The 2013-14 Cardinal Football season was one of the most anticipated seasons that I have been involved with. A year of transition that brought high hopes of another BCS Title game and one that some thought could land the Cardinals into the National Title game. Although those things didn’t happen Cardinal fans still had much to cheer for and cheer they did. All seven home games this season were sold out. Fans poured into Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium to watch Teddy throw for over 3500 yards and 28 touchdowns in his last season as a Cardinal and got to see a defense that was one of the best in the country. Once again it’s been a great ride since last spring.

-9/1/13 Louisville vs. Ohio
The 9th ranked Louisville Cardinals and their lofty expectations welcomed the Ohio Bobcats to town to kick things off for the 2013 season. Louisville fans were out in full force for what may have been the biggest Card March in school history. The atmosphere that day in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium had the feel of a big time program and the Cardinals would perform as such. On this day Ohio learned that big time football had arrived in Louisville. Right out of that gate Teddy was 9 for 9 on his first two drives for 122 yards, and hooked up with Damian Copeland for two 2 touchdowns. The onslaught would continue as Teddy would throw for four touchdowns in the first half. He would finish with five on the day. The key was his ability to connect on 3rd downs as he was 8 for 8 with 7 first downs and two touchdowns on third down. It was toss and catch all day long with Copeland, Parker, Clark, De La Cruz, and Christian against the Ohio D. Teddy said he felt “like a kid in a candy store” with all the weapons. Cards won 49-7.

-9/7/13 Louisville vs. EKU
The atmosphere in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium was awesome as just over 53,000 fans showed up for the 12:00pm kickoff. It was the 5th largest crowd ever to watch a game. Pretty impressive numbers considering that it was against a FCS opponent. The now ranked 7th ranked Cardinals made took care of business against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels 44-7. They built a huge 37-0 lead behind the play quarterback Teddy Bridgewater who was 23-32 for 397 yards and 4 TD’s. Bridgewater hooked up with DeVante Parker 5 times for 134 yards and 2 TDs and was led in rushing by Senorise Perry who had an average day with only 36 yards, but blocked well and reached the end zone himself. On Defense, the Cardinals dominated up front from the beginning and would have pitched the shutout if not for letting their reserves get some playing time late in the game. The Cardinals finished with 475 yards of offense to Eastern Kentucky’s 206.

-9/14/13 Louisville vs. Kentucky
Heading into the game against Kentucky Louisville fans had high hopes for how the Cardinals would perform in the Governor’s Cup. And although it was a hard fought victory some came away feeling like this team had some work to do. Louisville entered this contest after moving to 2-0 with a convincing win over in-state EKU. The Cardinals high offense racked up 492 yards and was once again led by the play of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater who threw for 250 yards and a TD. It was his lowest statistical outing of the early season. Senorise Perry added 9 yards a carry on his way to 100 yards and two TD’s and DeVante Parker managed a TD despite a low yardage day. It was the strong play of the Louisville defense that shined brightest on this day holding Kentucky to a season low in points and just 376 yards of total offense. The Louisville defense now ranked 4th in the nation in points allowed at 9.0 per game. The Cards keep the Governor’s Cup for the third consecutive year and this game now moves to Thanksgiving Day weekend.

-9/21/13 Louisville vs. FIU
Fresh off another impressive win, the undefeated, 7th ranked Louisville Cardinals played host to the 0-3 Florida International Panthers. This game had over by halftime written all over it, and it played out like that as the Cards demolished Florida International 72-0. It was so bad that the FIU coaching staff asked for the running clock rule, but did deny it later. Bridgewater led the way throwing for 212 yards and 4 TD’s with no picks. He connected with DeVante Parker twice in the first half as the Cardinals built a 38-0 lead at the break. The Louisville defense was dominant as well, locking down FIU to an eye popping 30 total yards. FIU was pretty much three and out all game long and were only able to muster 3 yards on the ground. The Cardinals defense now ranks 1st in the country at 6.8 points per game for opponents. Bridgewater and the high octane offense ranks 8th with a 48 ppg average.

-10/5/13 Louisville vs. Temple
The 4-0 and 7th ranked Louisville Cardinals headed to Philadelphia for their first AAC match-up and took care of business in easy fashion with a 30-7 win. The Cardinals went to work early as Teddy Bridgewater threw to Gerald Christian for a TD. The Louisville defense took over from there as the unit forced a first half turnover and routinely gave the offense solid field position on their way to a 24-0 lead at the half. The Owls finished with just 255 total yards of offense and most gained during the garbage time when the game was out of reach. Bridgewater continued his strong play with 348 yards and 2 TDs on the day with no picks. With the Owls focusing their attention on DeVante Parker, Eli Rogers led the Cardinals in receiving with 77 yards and a TD on 5 catches. The Cardinals added 177 yards on the ground by committee with Dominique Brown’s 76 yards leading the way. With the win, the Cardinals now boast a nation’s best scoring defense 6.8 ppg and the 12th ranked scoring offense at 44.4 ppg.

-10/10/13 Louisville vs. Rutgers
This series came to an end on this night and the Cards went out on top winning their 4th straight over the Knights 24-10. The Cardinals were a little sluggish initially before Teddy Bridgewater connected with De La Cruz for a 34 yard TD and Senorise Perry punched one in to give Louisville a commanding 17-7 halftime lead. That is the entire cushion the top ranked Louisville scoring defense would need. Routine pressure and strong coverage by the Cardinals DB’s resulted in 4 Gary Nova interceptions and plenty of good field position for Teddy Bridgewater and company. Teddy finished the game with 310 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception and Senorise Perry had a game high 104 yards on the ground with a touchdown as well. The end of this series for the foreseeable future was kind of bittersweet as there were many great moments.

-10/18/13 Louisville vs. UCF
What was supposed to be and had been up until this game a dream season for the Louisville football program became a Knightmare on Floyd Street as the Cardinals would lose to Central Florida 38-35. Louisville was favored in this contest and looked as though they were going to run away with the game as they built a 28-7 lead early before UCF turned on the gas for a late rally. Louisville gave up 21 points in the final 4:50 of the 3rd quarter as the Knights took advantage of turnovers and rode Storm Johnson to tie the score. A Dominique Brown run made it 35-31 Louisville before the knights marched down the field and scored on a 2 yard pass to win it with :23 remaining. Teddy Bridgewater threw for 241 yards and 2 touchdowns with no picks but the Cardinals were undone by two costly fumbles. Eli Rogers led all receivers with 10 catches and 95 yards and a touchdown. With this loss, Louisville remained in the hunt for the conference title but now would be avid fans of UCF’s opponents week in and week out moving forward.

-10/26/13 Louisville vs. USF
The now 6-1 Cardinals still feeling the effects from a disappointing loss looked to rebound as they traveled to South Beach for this one. They would do so in a big way beating the Bulls 34-3. Louisville broke this one open early and never looked back as Teddy Bridgewater connected with Damian Copeland and Gerald Christian before the half on long touchdowns. Bridgewater finished the night with 344 yards, 3 td’s and no picks. Dominique Brown led all rushers with 126 yards on the ground and the Cardinals offense racked up 483 total yards while smothering South Florida to just 133 total yards for the contest. It was during this game that the Louisville offense started to look slightly different than it had in the early part of the season. It would become more of a methodical approach instead of a wide open one.

-11/8/13 Louisville vs. UCONN
The Cardinals now ranked 19th in the country would travel to face a winless Continue reading →

– Ah, Keg of Nails week. I love the smell of nails and kegs in the air.

-Louisville at Cincinnati, Dec. 5, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN) – Forget being the biggest game on our schedule this season, this could end up being one of the biggest college football games period. Conference, and Bowl implications, and one last battle for The “Keg of Nails” will highlight this great Thursday night battle. U of L and UC have a football rivalry that has stretched over the span of 4 conferences from the Missouri Valley Conference, to Conference USA, the Big East and now the American. It is believed to be the oldest rivalry for the Louisville football team and the second oldest for UC. This game will be a fitting tribute to this great rivalry. There will be a lot of memories left on that field in Nippert Stadium and if its the last time we face our old foes from the north I hope it’s a win that I’ll have to remember.

On Thursday night we shall witness a battle for the coolest trophy in all of college sports: the KEG OF NAILS. The origins of this super masculine emblem of greatness are shrouded in legend, but some date the tradition all the way back to 1929. However, some say it originated in 1922. Due to a scheduling conflict, UC was supposed to play both Louisville and West Virginia on the same day. They decided the West Virginia game was more important and sent a JV squad to play the Cardinals. Louisville won, thus claiming the “first” victory however, UC does not recognize this game because its varsity team did not play.

The origin of the Keg of Nails moniker is somewhat murky but rumor has it fraternity members from the University of Cincinnati and the University of Louisville decades ago originated this funky name. As legend has it the keg, or barrel, of nails was used as an item of pride between the fraternities from opposing campuses to signify that the holder of the coveted award was as “tough as nails.” Essentially, the so-called keg of nails was a physical representation of the toughness embodied in the simile, “Our football team is as tough as nails.”

My favorite moment in this rivalry was on November 27, 2004. UC came in at 6-4, 5-2 in C-USA, Louisville at 8-1, 6-0. Before the game, the Bearcats decided it would be a great idea to jump on the Cardinal bird logo at midfield. What a mistake that turned out to be for the Bearcats. Louisville commenced the blowout immediately and would score on the first play of the game as Eric Shelton run up the middle for 80 yards. The Cards piled up 357 rushing yards and 491 total yards in the complete romp winning the game 70-7.

This year’s chapter in the battle for the keg would have been a special one if both teams could have been undefeated and it was a popular belief that they were going to be. Regardless of those early losses this still could turn out to be the ultimate keg party as these teams are both hungry to finish the regular season strong and both teams are now ranked with UC making their appearance in the coaches poll this week at #23. Louisville has won four straight and UC comes into this game on a six game winning streak. UC does hold the lead in this series 30 to 22, but the Cards currently have the Keg in the trophy case after a thriller overtime 34-31 victory last year at Papa Johns.

-Cincinnati Bearcats
2013 OVERALL FBS RANKINGS -PASSING YARDS 314.7 15th Overall, -RUSHING YARDS 172.5 62nd Overall, -POINTS FOR 34.2 35th Overall, -POINTS AGAINST 18.5 10th Overall
-Louisville Cardinals
2013 OVERALL FBS RANKINGS, -PASSING YARDS 307.3 17th Overall, -RUSHING YARDS 147.7 84th Overall, -POINTS FOR 35.5 29th Overall, -POINTS AGAINST 11.4 3rd Overall

These teams have very similar offensive production with a slight edge going to the Bearcats in total offense ranked 18th overall. While our Cardinals have struggle down the stretch to form an identity on the offensive side of the ball the Bearcats have been rolling and all of their pieces seem to be coming together at the right time. Once they established a one quarterback system with Brendon Kay they haven’t lost a game. He has thrown for 2,817 yards this season with 22 touchdowns. He is known for his excellent arm but also has good mobility to move around in the pocket and find the open receiver. Kay ranks 3rd in the country in completion percentage 70% right behind Teddy who ranks second at 71%.
They have several big time receivers and each of them has settled into their roles very nicely in this UC offense. The guys leading the way for this group are Anthony McClung who has 811 yards with 5 touchdowns, and Shaq Washington who has 736 with 1 touchdown. But emerging as a deep threat for this Bearcat’s passing attack is Mekale McKay. He is a long athletic player that loves to run past defensive backs for the long touchdowns. He has 405 yards with 7 touchdowns, his longest TD reception a 66 yard grab. Mckay takes the pressure off of the inside receivers and teams have to put safety’s over the top of him making them go one on one with guys like Chris Moore who has the most receiving touchdowns on the team with 9 and Max Morrison who has 3 touchdowns. It really is a very… very effective passing game.
The Bearcats have been running back by committee this season and that part of their offense hasn’t been as productive but they do use their parts well. Their leading rushers are Hosey Williams who has 575 yards with 4 touchdowns, and Ralph Abernathy who has 433 yards with 3 touchdowns. Abernathy is the fastest player on this team and he has the ability to go the distance every time he touches the ball. Their ace in the hole in the running attack is fullback Jordan Luallen. They will put this guy in to get those tough yards.
Protecting these skill players and making room for them to produce is one of the most talented offensive lines in the conference. Left Tackle Eric Lefeld and guard Austen Bujnoch are the anchors for this group that has only allowed 11 sacks this season and ranks 12th in the country in that category.
This will be by far the toughest test of the season for Louisville who ranks second in the country in total defense. The Cards also rank 1st in the country in pass sacks this season behind the play of the nations sack leader Marcus Smith and 14th ranked Lorenzo Mauldin. It will be critical that they get to Kay on Thursday night. Our DB’s will also have their work cut out for them with this UC teams ability to hit the deep pass. Folks this is going to be some match up.

When these teams take the field Thursday the game will feature the Cards #2 in total defense, and the Bearcats who are #8 in total defense. Yup they have a pretty solid group on the other side of the ball as well. Leading this group that has only allowed 25 points or less in the last 9 games is Senior linebacker Greg Blair. Blair who is the vocal leader on defense is a tackling machine and one of the best players on the team. He has 77 tackles on the season. The other guy holding it down on this Bearcats defense has one of the coolest names in college sports defensive lineman Silverberry Mouhon. He is 23rd in the country in sacks. He has 8 on the season. This group for UC is very solid. They are a quick, versatile and athletic bunch who like to fly around all over the field.
This will be one of the toughest defenses that our Cards have faced this season. And the Louisville offense is coming into this game with a few question marks. They have got the job done but have struggled to find any type of consistency. Hopefully Watson and Strong open up the passing game in this one and let Teddy and company do their thing. I think this group has some tricks left up their sleeve and are due for a big game. This could turn out to be a shoot out in the Queen City.

Don’t be surprised to see a few trick plays in this game by Cincinnati especially if it turns out to be a yardage battle. UC head coach Tommy Tuberville was a special teams coach under Jimmy Johnson at Miami and they ran trick plays a lot. Used to change or gain momentum and Tuberville has and will use them. This could be something that determines how this battle plays out on Thursday.

I can’t wait for this game folks. Probably as excited as I’ve been all season. I love the rivalry with Cincinnati and it is a game that features two of my favorite things a Keg and Football. I really hope this isn’t the last time we get to enjoy it and fully expect this one to be an instant classic. Expect both teams to play their best game of the season. Emotions will be at a all-time high and both schools want the Keg in the trophy case when this one is done. It is going to be a close one and I don’t even want to make a prediction. I’ll be there to capture all of the moments. If you can you should get to one of the ticket websites and make the trip up north for this one. Our Cards will need all the support they can get. Happy Keg of Nails week folks. Enjoy it because it might be the last. GO CARDS!!!

It seems like it was just yesterday that I was writing about the anticipation of the upcoming football season and now here I am writing about the last game of the season in Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium. The Cards will close out the 2013 home stand at 12pm on Saturday afternoon against the Memphis Tigers. The final game of the season on the home turf hasn’t been kind to the Cards and they’ve lost 5 of them in a row. They will be looking to end that streak on Saturday and to keep their BCS hopes alive. The Cards and Tigers are meeting for the first time since Oct. 9, 2010, and perhaps the final time as a conference opponent. The Cardinals hold a 23-19 lead in the series and have won 15 of the past 18 matchups, including three in a row. Memphis has lost its last 13 games played against ranked opponents.

Coach Strong previews Memphis and Senior Day:

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In total offense, the Tigers average 330 yards per game and are 112th nationally of 125 Football Bowl Subdivision programs. Leading this offense is freshman quarterback Paxton Lynch who has started at the position all season long. Lynch has 1,581 yards and six touchdowns on the season for the 106th-ranked passing offense while his eight interceptions have been a problem. The run game has been the best option for the Memphis offense this season, ranking 79th in the nation behind Brandon Hayes‘ 703 yards and five touchdowns on the year. Lynch’s main targets this season through the air have been Joe Craig and Mose Frazier. Craig has 293 yards on the season with no touchdowns and Frazier has 275 yards with one touchdown.
The struggling Memphis offense will have to face a Louisville defense that has been getting better every week and it’s one of the best units in the nation. The Cards rank second in both points per game allowed as well as yards allowed per game. Preston Brown, Marcus Smith, Roy Philon should have big senior day performances in this one and the Cards defense should dominate.

Last season, Memphis had one of the top defenses in Conference USA, but the move to a stronger offensive league has been a challenge for them this season. All of their defensive line returned, but the unit does lack athleticism, versatility and speed. This group is anchored by linebackers Charles Harris (48 tackles) and Anthony Brown (41 tackles). Lonnie Ballentine is the leader of their DB unit and has 39 tackles this season. The Tigers rank 21st in points allowed as well as 15th in yards allowed per game.
This could be a defensive game especially with the conservative offense our Cards have put on the field lately. Hopefully in their final home game as Louisville Cardinals Teddy Bridgewater, Damian Copeland and Senorise Perry can put together a big day for the Cardinal offense and provide a spark in doing so.

This will be a sentimental day for this Louisville football team and the fans. It’s always a bit sad when the home football games come to an end but throw in saying good bye to 20 players that have meant so much and that adds to it. The players taking the home field for the final time Saturday are: Mike Addesa, Anthony Branch, Preston Brown, B.J. Butler, Damian Copeland, Jarrett Davis, Brandon Dunn, George Durant, Ryan Hubbell, Kamran Joyer, Champ Lee, Roy Philon, Senorise Perry, Stephan Robinson, Deon Rogers, Titus Teague, Hakeem Smith, Marcus Smith, Chris Walker, and Alex Witcpalek. It’s not official that Teddy Bridgewater won’t return for his Senior season and he won’t be included in the ceremonies but it’s a safe bet that he will also be on the sidelines at Papa Johns for the last time. Louisville’s 4th Year Seniors will come into Senior Day with a 69% winning percentage, Four Straight Bowl Games, and a Sugar Bowl Win. These guys have changed the face of the Louisville football program forever. Get to the game early Saturday and make it the best Card March as well as the best crowd ever. These guys deserve it.

The emotions of this day will carry over to the game play and our Cardinals will dominate this Memphis team up and down the field. The defense will look great and the offense will be wide open. Cards win big on Senior Day. #L1C4

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 48 Memphis 10

Our Louisville football team returns home this weekend after two games on the road. They will do battle with the Houston Cougars at 7pm in a Saturday night game at Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium. This will be the first Saturday night game in five years. The Cardinals and the Cougars have played each other on the gridiron 14 times and the series is tied at 7-7. Each team has won four times at home. The Cardinals have won five of the last six and two in a row. The last time these teams played was in 2004 and the Cards won that game 65-27. Louisville and Houston are tied for second place in the AAC.

Coach Strong Houston press conference:

The Cougars and their potent offensive attack has been business as usual this season. Of the 64 scoring drives by the Cougars, 30 were completed in less than two minutes. To say these guys can get the ball down the field is an understatement. This is an offensive unit that returns all but one starter, with a top 20 passing offense, scoring 38 points a game and has a very capable running game. The leader of this group freshman quarterback John O’Korn has quietly led the Cougars to a 7-2 record behind his over 2,300 yards and 23 touchdowns to six interceptions. He is a quarterback that has been highly effective this season and has been backed by a ground game that is averaging over 159 yards a game. Leading the charge in the ground attack is Ryan Jackson who has ran for 543 yards and one touchdown. O’Korn’s main targets in the passing attack are Daniel Spencer and Deontay Greenberry. Spencer has 575 yards with 5 touchdowns and Greenberry has an impressive 1042 yards with 9 touchdowns.
The Cardinals have the 2nd ranked defense over all and the #1 scoring defense allowing just 10.6 points per game.. They are great at creating turnovers and are second in the NCAA with a plus 14 margin and they have been good at defending the run allowing just 78.3 rushing yards per game. Smith, Mauldin, Gaines and company will have their work cut out for them this weekend with this Houston team.

Houston plays sound opportunistic defense. They are a unit that is slightly undersized but what they lack in size they make up for in speed and agility. These guys fly around all over the field and they will hit you and are a great tackling team. A fairly young group the Cougars return just four starters on D and most all of them are in the secondary. Zach McMillan (41 tackles and 5 deflections) anchors the secondary and freshman all-american safety Trevon Stewart (71 tackles and 4 interceptions) who came on strong getting the starting nod in the final 10 games of last season. The Cougars rank No. 1 in the nation with a plus-21 margin in the turnover category. Houston does an excellent job of forcing turnovers and coaxing quarterbacks into mistakes through the air.
Teddy and company like this Houston group have a very effective offense themselves and they are averaging 38 points a game. The key for the Cards offense Saturday night will be not to become one-dimensional. When Louisville lost to UCF they managed just 104 yards on the ground. Bridgewater still threw for over 340 yards and two touchdowns, but it simply was not enough. To win the battle against this Houston defense we need Senorise and Dominique to have big games.

Houston Coach Tony Levine Weekly Press Conference: Louisville 11/12/13:

The sixth man will be very important on Saturday night. And there’s no excuse for Papa Johns not to be rocking. An all day tailgate should give Cardinal Nation enough time to get fired up for this one. The Cougars have a very good team and this will be one of the toughest games of the year. They are coming off a gutsy effort against UCF and the Cards are coming off a less inspired win over UCONN. Both of these team still have hopes that they can reach a BCS game and those will be on the line Saturday. This will be a great November football game and I think the Cards will win but it is going to come down to a play or two.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 31 Houston 24