The Louisville vs. Rutgers series has come to an end and the Cards go out on top winning their 4th straight over the Knights 24-10. Tonight was billed as Louisville’s opportunity to impress the national audience and perhaps sway the voters. I don’t know if any of that happened, but to me the most important thing is that our Cards are still undefeated, are still on pace to win the AAC Title, and are still in good shape to get the automatic BCS Bid. Also with the win tonight the Cardinals are Bowl eligible. Taking the optimistic approach tonight was a very good night to be a Louisville Cardinal fan. All this team can do is keep winning the games they have in front of them and take care of their business on the field; so far this season they have done that.

All eyes were on Teddy Ballgame tonight and he was the talk of the ESPN networks leading up to and during the broadcast. These national games will help him in his Heisman campaign and that’s great because he deserves it. There were also over 26 NFL scouts in attendance to watch him play. He completed 21-of-31 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw an interception and fumbled early in the fourth quarter. Some headlines will read that he had an off night but I think it is because of the expectations placed on him by the media and outside sources. I think 310 yards and 2 touchdowns equal a pretty decent performance, but hey what do I know? Senorise Perry and Damian Copeland were the other skill players on offense that stood out. Perry rushed for over 100 yards for the sixth time in his career and Copeland eclipsed his first career 100-yard receiving game plus had a career-best seven receptions. Teddy and the Louisville offense were supposed to be the story of the night but it was Calvin Pryor and the Louisville defense who stole the show. The Rutgers offense came into the game tonight averaging 40 points and 422 yards a contest. Tonight the Louisville defense held them to 10 points and 240 total yards. And they held them to a really impressive 12 rushing yards. The group had four interceptions and sacked Gary Nova eight times. Calvin Pryor had a monster night and will be the AAC defensive player of the week for sure. He had 14 tackles (11 solo), an interception, and a tackle for a loss that helped the Cards get great field position during a crucial part of the game. The Cardinal’s defensive group has been big all season but tonight they really made their mark and made a case that they are one of the best in the nation.

Here’s what Coach Strong and Teddy had to say after the game:

Cardinal fans I think we have reached that point where we can all stop worrying about polls and comparisons and be happy winning the AAC and getting to another BCS bowl game. I know that is what I’m looking forward to and this season is just another stepping stone to building something really special as far as the football program is concerned. I’m happy with where we’ve came in just a short amount of time and very optimistic to where we are heading. Cardinal Nation showed out well tonight and is also living up to their end of the bargain in this rise to national prominence. Every game has been a sell-out this season and tonight 55,168 showed up to cheer on the Cards. It was the 4th largest crowd ever. 6-0 folks…. GO CARDS!!!