin will be in the air on Floyd Street as Cardinal fans return to their favorite tailgating spots of the fall. Saturday will be a revival of sorts as fans gear up for another exciting home football slate.
Our Cardinals will try to get their first win of the season in front of the home crowd at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Saturday as the play host to the Houston Cougars. These teams have met 15 times in school history, with the Cardinals holding an 8-7 overall series advantage. This series dates all the way back to 1950. Louisville won the last meeting 20-13 in 2013 at Papa Johns in their first and only season in the American Athletic Conference.
The Houston Cougars have always been known for their explosive offenses and I expect that legacy to only improve with their new head coach former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman. Herman is fresh off Ohio State’s College Football Playoff championship run and you can bet he will have this Cougars team ready to go Saturday.
I expect to see a pretty balanced attack pass and rush from Houston on Saturday. Leading that attack will be QB Greg Ward Jr. Ward ranked ninth nationally in completion percentage in 2014, completing 67.3 percent of his passes, or 177-of-263 attempts with 2,010 yards. He is also pretty mobile scrambling for 573 yards on the ground last season. In their opener last week he had 107 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. He also threw for 275 yards and one touchdown.
Leading their ground attack is two of the better running backs in college football seniors Kenneth Farrow and Ryan Jackson.
Last season the duo rushed for 2,911 yards and combined for nine 100-yard games. Farrow is their feature back and he is coming off a career year that included 1,037 rushing yards, seven 100-yard games and 15 total touchdowns, which led the American Athletic Conference. He had a quiet day last Saturday only recording 11 carries for 49 yards but you can expect a healthy dose of him against the Cardinals.
Houston is task with finding some emerging talent at their receiver positions as they lost 5 of their most experienced guys last season. They do return Junior Demarcus Ayers who has 11 career starts and he was second on the team in 2014 with 33 receptions for 335 yards. He had a big game in their opener catching 10 passes for 121 yards. Much like in Louisville’s opener they had three players make their first career receptions against Tennessee Tech last Saturday. Chance Allen, Isaiah Johnson and Kyle Postma all got into the action for the first time. Postma had 4 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown. They are also expecting a solid year out of junior tight end Tyler McCloskey who pulled in two receptions for 19 yards last weekend.
Another similarity they have with our Cardinal is their lack of experience on the offensive line. I expect Coach Grantham to attack this young group with a lot of pressure on Saturday. James Burgess had a tweet this week that insinuated he wasn’t too happy with his performance against Auburn. That’s not going to work out to well for Houston. I expect him to dominate. I think the Cardinals secondary could have a big day as well. What we seen out of Josh Harvey and Trumaine last Saturday was just the beginning and Chucky Williams is hungry after leaving a few interception opportunities on the field at the Georgia Dome. With the first game jitters behind him I expect a big day from Devonte Fields. Then there’s that guy named Shaq. #6 will be flying all over the place in his Papa John’s debut.
Task with stopping emerging superstar Lamar Jackson and the Louisville offense the new Houston defensive coordinator Todd Orlando will bring a 3-4 base that mixes up looks and brings pressure from all angles. He will also try to put a lot of pressure on a very young Louisville offensive line. Orlando has two solid guys up front in defensive tackle B.J. Singleton (11 starts) and defensive end Tomme Mark (15 starts). Houston’s defense has been one of the best in the nation with 73 turnovers forced over the last two seasons. A big reason why is their secondary. They return every starter in their secondary from 2014. This is a group that has 97 career starts and a group that had 19 of the 30 turnovers in 2014. Adrian McDonald (5 Int), Trevon Stewart (3 Int), Howard Wilson (3 Int), William Jackson III (2 Int), Lee Hightower (1 Int), and Earl Foster (1 Int). Last weekend Adrian McDonald led the defense with an interception. Linebacker Elandon Roberts led the team with 8 tackles. This is a very formidable defense.
Lamar Jackson said this week after practice that he wanted to showcase his passing game more on Saturday. I think he’ll get his chance as his scrambling ability along with Brandon Radcliff and Jeremy Smith running down hill will draw the secondary in and allow him to throw over it to the Cardinal receivers. Devonte Peete led the team with 3 receptions for 60 yards against Auburn and I look for him to have another great game this week. I look for JaQuay Savage to have a good game this week also.
This Houston team won’t be a push over as they have a very good coaching staff and some solid athletes. I just think our guys will keep building off of that strong second half showing in the Georgia Dome last weekend. I really think we have found something special with Lamar and our defense is going to be one of the best units in college football. Look for a big win Saturday.
On Friday night down in Atlanta I made my way through an Armageddon type traffic situation to watch one of the most talented QB’s to commit to Louisville. I say one of because there have been several. When I finally made it to Creekside High School the players were on the field for their pre-game warm-ups and it was obvious who Jawon was without even seeing a jersey number. He stood out because he looked bigger and stronger than most of the kids on the field.
I read and evaluation that said Pass is like a ball of clay that just needed to be molded. Watching his game on Friday night I can tell you that there is a lot to work with here talent-wise. Right now he is a high school athlete who is playing quarterback, but when he gets to the next level he will have to learn how to be a quarterback who is a good athlete. He is a solid passer but there will be many fundamental changes that will have occur at the next level. Jawon possesses raw, untapped physical tools, and is a good player that has a very high ceiling for development.
I bet the coaches can’t wait to get this kid on campus to start coaching him through some of his technique deficiencies and turn him into a prime-time Quarterback. He certainly passed the eye test on Friday night and I came away also thinking about how good he will be in a few years. I can’t wait to see him in the red and black.
Wanted to also give a huge shout out to the Cardinal Nation who was there supporting this young man on Friday night. As I mentioned in the beginning the trip was anything but easy and still hundreds of folks made it. This will go a long way and will really show many of those other kids just how we support our athletes. There were several great players playing in that game Friday night and I can almost guarantee that the Cardinal Nation left an impression.
“In three weeks there won’t be much said about the Chick Fil A Kick-off Classic”, that’s what the CBS announcers said after the Chick Fil A Kick Off game. Maybe that will be true of the Auburn fans but Cardinal fans will more than likely remember it as the moment more great Louisville players emerged.
I remember back in 2011 on a September night in Commonwealth Stadium. Our Cardinals had lost four straight games to the arch rival Kentucky team, but on this night we would see a true freshman quarterback enter the game and take over, a Louisville running back who had a break out game, and a defensive line find it’s identity while completely dominating in the game. Yes this was against Kentucky (we know they are horrible) but this was a pivotal moment for the program and after this game our Cardinals never looked back with many years of success that have followed. We still haven’t lost a game to the guys in blue, and you can add a BCS bowl win in there along the way.
On Saturday our Cardinals had a very rough first half of football and ultimately lost a close game in the end but just like that game back on September 17th 2011 there were several future stars that emerged and I really think it was another pivotal moment. I don’t think this new group of Cardinals will look back. This time it could be a spot in the playoffs as a result.
The Cardinals played seven true freshman on Saturday Lamar Jackson, Jaire Alexander, Traveon Samuel, Geron Christian, Devante Peete, Jaylen Smith, and Kenny Thomas. All of these guys played hard and a few of them really stood out. Devante Peete had 3 catches for 60 yards and showed the ability to get open against a formidable defense. Jaylen Smith had 3 catches for 34 yards and he also showed some great separation speed and athleticism.
A stat I got from Howie Lindsey of Cardinal Sports.com 82% of Louisville’s receiving yards went to guys playing their first Louisville game. Peete had 60 yards, Smith had 34 yards, Samuel had 22 yards, Crum had 19 yards and Savage had 2 yards.
And there was the true freshman QB Lamar Jackson who came in and took over the game. He reeled off 100 yards through the air and 106 yards on the ground with 1 touchdown. Folks this guy is the future. Much like that night on September 17th 2011 when Teddy had his moment on Saturday Lamar Jackson had his.
My comments are well documented on Lamar Jackson and I even raved about him before the season started on the Afternoon Underdogs show. I knew what was coming and sure enough the moment is upon us. Get ready to watch this kid take his spot among some of the best to ever wear the red and white.
On defense Trumaine Washington had his first career start with a 7 tackle and one interception performance, and Josh Harvey-Clemons who had his first Cardinal Career start had 14 tackles with two interception performance. I’m really excited about this defense and there are a lot of guys who caught my attention but these two really stood out. I expect many more huge performances out of them.
Our Cardinals dominated in every statistical category on Saturday. 1st downs: Louisville 27, Auburn 21, Total Yards: Louisville 405, Auburn 327, Rushing: UofL 238, Auburn 190, Passing: UofL 167, Auburn 137 and led time of possession UofL 30:50, Auburn 29:10. We gave #6 in the Nation all they wanted and I like where the direction of this team is headed. We got to see many future stars emerge and it’s going to be a great season. I do think these guys turned a corner in the second half on Saturday and think we have a real shot at winning the ACC.
As I grow older I have come to realize that life is a series of beginnings and endings. I believe that much of this is to prepare us for some of life’s greatest challenges. We tasted the bitterness that came along with saying good-bye to some great players last season and getting our butts whipped in the Bowl Game. But on Saturday September 5th Cardinal fans will get to taste the sweetness of new beginnings. That Saturday afternoon starts a new era of Louisville football, and one that will surely be full of success.
This is the first game of all first games as our Cardinals travel down into SEC country to face the #6 Auburn Tigers. I don’t know about you folks but I love getting another chance at the SEC this fast. I’ve been looking forward to this one since walking out of a bitter cold Bank of America Stadium back in December. This game like that one will be a stiff test. Much of what these teams do or how these teams will perform on Saturday is up in the air as are most of the first games of the college football season, but I will give you an assessment based on my research and observations.
Coach Petrino Auburn pre-game:
(Video Courtesy TheCrunchZone.com)
The Head Coaches: Bobby Petrino and Gus Malzahn are two of the best offensive minds in college football. It is going to be great watching these two great minds at work in the Georgia Dome on Saturday. Both coaches design their offenses with an up tempo pace in mind. Petrino has a tendency to be more vertical than Malzahn but both of these guys love to attack and attack some more. Both have a knack for getting the most out of their quarterbacks and keeping defenses on their heels. I doubt we’ll see a very complex play book from these coaches on Saturday and both will make things as simple as they can for their teams in the opening game. I do expect fireworks from both sides and a bit of trickery wouldn’t surprise me either. This will be one of the best coaching battles of week one.
The Auburn offense lost a lot of talent including their starting QB and their top three rushers a whopping 85% of their rushing yards is gone. They do bring back a lot of talent on this side of the ball and it all starts with the dual threat quarterback Jeremy Johnson. Johnson’s snaps have been limited but he did have 436 yards with 3 touchdowns in 7 games last season with a 75.7 completion percentage. This kid is a freak athlete with size and ability who can run it; sling it down the field, and with great intermediate accuracy. He has 3 of Auburn’s top 5 receivers from last season to pass it to. D’haquille Williams 730 yards, 5 touchdowns last season, Ricardo Louis with 261 yards and 3 touchdowns last season and Melvin Ray with 182 yards and a touchdown last season. They are also expecting big things out of Jason Smith and he could be the X-factor in this group. I expect the passing game to be a huge part of this Auburn offense in the game on Saturday.
Running Back Roc Thomas who had 43 carries, for 214 yards with 2 touchdowns last season and Jovon Robinson juco back who was #1 in the country will power what has been a powerful ground attack for the Tigers that always produces under Gus Malzahn. Auburn is known for having 1200 yard rushers every season and this group won’t be any different. Most expect this Gus Malzahn offense to look like his 2009 season where they are throwing it around a lot more. This offense will look at what the defense gives them and not so much going to try and dictate. Most expect this Auburn offense to be more reactionary. Take away the pass and these guys will try to run it down your throat and stack the box they’ll try to throw it over your head. Much like our Cardinals they have a lot of important parts to replace at the skill positions including an offensive line that is still in doubt. They will replace a starting center and have two guys in Austin Golson and Alex Kozan along the line who didn’t see the field once in 2014.
Task with stopping this Auburn offensive attack is year two of Todd Grantham’s defense. Our Cardinals secondary was gutted but we have one of the best returning defensive fronts in college football this season. Five of the Cardinals front seven returns and I’m expecting a lot out of defensive end Sheldon Rankins who had 13.5 tackles for loss last season with 8 sacks, Keith Kelsey who had 87 tackles last season and James Burgess who had 10 tackles for loss last season. Joining Burgess and Kelsey at Line-backer is the former Big 12 defensive player of the year Devonte Fields. By all accounts he has looked really good during camp and should be ready to plug some of those holes on Saturday.
I think defensive tackle DeAngelo Brown will be a huge factor along with Pio Vatuvei. And I mentioned that the secondary had been gutted but don’t worry because like every good program there is a group of guys who will be as hungry as any player on that field Saturday in Shaq Wiggins and Josh Harvey Clemons. I haven’t been as excited to see two guys play their first game in a Louisville uniform as I am with these guys. Along with Jermaine Reve, Trumaine Washington, and Zikiesis Cannon they will be ready to challenge that Auburn receiving corps.
The key to stopping the Auburn attack will be to get quick stops for losses on first and second downs. Get off the field on third downs and don’t let the Auburn offense gain any momentum. I really like our defense against an offense that has a lot of new parts.
The Cardinal offense remains shrouded in mystery as far as the starting quarterback is concerned, but I have said all along that it will be Reggie. I really think his ability to run or pass will be a bigger asset in this game than any other on the schedule. I watched Reggie first hand in the spring and in camp and he has become a more accurate passer while appearing to be stronger and faster. I have also said all along that we could see either Will Gardner or Kyle Bolin in some form or fashion early in the season but if I had to guess it would be Will Gardner in this game. All of these guys have big game experience and could handle the environment that day in the Georgia Dome. There has also been a lot of buzz coming out of camp about Lamar Jackson. Don’t be surprised to see him lined up in some type of Wildcat formation with Reggie. I think this kid is a super athlete and I think Bobby has already figured out a way to use him in game one.
Running back Brandon Radcliff is the most physically transformed athlete on the Louisville roster. This young man is dedicated to perfection and he will be the lead back on Saturday. I also expect to see Jeremy Smith and LJ Scott in some capacity. Radcliff could be the ultimate key as we’ll have to get our running game going to open up things for the receiving corps. Speaking of that group that will be led on Saturday by James Quick who had 36 catches last season. I think the Louisville wide receivers might be the most underrated in the country. The world will get introduced to this group on Saturday and they will be pleasantly surprised at the length, speed and agility of this bunch. There has been a lot of buzz about transfers Ja’Quay Savage and Jamari Staples during camp and I think they give this group some much needed talent after the loss of Devante. I also expect Paul Harris, and tight Ends Charles Standberry, Keith Towbridge, and Cole Hikutini to have a huge impact in the offensive game-plan Saturday. I think Cole has a huge upside and will really flourish in the Bobby Petrino system.
When talking Louisville offense there is the elephant in the room and that is the offensive line. Coach Petrino says that there are 11 guys that have been rotating on the offensive front during camp. Let’s hope that those guys have had enough reps to develop the continuity they will need on Saturday. Tobijah Hugley and Aaron Epps will anchor the reconstructed line counting on guys like Pedro Sibea, Kelby Johnson, Skylar Lacy, Lukayus McNeil and Khalil Hunter to step up.
Gus Malzahn talks about preparing for Louisville:
Will Muschamp will get his shot at redemption after the Louisville offense dismantled his Florida Gators in the Sugar Bowl. And he has a very talented group to do his bidding. It’s questionable how effective his defense can be after losing most of his secondary and other great defensive players to transfer. And really how much of his stuff has he had time to get in with such a short period of time. This is an Auburn defense that gave up 30 points in eight of their last 9 games.
The main piece of Muschamp’s attack will be a guy returning from injury last season Carl Lawson. This young man is a monster who is disruptive, very agile and plays with an incredible motor and toughness. He will be a nightmare for the budding Louisville offensive front. Coach Petrino will game-plan to try and get this guy double teamed while Muschamp will feature him by trying to get him in one-on-one situations. Muschamp is the kind of defensive coach known for getting his best defensive players in opportunities to succeed. Like our Cardinals he also has a very talented front group anchored by guys like Cassanova McKinzy, Kris Frost, Jonathan Ford, DaVonte Lambert, Montravious Adams and Dontavius Russell. I expect the Tigers to be tough up front with solid recruits also. It’s what’s behind this group that has the Tigers a little concerned. Their secondary lacks experience and includes at least two true freshmen in Byron Cowart and Jeffery Holland. Our Cardinals will have their hands full and I expect this to be a very formidable defense on Saturday.
A lot of the talking heads and folks who know more than I do about college football think that on this day it will be the Auburn Tigers who’ll reign victorious. But you know that’s the thing about days… They tend to have a mind of their own. We’ve all been a part of days that had a mind of their own. Let’s just hope that September 5th is one of those days.
Last season an old rivalry was renewed when the Cards and Hoosiers did battle in the Jimmy V Classic. Louisville beat Indiana 94-74 on that Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden. That game marked the 17th meeting between the two schools in history with IU holding a 10-7 advantage. The teams have met four times on the basketball court since 1990 with IU holding a 3-2 edge in those games. The two border rivals have met twice on the gridiron, with Indiana winning both games played in Bloomington. The Hoosiers won the first encounter 41-28 on Sept. 14, 1985, and came back the following year to shut out the Cardinals 21-0 on Sept. 13, 1986.
The basketball game last season was not part of an ongoing series but was instead a one-game contract between the two schools. Coach Pitino has been working hard to get a home and home series with the Hoosiers and finally his efforts were rewarded.
Cardinal fans and Hoosier fans were hoping that game on December 9th would spark up the old feud enough to make this an annual meeting. All had been quiet on that front until today. Not only will Louisville and Indiana fans get to watch their teams battle head to head on the court but the Football field as well.
A neutral site game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Dec. 31, 2016, will open the men’s basketball series in an equally divided arena. The Cardinals and Hoosiers will later play at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville as a home game for the Cardinals on Dec. 9, 2017, and the teams will match up again in Assembly Hall in Bloomington on Dec. 8, 2018.
Indiana and Louisville will kick off the football series at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Sept. 16, 2023, with seating split equally between the two schools. The second football game will be played in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium in Louisville on Sept. 7, 2024, and the three-game series will be completed at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington on Sept. 6, 2025.
This is some very exciting news for both fan bases. This is a rivalry that needed to happen and commend the leadership at Louisville and Indiana for making it a reality. I’m looking forward to some great games between these two great schools. Go Cards!
Our Cardinals close out the Puerto Rico trip with another win. These games will benefit this team greatly and in just the last two games alone the improvement has been drastic. We really did get to watch this team grow up before our eyes over the past couple of days. What we could see of it anyway. Coach Pitino said before this trip that if they could win a couple of games that he would be very pleased with the effort. The Cardinals struggled in the first games but grew from those losses and were able to get two very nice wins to wrap things up. I really enjoyed getting the opportunity to watch and evaluate these guys so early. This team is still a work in progress but I think they’ll do big things this season. We’ve got scorers, legitimate big men, great wing players, and good bench play.
Here’s just a little assessment I had of some of the guys this week:
Damon Lee is going to be a good one… He had 118 points on this trip… Not too shabby! He will have to learn that he doesn’t have to shoulder all of the load like he did at Drexel. He forced some stuff this week and that will change. He will be a 20 pt. scorer this season.
Mango and Nanu have and will continue to get better. They are passing the ball much better and seem to be more active around the rim. Would like to see them be more physical and draw more fouls. Both can be very effective in the lane and this team will need that from them both.
Matz and ANAS are still works in progress. Both need to get much more physical and comfortable when they get the ball. Both still have a tendency to rush and be reluctant. They’ll get it.
Trey Lewis like Lee is going to be a scorer, but will have to learn that he isn’t a one man show any more like he was at Cleveland State. He’ll have to adjust to team ball and making the extra pass. He’ll help us win some tough ones this season.
Jaylen Johnson I didn’t really see the improvement I was hoping for out of him. He made some good plays and has worked on his mid-range shot, but is another guy that has to be more physical. Still a lot of time. I’ve got big expectations here.
Quentin Snider He was a stone cold killer in the run the Cardinals made in March. I did see flashes of that version of him tonight but overall it was a quiet trip for him. Didn’t amaze like I thought he would. May still be adjusting to his role on this team. I think he’ll start and play a lot of minutes this season. He creates plays and is a heady ball player.
Out of the new guys Mitchell, Adel, and Spalding it was Spalding that impressed me the most. He will be one of the hometown greats before his career in Louisville is over. The kid oozes big time potential. Active hands and all over the court on defense. His wing span is longer than Montrezls. And he has a soft touch around the basket and can finish with power when needed. I’m excited about him. Adel is also ready to play right now. He’s already physical and strong enough to compete in the ACC. He is a match-up problem and can post his man up or take him out to the perimeter. Shows very good skill set. Mitchell is going to be very good but out of the three he still has the most to learn IMO. He still rushes when he has the ball and that leads to poor decisions and turnovers. His potential is off the charts and he’s going to be great just needs time.
Biggest surprise for me was preferred walk-on Jay Henderson. This kid has a lot of game. He looks really comfortable and confident with the ball in his hand and really does command on the court. Really impressed with his ability and think he’ll see the court this season. Pretty cool to have another walk-on named Henderson. I think this one could be just as effective…
Here’s Coach Pitino’s Post game courtesy Eric Crawford’s Periscope: COACH PITINO POST GAME
On Tuesday night the 4th and final open practice took place. You can really tell that the fans have taken their excitement to the next level and the anticipation for football to begin has never been higher. The players looked to be relaxed and very business-like as they went through their stations and you can tell these guys are ready for the season to begin also.
The QB’s didn’t seem like the buzz of their battle affected them and were throwing some very crisp passes as they went through their reps. The receivers and running backs also seemed very focused in their drills over the past couple of days. There was an extra level of intensity in the O-Line and D-Line drills as they know football is a battle of inches that starts in the trenches. The Defensive backs were also flying around the field in their reps and this group is hungry and ready.
The next chapter of the UofL football program and the Bobby Petrino era has begun. Although expectations seem to be tempered the Cardinals were picked to finish 3rd in the Atlantic Division at ACC media days and were ranked #32 in the first USA Today Coaches Poll, receiving 27 votes.
Petrino, led the Cardinals to a 41-9 record from 2003-06. He inherited a team last year that went 9-4. There is a lot of talent remaining on this team and there are a core group of guys who know what it takes to be winners. Yes they do have some questions that need to be answered in regards to the offensive line and at the depth of some positions but this is a team that could have a great run this year.
With the final open practice in the books it will be time to close the gates off to the media and the public. It is now time for the real work to begin. We are a little over 3 weeks from the kickoff of the season and Coach Petrino and his staff will start fine tuning their offense and defense in preparation for the first opponent. I know I enjoyed the chance to see the team and I can’t wait for that first Card March and game. Below is some of the photos I took of open practice #2. Enjoy! Hope to see you all in CARDLANTA…
Two legendary coaches in Rick Pitino and Tom Izzo along with two elite college basketball teams in Louisville and Michigan State we’ve seen some great battles between these coaches and teams in the NCAA Tourney in recent years. With the latest coming a few months ago in the Elite 8 when Michigan State evened up the tourney series to 2-2 when they beat our Cards in overtime to advance to the Final Four.
We have grown accustomed to the possibility of these teams facing off in the NCAA Tournament every year, but now these teams are headed for an early match-up in the 2015 season. Several months ago it was reported that we could see a Louisville vs Michigan State match-up in this coming season’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Then not too much later it was made official and today the Gametime has been announced.
The Louisville vs Michigan State head to head record stands at 5-4. These teams first met in 1959 in the Mideast Regional final with the Cards winning that game 88-81 with the most recent game back on March 29th in the Regional Finals where Michigan State prevailed in Overtime 76-70 against the Cards.
Now these teams are set to face off on December 2nd in East Lansing. Tipoff for this game will be at 7:15pm on ESPN. It will top off one of the best and toughest road game seasons in the history of Louisville basketball. That would mean Louisville has games at UK, at Michigan State, at Duke, at UVA, at UNC, at Pitt, at Notre Dame, at Miami, and at NC State. That is some great basketball indeed. Go Cards!
Today was Media Day for the Louisville football program. There was a common theme amongst those in attendance asking the questions. Everyone wants to know how the offensive linemen are progressing and it is an area that will be closely watched during fall camp.
Folks are also very interested in how the new guys will fit into the system and how quickly it will take the guys who sit out last year to make an impact. I also heard a lot of questions asked about the defense. It will again be pivotal in the success of this season and everyone wants to know what we will look like on this side of the ball.
The thing drawing the most attention at media day was the battle that is playing out for the starting QB spot. This has been a hot topic all summer and today we got the chance to ask some direct questions to Coach McGee and the guys involved in this position battle.
I think Reggie Bonnafon will be the starter when Cardinals take the field on September 5th at the Georgia Dome. He has the slight edge in my opinion due to his competitive nature and ability to make plays when needed in big game situations. He showed this several times last season.
Coach Petrino mentioned today that his arm strength has improved and that he feels like Reggie will be more comfortable running the offense. Last season he had a tendency rush through his reads and bail out too early with the run.
Reggie seemed very encouraged today while speaking with the media and also seems confident about his potential to have a great season.
I think we will see Will Gardner end fall camp in the #2 QB spot. He actually knows the offense better than all of the QB’s and has a very good delivery. Coaches raved today about his recovery and how quickly he has bounced back.
He is a very mature guy and I’m very impressed with the humility he shows. The one area where he lacks some ability is in lateral quickness. I think coach Petrino likes the idea of having a mobile quarterback and this is where Will falls off a little.
Kyle Bolin will end fall camp in the #3 QB spot. Yes he had that big game moment against UK in the final game last season and is a very competent QB. I think his lack of mobility and arm strength are what puts him in the third spot. Kyle is a great kid and also speaks with a lot of humility. He like the rest of these guys is very selfless.
All three of these guys are very capable QBs and I think all of them will get a chance to see some field time in the early part of the season. They all have big game experience and all have shown that they can make plays.
A guy not at Media Day but whose name was brought up a lot was Lamar Jackson. The coaching staff lights up when you mention this kids name and the players already have a lot of respect for the young QBs abilities. I went on with the Afternoon Underdogs this past week and told them that I expected Jackson to be a part of the offense this season. And after hearing Coach McGee talk about him at Media Day I’m even more certain of that now.
I do think they will bring him along slow and that we will see him in some 4th quarter clean up duties. This will give him a chance to get comfortable running the huddle and operating the offense. He will also have to learn to read a defense and to learn the right check downs. The coaches will evaluate him in these situations and if he starts moving the chains who knows.
I think by seasons end we could see him used similar to the way Urban Meyer used Tim Tebow with Chris Leak when he won that first title at Florida. But unlike Tebow the Jackson kid has a rocket for an arm. Can you imagine Coach Petrino coming out on a series with a formation that has two guys who can run and throw a pass? The possibilities are unlimited. I get really excited just thinking about it.
It was good to hear from McGee and his QBs this morning and this will be an exciting development to follow all through the fall camp and into the season. You can’t have too much talent and depth especially at the most important position on the football field. Louisville is in good shape.
