The Cardinals will play their first real home game of the 2014-15 College Basketball season on Monday night against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. JSU is out of the Ohio Valley conference and this will be the very first meeting between these teams on the hardwood. JSU lost their season opener to the Marshall Thundering Herd, 74-55 and are 0-1 heading into the Yum Center. Gametime is at 7 and can be seen on ESPN3.
JSU coach James Green‘s teams have been known more for their hard-nosed defense than their offensive prowess. They finished dead last in scoring offense last season in the OVC but finished 1st in scoring defense. They aren’t a very big team so their smaller speedy guys try to put pressure on the ball to create turnovers. They had 8 steals and forced 10 turnovers against Marshall. They shot just 37% in the loss.
They do return some veteran players in seniors G Darion Rackley, G Avery Moore, F/C Jamal Hunter, and F D.J. Felder. Rackley and Moore are each chasing the 1,000-point scoring mark in their Division I careers. Rackley has scored 893 in his four-year JSU career, while Moore has scored 842 in his career. He had 6 made three point shots against Marshall. Hunter blocked 45 shots in his junior season. His 45 blocks were the sixth-most in a season by a Gamecock in the program’s Division I history and ranks him ninth on the school’s Division I career blocks list. And Felder had the only double-double on the team last year against Auburn.
In total there are eight returning JSU players that have started a combined 159 games at the Division I level.
JSU’s 2014-15 OVERALL RANKINGS
Offense | Defense
-POINTS PER GAME
55.0
272nd
OVERALL
-REBOUNDS PER GAME
35.0
180th
OVERALL
-ASSISTS PER GAME
11.0
201st
OVERALL
-FIELD GOAL PCT
.370
246th
OVERALL
JSU’s 2014-15 Kenpom Rankings
Overall- #291
Defense Adjustment Efficiency
-107.6 ranks 306th
Offense Adjustment Efficiency
– 98.6 ranks #267th
-Per Kenpom game prediction he has the Cardinals winning the game 87-59 based on his indexes.
This is just one of those early out of conference games that won’t be very competitive. It’s good that there are some of these easier games on the schedule to give the Cardinals the chance to work on some stuff and get prepared for the much tougher games down the road. Our Cardinals showed in their win on Friday night that they are again going to be a highly efficient team offensively that draws a lot of fouls and a defensive team that puts a ton of pressure on the ball. As long as everybody stays healthy this will be a recipe for a very successful season. The Cards will cruise in their College Basketball season home opener.
The Beak Prediction
Louisville 89 Jacksonville State 50
The first game of the college basketball season is in the books and for the 11th straight year our Cardinals start it off with a win. Louisville beat Minnesota tonight 81-68 in the Armed Forces Classic. It was the 18th time that a Father and Son coached against each other and after the outcome of this game the dads now lead 16-2. Richard Pitino has a good team and he is a very good coach but he won’t join Ed Dibble Jr and Jan van Breda Kolff as the only sons to beat their dads in a college basketball game. With the win the Cardinals even the overall series with Minnesota 3-3, and Coach Rick Pitino is now just four wins away from 700 in his career.
Louisville has always been a team under Rick Pitino that relies on the defense to generate offense. And while this team has a ton of offensive potential it was the defense again tonight that helped this team find their offensive rhythm and score points when they needed them the most. The Cardinals scored 18 points off turnovers and had big efforts from Montrezl, Terry and Chris.
Montrezl was all over the court and making big play after big play. He had a career night to start his season scoring 30 points, and grabbing 7 rebounds. He was 3-4 from the 3-point line and also showed off that little 15 foot jumper a few times. His most impressive moment for me came when he threw down an alley-oop on the offensive side of the ball and then sprinted down the floor to take a charge on the defensive side of the ball. Its hustle plays like that along with his polished offensive game that makes him a solid candidate for National Player of the Year. He made a good opening statement tonight and boy I’m glad that he came back for another year.
Terry is one of those players who lets the flow of the game come to him and doesn’t force anything. Before you know it he has 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assist and 4 steals without a single turnover. Coach Pitino said about Rozier after the game “I’ve not seen a guy work that hard in a long, long time at both phases of the game.” And Terry made it look effortless.
Chris had a very solid first game himself with 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assist. He was also very disruptive on the defensive side of the ball and had 3 steals. I really think he and Terry work well together and they do very well in their joint effort to run the offense.
The most impressive freshman of the night was Quentin Snider. This kid carries himself with such confidence and it carries over into his game. He had 7 points with 4 rebounds and didn’t have a single turnover. He hit a big three point shot late in the game when Minnesota was making a little run that sparked a 19-2 run for the Cardinals. I said after watching him in the scrimmages that I loved his moxie and he didn’t disappoint me tonight.
The biggest area for concern for this team will be what it can get from the 5 spot. Tonight between Onuaku and Mango it was 4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 block, and 1 steal. I do feel like the more experience Nanu gets the better he will get as the season progresses. I have to say that I really expected a lot more from Mango considering how he finished last year. It may also take him some time to get it going.
It is no secret that the Cardinals multiple 30 win seasons have come on the back of some really great defensive teams. I think this team will carry on that tradition. The Cardinals were very active in their pressing defense tonight and were flying all over the court. They held a pretty solid shooting team to just 40% from the floor and 22% from behind the arc just .87 points per trip. The Cardinals had 11 steals and forced 18 turnovers. If this team can continue down this path their offensive prowess will just be an added bonus to the arsenal.
Just a day before he would coach in the first game of the season against his legendary father Richard Pitino gathered with his family in Puerto Rico for the Christening of his son. Tonight Richard’s father gave him another baptism by fire. No doubt that the younger Pitino will take this loss and build on it and I do think his team will be very good this season. I really like Richard Pitino and really want to believe that the Louisville job will be his someday when Rick decides to head to the rocking chair. This really was a fun game to watch from the build up to the end. I was satisfied with how the Cardinals played and think we will have something for them come March. The road started tonight folks enjoy the rest of the season. Go Cards!
It was back on December 20th of 2012 when Rick Pitino faced his son Richard Pitino for the first time. That was the 17th time in NCAA Division I history that a father coached against his son. That was a pretty cool evening at the KFC Yum Center and it was great to be a part of that moment. Friday will mark the 18th time that a father and son will do battle in the NCAA and it will be the Pitino’s who will once again take center stage. The dads are 15-2 in these games, but the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree and this time Richard Pitino will have a team to compete.
Coach Richard Pitino has done an excellent job at creating a winning culture in Minnesota during his short time there. In his first year as their head coach they won 25 games and the NIT Championship. Returning from that team are four starters and eight letter-winners, including two of the team’s top leading scorers in Andre Hollins (13.6 ppg) and DeAndre Mathieu (12.0 ppg). In total, Minnesota returns 63 percent of its scoring and 71 percent of its rebounding from a season ago. Four newcomers will potentially make their Gopher debut in Puerto Rico in junior college transfer Carlos Morris, a projected starter, along with freshmen Bakary Konate, Josh Martin and Nate Mason.
Minnesota’s starting back-court is comprised of a pair of senior guards in Andre Hollins and DeAndre Mathieu. Hollins ranks 17th in career scoring at Minnesota with 1,309 points while Mathieu led the team with 4.2 assist per game good for fourth in the Big Ten. Both of these guys received all Big Ten honorable mentions after last season.
They also have a very solid front-court that is led by seniors Elliot Eliason and Maurice Walker. These guys share time at the center position with Eliason leading the team in rebounds (244) and blocks (72) last season. Walker is also a solid big man and averaged about 1 block and 5 rebounds last season. They will start a junior Joey King in the forward spot and he averaged about 8 points, 3 blocks last season.
-Minnesota 2013-14 OVERALL RANKINGS Offense | Defense
-POINTS PER GAME
71.2
171st
OVERALL
-REBOUNDS PER GAME
34.5
193rd
OVERALL
-ASSISTS PER GAME
13.7
94th
OVERALL
-FIELD GOAL PCT
.445
157th
OVERALL
2014-15 Kenpom Rankings
Overall- #37
Defense Adjustment Efficiency
-95.7 ranks 59th
Offense Adjustment Efficiency
-110.5 ranks #27
-Per Kenpom game prediction he has the Cardinals winning the game 76-67 based on his indexes.
This is the toughest opening game that the Cardinals have played in a very long time. Usually these early games are that of the warm-up variety, but that won’t be the case on Friday evening. Richard Pitino is one of the best up and coming coaches in the country and he has had the privilege of learning from two of the best coaches in America. He has taken coaching qualities and philosophy from both Rick and Billy’s benches and put his own spin on it. His system features an aggressive style of pressing defense and an up-tempo style on offense. His kids play hard for him and he gets the most out of each of them and knows how to utilize their skills for the benefit of the team. Richard Pitino can flat out coach folks and it will be fun to watch him and dad go head to head.
I give Minnesota the edge at the center position. They will play two very solid veterans against some not so seasoned Louisville bigs. This will be a good measuring stick for Mango and nothing will come easy for him on Friday. I will also be interested to see how much time Onuaku gets in the first game and will Rick give any time to the Big Egyptian.
We pretty much have the advantage at every other spot but Chris, Terry, Wayne, and Montrezl will also be tested all game long. Like I mentioned above those Minnesota guys give it their all for Richard and they each know what their roles are. This is just a great first test for the Cardinals.
Other than the basketball part of this game I keep thinking of how cool it is to see a father and son in this position. As a father I can only imagine the pride and gratitude that Coach Rick Pitino feels when he looks over and sees his son across from him and carrying on the Pitino coaching legacy. Here is his son who grew up watching game tapes on his father’s knee, standing on the sidelines while his father ran practices, listening to the late-night strategy sessions and coaching beside his father for years as an assistant now starring in this moment with him. Friday night is going to be a great night of college basketball but to the two men leading their teams in battle it is going to mean much more. Cardinal fans and Minnesota fans are both lucky to share in this moment.
The last ACC game of the season did not go without any drama. This one went back and forth with the Cards and Eagles throwing blow for blow. But after some great defensive play and some great play by the freshman quarterback it was the Cardinals who would emerge victorious 38-19. They now move into the lead in this series 4-3. With the win the Cardinals finish their inaugural ACC football season 5-3 and in 3rd place of the Atlantic division. The Cards still have a shot at getting Coach Petrino another 9 win season. His record at UofL is now 48-12 overall.
The Cardinals showed a lot of moxie tonight and showed just what they are made of. With our top receiver out, our top defensive player out, our starting QB out, they could have very easy folded up the tents after some things weren’t going their way early. But they stayed the course and emerged with a very good win on the road to finish out their ACC season. We have grown used to watching our football teams step up and create big moments for themselves over the last few years. That is a part of the culture now that doesn’t appear to be going away. Cardinal Football is a winner.
The offense got off to a slow start tonight and was especially bleak in the red-zone. But Coach Petrino stayed the course and with Gardner out things started to pick up late in the second quarter and really started off well to start the 3rd quarter when Reggie Bonnafon lead a heroic drive down the field on 14 plays covering 75 yards. He topped it off with a touchdown pass to Eli Rodgers. This drive would put the Cardinals ahead for good. Bonnafon would finish the game with a gutsy 69 yards and two touchdowns. He really did show a lot of heart tonight, and while there is still a long way to go with him he proved tonight that he is on the right path. The offense would put up 423 yards on a very good BC defense. I have to give a big shout-out to the Cardinals offensive line that held their own again tonight.
The other offensive stand-out tonight was DeVante Parker. He recorded his third straight 100-yard performance and fifth dating back to last season. He finished the game with 8 receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown. DeVante is now Louisville’s leading receiver and has only played in 3 games this season. We can only assume what would have been had he been healthy for the whole schedule.
The Cardinals defense really put out another great effort holding a very good run game to just 166 yards on the night and they really locked things down when they needed to late in the 4th quarter with a big goal-line stand. The guy leading the way for these big stops was Gerod Holliman. Gerod had 3 big interceptions making him the all-time leader in a season at Louisville and #6 all-time in a career. At 13 interceptions he is just one away from reaching the NCAA record for a single season. Our guys on the defensive line really came through tonight as well.
It seemed like our first season in the ACC went by pretty fast. Cardinal fans have to be really pleased at how it ended. This team can really build off the momentum of this win and carry it into the last two games. A nine win season and finishing the season ranked in the top 25 are still very possible. And each win just upgrades the Bowl game. I know I’m really happy with how the team fought their way through the ups and downs and am very excited to watch this program continue to grow under the leadership of the current coaching staff. Two games and a Bowl left to cheer for this group of young men who have given their all for us this year. Let’s enjoy them… Go Cards!
Doesn’t seem like it was that long ago that we were all gathered down at 4th Street Live celebrating the Cardinals official move into the ACC. Now we are almost halfway through a sports season and are down to only one ACC Football game left. Louisville will be traveling up to Chestnut Hill Massachusetts this weekend and will close out the ACC portion of their schedule against the Boston College Eagles. The Cardinals and Eagles have played six times on the gridiron and the series is tied 3-3. It was the Cardinals who won the last meeting 52-28 back in 1998. BC is in the Atlantic Division and they are currently in 3rd at 3-2. The Cardinals are 4th at 4-3.
Boston College improved to 6-3 on the season after beating Virginia Tech 33-31 last Saturday. The Eagles have won two straight games and they have wins over UMass, USC, Maine, NC State, and Wake Forest this season. They have lost to Pittsburgh, Colorado State, and Clemson. On the year, the Eagles rank 19th in points against, allowing an average of 20.1 points per game. Boston College’s offense is averaging 27.4 points per game, which ranks 80th in the country. The Cardinals have recently faced the Eagles head man Steve Addazio when he was Temple’s head coach. He’s a very good coach who is affectionately referred to as “Vitamin A” because of his high-energy nature on the practice field, on game days and on the recruiting trail. He has the Eagles playing well and will have them ready on Saturday night.
Leading Addazio’s offense on Saturday night is dual-threat quarterback Tyler Murphy, who is a transfer from Florida. While his passing has been far from great this season (55.6% completion rate, 8 touchdowns, 6 interceptions), he has been unstoppable on the ground. Murphy has 965 rushing yards is averaging 7.4 yards/carry this season and has 9 rushing touchdowns.
The Boston College rushing attack does not stop with Tyler Murphy. BC is 9th nationally in Rushing. They have four running backs who have at least 100 yards. Leading this unit is Jon Hilliman who has 578 yards with 9 touchdowns. He is followed by Myles Willis who has 399 yards with 2 touchdowns, Tyler Rouse who has 144 yards with 2 touchdowns, and Marcus Outlow who has 137 yards.
Their passing attack isn’t very formidable, but they do have some guys who are very capable if Murphy is forced to throw it. Leading their wide receiving corps is Josh Bordner who has 289 yards with 3 touchdowns, Dan Crimmins who has 225 yards, Charlie Callinan who has 127 yards with 1 touchdown and Sherman Alston who has 109 yards with 1 touchdown.
On the year, the Cardinals are allowing only 17.7 points per game on average, which ranks 8th in the country. They are ranked 3rd in the country in rushing defense giving up 78.7 yards per game and have only allowed 4 rushing touchdowns on the season. They will have to maintain this effort against BC to give the Cardinals a chance on Saturday night. They will have to do so without one of their leaders Lorenzo Maulding who will be out with a hamstring injury. I’d say that coach Grantham will load the box and force Murphy and this BC offense to use something they really don’t like and that’s their passing game. The Cardinals defense has faced some decent rushing attacks this season including Winston and company last week so they should be ready.
Boston College has a pretty good defense themselves. Their unit is ranked 11th in total defense and just behind the Cardinals ranked 4th in rushing defense. They have a very good defensive line that is stocked with some very big guys. Leading this unit is Defensive end Brian Mihalik 6-9, 295 pounds with 22 tackles, defensive tackle Truman Gutapfel 6-3, 289 pounds with 18 tackles, and defensive tackle Connor Wujciak 6-3, 304 pounds with 22 tackles. These guys are veterans and they will be ready to try and stop the Cardinals attack.
Louisville’s offense is averaging 30.9 points per game, which ranks 57th in the country. The Cardinals gained 488 total yards against Florida State last week and turned the ball over twice. The offensive line did a great job last week and will have their hands full again this week with this very good BC defensive front. They will have to block well to give Dyer and Radcliff some room to run the ball. They will have to excel in their pass blocking to give Will Gardner time to throw the ball down field to Parker and Quick. This is one of the best defenses that the Cardinal offense has faced this season. They will have to have one of their best efforts to give the Cardinals a chance to win.
The Cardinals much like the fans were very dejected after last weeks heart breaking loss to Florida State. A game like that can really zap the energy and the drive out of a football team. It is very hard to regroup after coming up short like that after a very good effort. I think that’s why a lot of folks are looking at the game Saturday night against Boston College as one of those trap games. The outcome of this game will be determined by how these Cardinals come out of the locker room. Will they still have a hangover from a tough loss? I have total and complete confidence in our coaching staff and it is their job to make sure that doesn’t happen. I do think our guys will come out very focused as they are still playing for a bowl upgrade and still have a chance at finishing the season very strongly. A top 25 ranking is still very possible especially with a shot at knocking off Notre Dame after the bye week. This game will be a defensive slug-fest with our Cardinals winning a close one.
As Kentuckians from Paducah to Pikeville cast their votes for state senator, legislators, county leaders and other representatives will they be voting for issues like the war on coal, the economy? Studies suggest that they may not be really voting on the issues at all, and that the current state of the Red and Blue political parties may not be what sways voters on this Election Day. It may be the current state of the Red and Blue athletic programs in the state that have the biggest impact.
Voting is one of the most important duties by the citizens in a democratic society, but when it comes to making the decision on who to vote for it may not be the important issues that sway voters the most. There have been many studies that have shown that the voters mental state at the time of an election may cause them to lean more towards a certain candidate. Information and events irrelevant to government performance, yet still consequential to an individual’s sense of well-being, affect the decisions that voters make in the polling booth.
What happens with the Cardinals and Cats in the state of Kentucky is deeply ingrained in its citizens. Positive or negative news from either of these major athletic departments can create a ripple effect that is felt by all. To put it simply we live and die by our sports here in the Bluegrass state. When we talk about Nations in Kentucky it’s usually the Big Blue Nation or Cardinal Nation that we are referring to. Currently the state of both programs appears to be in pretty good shape. Both teams had rough losses this past weekend on the gridiron, but both have two of the top basketball teams heading into the season and that has both fan bases feeling pretty good.
So what will this positive attitude towards the Cards and Cats mean in the Election today? The studies suggest that the persons general sense of well being will more times than not favor the incumbents reelection. So this could mean good news ahead tonight for Mitch McConnell and others who are seeking to hold their positions of power. The study I linked above and many others like it made the correlation between a particular win or loss by a football team or basketball team to a voters decision. Using that specific logic and taking into account that both the Cards and Cats had tough losses in football this past weekend it could mean good news for Alison Grimes and those who are seeking to replace the incumbents.
I’d like to think that when I go to my polling location later today and cast my vote that I will be voting based on my perception of how things are going in our economy and based on our states well being in general. Today I will let the serious issues that face our state sway my decision. When I head to the polls I will be voting Red or Blue but today that won’t mean what it usually does in this state. Get out today and exercise your right to vote, and don’t let a general sense of well being or other irrelevant factors sway your decision. This election means too much for that. Happy Election Day!
Cardinal Fans had waited a very long time for another moment. And tonight it looked like the home team would deliver. The Cardinals had a great chance at another one of those program defining wins tonight but fell short losing to the #2 ranked Florida State Seminoles 42-31. The series now stands at 2-13. The loss tonight will keep the Cardinals in third place in the Atlantic Division of the ACC at 4-3. Coach Petrino is now 47-12 all-time at UofL, 26-2 at home in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and the loss snaps a 22 game win streak as the Cardinals head coach.
http://youtu.be/IS2XRpGqK6Y
At first it looked like this was going to be one of those games like we witnessed in the Sugar Bowl where Louisville came out and just took over from beginning to end. But the Seminoles who had won 23 straight weren’t going down without a fight. Jameis Winston and the defending champs kept the nations #1 defense on the ropes during the second half gaining 370 yards of offense and scoring 35 points. Winston had 401 yards and 3 touchdowns and pulled off some heroics in the second half that Louisville fans had seen in the past with a guy named Teddy. With a record crowd of 55,514 behind them Grantham’s guys got their second wind in the 4th quarter and had a huge sack at the 5:55, but the offense couldn’t move the chains on the ensuing possession. That was all she wrote for our Cardinals as FSU would take the lead for good.
The post-game theme for our losses this season have usually fell along the lines of poor offensive line play, poor QB play, etc. Tonight the offensive line held their own with solid run and pass blocking. It was their best effort of the season as a whole. They only had one penalty that was a false start late in the 4th. This was a very encouraging takeaway from this game.
Will Gardner had some sloppy passes but had a pretty solid performance overall with 330 yards and one touchdown. His play tonight was also a very encouraging takeaway. And what can you say to describe Louisville’s version of “Thunder and Lightning” duo of Michael Dyer and DeVante Parker. Dyer appears to be back to his SEC form as he rumbled for 134 yards with 3 touchdowns while Parker bolted his way to a career best 214 yards. These guys have combined for 653 yards of offense in the past two games. It’s a shame we didn’t have these guys at full strength all season, but I’m really excited to have them for the rest of the way. I know the offense was only 1-11 on 3rd down conversion, but I do think they have improved every game.
If the blame falls anywhere tonight it would have to fall on the Louisville defense. For the first time this season they just gassed out and couldn’t hold serve for this Louisville team. I really think depth is an issue for this unit and that’s what separates the great defenses from the elite ones. 488 yards of offense and 31 points should be enough to win at home. There were some standout performances on this side of the ball. James Sample had 15 tackles and Gerod Holliman added two more interceptions to his national lead. He now has 10 on the year and is tied for the all-time record at Louisville. I still think this defense is among the best in the country. They just ran into Jameis Winston tonight and he’s a pretty good player.
My outlook for this team when the season started was to make it to a good bowl game and to retain the Governor’s Cup for a 4th straight season. We are bowl eligible and have some great games left. There is still a lot to look forward and I’m excited to watch this team finish out. We have a lot of great guys who are busting their asses and that needs to be enjoyed and celebrated. Losses are tough but there were a lot of positives to take away from this one. We are on the cusp of having a special football program here at Louisville. Go Cards!
It has been a season of ups and downs for the Louisville football team. Through the first part of the schedule the Cardinals have adjusted on the fly with injuries to key players, offensive line woes and inconsistent QB play. This week they head into the meat of their schedule and finally have all of the key guys back to full strength and seem to have all of the kinks worked out on offense particularly the offensive line. This couldn’t have come at a better time as the Cardinals prepare to play one of the biggest games in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium that they’ve had in a long time.
On Thursday night the #2 ranked Florida State Seminoles come to town for a mid-week showdown with the Cardinals. They are arguably the best team in college football and will be riding a 23 game winning streak heading into this game. The Cardinals and Seminoles have played 14 times in their history. Florida State leads the series 12-2. Those two wins by Louisville came in the very first game between these teams and in the last meeting back in 2002. The Cardinals won that game 26-20 in what was then the biggest win in the programs history. On Thursday night the Cardinals will have another chance at getting another notch in their belt.
Florida State improved to 7-0 on the season after beating Notre Dame 31-27 at home two weeks ago. The Seminoles have beat Oklahoma State, Clemson, and Notre Dame. Florida State has not looked as dominate as they did a year ago, but they continue to find a way to win, and have a very deep football team with a lot of talent across the board. They have great players at all of their skill positions, offensive line, and defense. The Florida State defense ranks 29th in points against, allowing an average of 21.6 points per game. The Florida State offense ranks 19th in points scored, averaging just south of 38 points per contest.
The Seminoles have a pretty balanced offensive attack, but they do rely a lot on their passing game. Leading that attack is a guy who hasn’t lost a game as a starter and while he may not win any awards for chivalry Jameis Winston is one helluva QB. He has thrown for 1,878 yards with 13 touchdowns and 6 interceptions so far this season. Teams have thrown everything but the kitchen sink at him on defense with little or no avail. He’s even thriving against the blitz completing 67 percent of his passes against it this year.
Winston has a deep and talented group of Wide Receivers as targets who are lead by Senior WR Rashad Greene with 52 catches for 791 yards and 4 touchdowns. Wide receiver Jesus Wilson has 25 catches for 307 yards with 4 touchdowns, Tight End Nick O’Leary has 27 catches for 288 yards with 2 touchdowns, and Travis Rudolph who is a true freshman has really came on as of late with 232 receiving yards and two touchdowns this season. He had a breakout game against Notre Dame, with six catches for 80 yards and a touchdown. The vertical threat of this group is second to none in college football.
There’s a slight chance that the Seminoles will be without their leading rusher when they make the trip to Louisville Thursday due to some legal issues swarming around him, although Jimbo has said that he will play. He leads all rushers with 378 yards and 7 touchdowns and will be a big loss if he can’t play. Freshman Dalvin Cook who has 270 with 3 touchdowns, and Mario Pender who has 200 yards with 4 touchdowns are both very capable backups at the position.
The Cardinals defense has allowed 13, 21, 10, and 18 points at home this season. They rank an impressive 4th in points against, allowing just an average of 14.6 points per game. They also boast the #1 Total defense in the country. Most folks outside of the Louisville circle have been skeptical about this defense being so highly ranked, but the Cardinals will get a chance to prove those skeptics wrong on Thursday if they can hold down this very potent FSU attack. Lorenzo Mauldin who has 35 tackles and leads the team with 11.5 tackles for loss and six sacks will be a big key in slowing down Winston. Gerod Holliman who leads the nation with 8 interceptions will also be key in slowing down the vertical attack of the FSU receivers. James Sample 3 interceptions, James Burgess 2 interceptions, and Charles Gaines 1 interception will all be key in this effort.
As I mentioned above the Florida State defense hasn’t been as dominate this season but they are still pretty darn good. At times this season they have lacked some discipline but they are a very athletic and capable group. Their key defensive guys in this game will be their two cornerbacks Ronald Darby who has 21 tackles, and P.J. Williams who has 24 tackles. They combined for 11 tackles against Notre Dame. Defensive back Jalen Ramsey has also been big for them on this side of the ball and he has 47 tackles on the season.
Their defense will have to contend with a fully healthy Louisville offense that will again feature spider man himself DeVante Parker. He returned to play against North Carolina State and had nine catches for 132 yards. He will be the best wide receiver that FSU will face this season and he will really open up the Cardinal offense on Thursday night. RB Brandon Radcliff and senior RB Dominique Brown are also primed and ready to help carry the load in the rushing game. Both have combined for over 760 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns out of the backfield for the Cardinals this season. The SEC version of Michael Dyer returned for a breakout game against North Carolina State and he had his best performance as a Cardinal with 173 yards and a touchdown. If he can give the Cardinals another effort like this Thursday it will really help.
It will be the day before Halloween when these teams lock up on Thursday and I am hoping that it will be a “Nightmare on Floyd Street” for the Florida State Seminoles. It is going to take a very good effort from our guys and things like turnovers, penalties, and mishaps will have to be kept to a minimum. We will really need Will Gardner to step up and lead the offensive unit and I think he could be the biggest key if our Cardinals can pull off this upset. Papa Johns will be rocking and the Cardinals will have the home crowd standing behind them all of the way on Thursday. I really feel like we can recapture some of that Thursday night magic that we’ve seen in the past and I look for Cardinals to pull out a close one.
The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 20 FSU 17
I don’t imagine that you need to be hyped up for the game on Thursday but just in case here is an excellent hype video done by the guys over at Crunchzone.com.
This is an article that I would have loved to have completed on Sunday night but for the first time since National Signing Day I had so much content that it was just impossible to do. Sunday was Media Day and the first Red and White Scrimmage of the 2014/15 season. I had the opportunity to spend four hours with the team yesterday and it was great to be back at the Yum Center.
This is going to be another exciting year, but one that will be defined by a young group of Cardinals. For the first time in a long time this team doesn’t have that solid veteran foundation to fall back on and will rely on guys stepping up to create their own legacy. Losing a group of guys that were the winningest in program history will have an impact, but what they left behind will hopefully give this year’s team momentum to build upon. In successful programs tradition never graduates. The Louisville Basketball program is rich and vibrant because a lot of guys over the years have cared enough to give their very best. There are many chapters left to be written and now it’s time for this 2014/15 group to write theirs.
Montrezl, Wayne and Chris are the captains this season. Out of these guys Wayne is the only one who has been around the program for four years. Wayne and Montrezl are the only guys left from the national championship team. I think that Wayne and Chris are the lead by example kind of guys and Montrezl is the more vocal leader. Talking with them on Sunday I think they are aware of how important it is that they provide leadership for this young team.
Talking with all of the guys during media day I can tell you that they are all good kids. It’s going to be fun watching them grow into the program and to see how far each of them take their game over the next four years.
The very first public scrimmages of the season are always fun to watch. It’s great to see how much the returning guys have improved and great to see the potential that the new guys bring to the team.
-Montrezl Harrell has a jump shot. I don’t know how much we’ll see of the big fella outside of the arc but he showed in the scrimmage yesterday that he is capable of knocking it down. It will make him tougher to guard and he was already a match-up nightmare for most teams. As far as his energy level Mr. Enthusiasm Personified still has a lot of it. He was also a vocal leader on Sunday and that will be very important going forward.
-Wayne Blackshear is ready for a great senior season. No nagging injuries for the first time in his career and he was making plays all over the court on Sunday. He showed that he is capable of playing with power and finesse making plays both ways. I think he looks more physically ready than he’s ever been also. Not only could he be the break out player to propel this Louisville team but he may be the breakout player in college basketball this season.
-Chris Jones is a no nonsense speedy, hardnosed guard. His gritty character comes out when he is on the basketball court. If you are in front of him he wants to beat you, and when he beats you he will make it count with an assist or a score. He is going to be the spark plug for the Cardinals offense this season and with his quickness be a headache for opposing teams on defense. He’s got that Memphis moxie and the teams we play this year will learn quickly what that means.
-Terry Rozier is the total package. If you are a coach this is the kind of kid you hope will cross your path in your career. He has the ability and aptitude that is rarely seen at the college level. He was the best player on the court Sunday and will be the best player on the court in most of the games this season.
-Mango Mathiang has got a lot of game but just doesn’t know it yet. He is a soft spoken and humble young man who needs to learn to be more confident when he steps between the lines. On Sunday I saw that out of him on a few plays but it needs to be every play. He reminds me so much of Gorgui and his game is taking a very similar path. This will be a very good season for him and we’ll need his production especially on defense.
-Anton Gill is now physically ready and he looked more confident on Sunday. He will be a very important part of this team and will be called upon to rest Terry. I’m confident in his offensive ability but his consistency on defense will be key.
-Anas Mahmoud “The Big Egyptian” quickly became a fan favorite on Sunday. He was the biggest surprise of the day and even shocked the coaches. A lot of folks had thought that it may be a while before we got to see this guy get any playing time, but after yesterday I don’t think we’ll have to wait long. This team is desperate to find a solid 8th or 9th contributor and Anas might be that guy. He has great court presence and has great hands. His timing and positioning is also very good. Seems to always be in the right spot at the right time. For a big guy his ball handling and footwork is also very good. Very likable kid and is going to be fun to cheer for over the next four years.
-Matz Stockman “The Big Norwegian” will take a little longer to adjust to the college game than his foreign counterpart. Matz is another guy that will have to learn to be more aggressive and will have to learn to leave his very humble personality on the sideline. He will have to get stronger and also gain more weight. Very excited to see how he develops. The possibility to see him and Anas in the line-up at the same time is also very exciting unless you are an opposing team.
-Quentin Snider showed a lot of moxie playing in front of the hometown crowd for the first time in a Louisville uniform. He has that added pressure that the other freshmen don’t. Talking with him yesterday he’s very happy to be a Cardinal and really wants to represent his hometown well. Coach Pitino is adjusting his jump shot so he’ll struggle with consistency, but I do expect him to see some minutes giving Chris a breather.
-Chinanu Onuaku is the most physically improved of the Freshman. His transformation into that college ready body is apparent, but now his game will have to catch up. He will have to adjust to the speed of the college game especially on the defensive end. He might end up seeing the most time out of the freshman. Those 10 rebounds he grabbed on Sunday was a very good start.
-Shaqquan Aaron is the guy who has the biggest upside of the freshman class. He’s got all of the skill in the world but has to get Stronger and get his body more college ready.
-Jaylen Johnson hasn’t been around long enough to know anything about. Don’t think he’s made a very good first impression on coach Pitino who said on Sunday that Jaylen lived in his own universe. Hope I’m wrong but he didn’t leave a very good first impression on me either.
-David Levitch “Levitch Nation” will be in full effect again this season. Coach Pitino said on Sunday that David was the most improved player on the team. Good kid to cheer for when he sees his time.
-Trent Gilbert the “HENDO” lookalike has some big shoes to fill to be like Tim, but he is a kid that comes from a solid program and will give his very best effort every day. I think Trent will get his chances in the next four years to hit some of those Hendo like shots.
-Dillon Avare hit a three point shot on Sunday and regardless of his size he can shoot the ball from deep. He’s a good kid who might see clean-up minutes.
-Akoy Agau did not play on Sunday and has been out due to a sports hernia. Coach Pitino said that they have taken their time with him because they are going to need him when the season arrives.
It was great spending four hours with the 2014/15 Cardinals on Sunday and I can tell you that we have another great group of young men to get behind this season.
It was homecoming in Louisville on Saturday and over 50,000 fans watched the Cards beat the Wolfpack 30-18. The Cardinals extend their overall lead in this series 4-1. With this win Coach Petrino is 47-11 all-time at UofL, 26-1 at home in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium and has won 22 straight as the Cardinals head man. The most important thing about the win on Saturday is that it makes the Cardinals bowl eligible for a fifth straight year.
Things really started to come together for the Louisville offense on Saturday and it was probably the most encouraging day of the season for this unit. The first notable difference was on the offensive line. They did an incredible job in pass protection and really hit their marks in their run blocking also. These guys had made a lot of mental mistakes over the past couple of weeks, but today they didn’t have a single penalty. The offense only had 4 penalties total for 33 yards. I could see a big improvement in the execution today.
On a day where coming back is celebrated it was Michael Dyer and DeVante Parker who came back to the Cardinal line-up that will be remembered the most. Both of these guys have been battling injuries through the first half of the season and today both of them showed signs that they are healthy and ready to take the Louisville offense to the next level. Having his best day with the Cardinals since transferring in Dyer had 24 carries for 173 yards and 1 touchdown. He became the 4th Cardinal running back this season to have a 100 yard day.
DeVante tied a career high with 9 catches for 132 yards in his first game back from the toe injury. These guys accounted for around 80% of the Cardinals offensive production on Saturday combining for 305 yards. Really makes you think about what could have been had these guys been available all season.
I also thought that Will Gardner had a solid game on Saturday. He seems to gain more confidence with every throw. He had 203 yards with 2 touchdowns.
The #1 defense in the country again lived up to their reputation and held the Wolfpack out of the end-zone for most of the game allowing only one late touchdown. James Sample had 11 tackles, and James Burgess had 8 to lead their unit. Four different players had a sack and Gerod Holliman got his 8th interception of the season. These guys have been playing lights out and they give so much of themselves every weekend. The bye week is going to be great to give these guys a chance to rest up for the final push of the season. The biggest games of the season are on the horizon. Lorenzo Mauldin had a hamstring issue but reports after the game indicate that it might only be a minor issue.
The Cardinals will now take a great defense, improving offense with the return of Parker and Dyer into the bye week. We watched this team take a very positive step forward on Saturday and I’m looking forward to seeing what our guys will have for Florida State in a couple of weeks. Hopefully the best is yet to come. Go Cards!
