– Jersday Night showdown for the Big East Crown and BCS birth

Cards were out “Huskied” on Saturday but still remain in the hunt for the Big East championship and a trip to a BCS bowl game. Cards come in this game after a triple overtime loss to Uconn 23-20. They will face Rutgers who also had a let down on Saturday falling to Pitt 27-6.

Coach Charlie Strong: “We have a large task ahead of us,” “After dropping the last two games, we have to regain our focus and regain our confidence. The thing we have to realize is we’ve won nine games, and dropped the last two, but this team is still a really good football team. Now, we have to go on the road. We have to go on the road to win a championship. What’s at stake for us and what we really have to understand is we have a chance to win a conference championship. We have a chance to go play in a BCS bowl game. We also have a chance for a 10-win season.”
(Courtesy UofLsports.com)

If the Cards are to go to New Jersey and pull off the upset on Thursday night they will have to come out and have a better effort than they did on Saturday. They were not able to get anything going their way as the UConn Defense held them in check for most of the way. Teddy QB was 30-53 for 331 yards and 2 TD’s with one interception. DeVante Parker was the lone bright spot hauling in 8 passes for 91 yards and 2 TD’s. The Cards running game was completely held in check as Teddy QB was sacked numerous times resulting in -29 yards and Jeremy Wright was held to just 43 yards.
Rutgers also came out flat on Saturday in their battle with Pittsburgh. Much like UConn did with Louisville Pitt was able to control the line of scrimmage the whole day. Rutgers could only manage 207 total yards. Gary Nova was picked off once and managed a 3rd quarter touchdown. Savon Huggins and Jawan Jamison combined for just 32 yards. By laying an egg Rutgers failed to claim the Big East Title and now will face our Cards for all the marbles in a Thursday night showdown.

Coach Kyle Flood: “I think when you have the opportunity as a football program, as a coach, as a player, to do something that’s never been done in the history of your program … we are a very focused group.”

Our Cards will be limping into this Big East showdown on Thursday night. Teddy QB broke his wrist on Saturday and will be in a cast. He will only be able to take snaps in the shotgun formation while Senior QB Will Stein will take direct snaps on the plays under center. I think the biggest loss for this Cardinals football team was when Senorise Perry got hurt. I think he was more important to this team than most thought. He was critical in our rushing attack and his hard nosed play allowed things to open up for Teddy QB and the receiving core to do their thing. And I do think Wright and Lamb are very capable of giving us valuable time but you just don’t replace a player like Perry. I do think our defensive unit will hold their own and will have another solid outing.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 10 Rutgers 17

– The quest for a perfect season has ended but the journey to the Big East title is still ahead

Our 9-1 Cards return to the gridiron on Saturday after a loss 2 weeks ago that put an end to their hopes for a perfect season. They will face a 4-6 UConn team that is feeling better about themselves after ending a 4 game losing streak with a 24-17 win over Pitt.

Coach Strong: “We won 9 games before that loss a Syracuse. We can’t let that game beat us twice. Our focus is on winning this week against UConn.”

The Cards have had a week to regroup after the tough loss to Syracuse. They fell behind 31-10 and never recovered. Despite the lopsided loss, Teddy QB was once again solid. He threw for 424 yards and 3 touchdowns but unfortunately the Cardinals inability to stop the Orange on D was too much to overcome. Louisville gained under 50 yards on the ground and turned the ball over twice in the defeat. And even though the Cards lost their top 10 ranking, chance at a perfect season and lofty BCS standing they are still very much in the picture to win the Big East crown and go to a BCS bowl game. If they can get past UConn, they will likely face Rutgers in a season finale, winner take title showdown. UConn was able to get their mojo back after a four game losing streak. They jumped on Pitt early and never looked back. Chandler Whitmer connected with receiver Ryan Griffin for a 2 yard TD and then return man Nick Williams took a kick 80 yards to the house and UConn built a 24-0 halftime lead. Lyle McCombs had a big day for the Huskies, rushed for 120 yards and a TD on the day, and was a key reason the Huskies dominated ball control all day.

They keys to making this UConn team go are Chandler Whitmer and Lyle McCombs. Chandler is a QB that makes good decisions and is accurate with the ball. He is a former Illinois recruit who redshirted with the Illini one year, spent last season at Butler (Kansas) Community College. He directed BCC to the No. 2 ranking in the nation while throwing for 3,022 yard and 25 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. One of the staples of the UConn offense is to have a workhorse running back. McCombs has taken over that role for this Huskies squad. He earned freshman All-American honors last year. His 95.92 yards per game ranked second in the conference and 29th in the country. Nick Williams is also a guy who is a game changer. He is explosive in the return game for UConn. If he catches the ball he is always capable of making a huge play and against a Louisville team that is vulnerable in the coverage game it could happen.

Coach Paul Pasqualoni: “We have these next two games ahead of us. We’re looking forward to winning this game and coming home for Cincinnati and winning that game as well to become bowl eligible.”

Some stats very favorable for Louisville:

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 45 UConn 17

– The Quest for perfection rolls on

Our Louisville Cardinals are 9-0 (4-0 Big East) and Cardinal Nation is “On the Train.” This weekend the train rolls into the Carrier Dome and the Cards quest for a perfect season continues as they face the Syracuse Orange 4-5 (3-2 Big East). The Orange are on a quest of their own as their backs are against the wall. With just three games left they need to win two for bowl eligibility.

Coach Strong: “Every game carries a lot of weight. This is a big road game. It’s a team that needs wins to be bowl eligible.”

Cuse comes into this game after suffering a 35-24 loss to conference rival Cincinnati last weekend. Syracuse fell apart late in the 3rd quarter and could not get anything going offensively down the stretch. Syracuse got 116 yards and a TD from running back Jerome Smith and Ryan Nassib threw for 286 yards and a TD. The Orange defense was really exposed as they gave up 165 yards and 3 TD’s to Cincy running back George Winn and despite holding quarterback Munchie Legaux in check, could not prevent the Bearcats from finding the end zone 5 times. Our Cards roll into this game after the most convincing win of the season with a 45-17 win over Temple. Our Cards dominated the game in all facets as they racked up 508 total yards and pitched a scoreless second half effort on defense. Teddy QB was 19-28 for 324 yards, 5 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in a flawless performance. Jeremy Wright carried the ball 10 times for 100 yards and a TD, Wide receiver Andrell Smith had 2 TD’s, and Devante Parker also had a TD.

Coach Doug Marrone on UofL: “It’s the best team we will have played so far.”

Coach Doug Marrone on Teddy QB: “Even with the tough out-of-conference schedule, I would say Teddy Bridgewater is the best quarterback that we will face so far this season.”

Coach Doug Marrone on his QB: “We need him to stay within himself and not try to force things.”

Syracuse has not been a dominating home team in years, Senior Ryan Nassib has always put up good numbers, but been inconsistent in clutch situations, the team has no star running back, most of the top receivers are gone, and the lines are suspect. But they have played well of late and have the players capable of pulling off this upset. The Syracuse offense has been predictable in recent years, and to hang with our Cards they will need to open it up a bit. Not only will they have to establish their running game they will also need a solid effort in their passing attack. Their defense will also need a herculean effort and apply a lot of pressure on our offense. I feel very confident about our Cards chances in this one but looming in the back of my mind is that WVU game last year. Syracuse stunned then-No. 14 West Virginia in a Big East Friday night showdown 49-23 on ESPN last October. The Mountaineers entered the game averaging 40.8 points and 500-plus total yards. The Orange hadn’t scored that many points in the series since 1960, but thrilled its largest home crowd in three years (45,265) with the lopsided conference win.

Coach Strong: “This is a big game for us at Syracuse. I think back to last year when WVU was ranked and went into Syracuse and lost. We have to be ready.”

Coach Strong on Cuse offense: “On offense, they’re balanced and they have an outstanding QB. They want to establish the run but they can pass it.”

Coach Strong on Cuse defense: They like to bring a lot of pressure. It will be a good test for us.”

Some trends to consider – Louisville is 14-4 against the spread in their last 18 road games and Syracuse is 3-10-1 against the spread in their last 14 games overall.

The bottom line is that this is going to be an emotional day for the Orange. This could be a pivotal game for their season and their head coach Doug Marrone. They have all types of gimmicks going on in the Carrier Dome on Saturday including the senior day ceremonies. But our Cards have took on every challenge this season. They have shown great resilience and I think Teddy QB will have another career performance in the dome setting. The train will keep rolling and our Cards will get the victory and move to 10-0.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 45 Syracuse 21

– The Owls are coming to town Saturday and it could be a hoot for Cards Fans

The Temple Owls come to town this weekend and it could be a real “HOOT” for our Louisville Cardinals. They have a shot to go to 4-0 in the Big East and 9-0 on the season for the first time in school history. In 94 seasons of football our Cards have never reached this mark. Our Cards are currently ranked 10th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches and 12th in the Associated Press Poll. And they took a huge leap to rank 10th in the BCS standings.

Coach Strong: “We have played well in spurts and, if you watch us offensively, we have been able to take the ball, in most games that we have played, and go score with the opening drive. And defensively, we end up giving up a score. You would like to see us put together a complete game – offense, defense, and then the kicking game.”

Temple enters their second consecutive big east road game after getting manhandled at Pittsburgh this past weekend 47-17. The Owls big running back Montel Harris did gain 72 yards and a TD for the Owls, but he was the only guy with any significant production on the day. The Owls usually mobile Quarter back was eaten up by the Pitt lineman as he only had 22 yards in rushing. He also had a nonproductive day passing the ball as he only threw for 143 yards and one TD. They did have huge success in one area that should be a concern to Louisville fans. Running back Matt Brown tallied 120 yards on 3 kickoff returns. Our Cards had issues last weekend stopping UC on punt and kickoff returns. They will need to improve their susceptibility to the big return this weekend. Our Cards come into the game on Saturday after a thrilling overtime victory against UC. The Cardinals and Bearcats exchanged big play for big play and multiple TD’s in one of the most exciting “Battle of the Keg” games I’ve ever seen. Teddy QB continued his remarkable sophomore campaign throwing for 416 yards and two touchdowns both in impressive fashion in the 4th quarter to Devante Parker. The 64 yard touchdown was followed up by an amazing 64 yards catch where Parker bobbled the pass and tight-roped the back of the end zone as he regained possession for the score. Parker finished with 4 catches for 120 yards.

The Owls have been competitive in most all of their Big East games something that has come as a surprise to many who thought it would take a year or two to adjust. Temple was a Big East member in football only from 1991 to 2004 but was forced out because the program was one of the worst in major college football. The Owls failed to meet minimum requirements for membership, most notably in attendance, facilities and fielding a competitive team. Eight years later, Temple is a competitive program, and the Big East, in need of football-playing members after the departure of several schools, invited the Owls back into the fold.

Coach Steve Addazio:“There are so many positive things going on with this athletics program, this football team, this university and the city of Philadelphia as a whole,””Temple is a great place to be right now.”

Coach Steve Addazio: “Our staff will be one of the best, if not the best coaching staff in the Big East Conference,” “I’m thrilled to go into battle with them.”

Only nine starters are back from last year’s nine-win team. But Temple’s most important returnee could be head coach Steve Addazio 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. Addazio replaced Al Golden at Temple in December 2010. He was the former Florida offensive coordinator and at one time was on the same coaching staff with Coach Strong.

Temple is taking a step up in weight class from the MAC to the Big East, and they are trying to prove that they won’t be the league’s punching bag. To have a shot against our Cards the Temple D will need to wake up quickly. After yielding 530 yards to an average Pitt offense, the Owls will now face a much more productive squad in our Cards who can both air it out and get yards on the ground in chunks. They will also need a big day from their stud running backs Montel Harris and Matt Brown. QB Chris Coyer will also need to do his part on the ground and through the air. It is important to note that our Cards have been soft against the run the past few weeks, and Temple is a run first offense.

Coach Steve Addazio: “Chris has really grown into a leader on our football team,”” His ability to move the sticks with his arm and his legs is invaluable and make him perfectly suited to run our one-back attack, as well as some two-back sets.”

Addazio on Senior Matt Brown: “Matt Brown is a very good running back,” “He’s one of the leaders on our football team and I think he’ll be one of the best backs in the Big East.”

As we all know Hurricane Sandy caused major problems on the East coast and did cause some problems this week with Temple’s game preparation. There was a lot of uncertainty surrounding Temple’s practice week since Hurricane Sandy forced the university to shut down on Monday and Tuesday. During Monday’s Big East coaches teleconference Addazio said “Preparation-wise, we are absolutely in a flat scramble right now,” “Trying to get our game plan together, our practice together.” “What we get done, we get done.”
(Courtesy Philly.com)
Who knows if this will have any effect on our game on Saturday but I did think it was important enough to mention in my pre-game write up.

Even though this game has all the makings of a classic trap game. I really have no concerns as our Cards have faced much adversity this season and seem to always battle out of it. Our Cards boast one of the conference’s best players in Teddy QB. Running back Senorise Perry and wideouts DeVante Parker and Damian Copeland are also among the league’s elite players at their positions. And free safety Calvin Pryor and middle linebacker Preston Brown are regarded as two of the league’s best defensive players. After boasting an 8-0 start I have no doubt that these guys will get the job done. I fully expect Temple to come in and have a great game and that it will be a battle. They all have been battles. But Our Cards will get the win and make history by going to 9-0 on the season.

The Beak Prediction
Louisville 52 Temple 21

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

On Friday 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 could have been a special one as both teams would have been undefeated. But Cincy had to ruin the ultimate keg party by losing 29-23 to Toledo this past weekend. Cincy QB Legaux had arguably his worst outing of the season completing 15-36 passes for 227 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The Bearcats rushing attack was solid the entire game as Legaux and running backs Ralph Abernathy and George Winn racked up 250 yards on the ground and one TD. Cincy’s defense also did a decent job as they limited a potent Toledo attack to 355 total yards. The Bearcats were done in by a defensive touchdown, a 91-yard kickoff return late in the game and 5 field goals from Toledo kicker Jeremiah Detmer. Louisville comes into this game having taken care of business against a South Florida team that gave them all they wanted. Beating them 27-25 to go to 7-0 on the season and 2-0 in the Big East. Teddy QB was a non-factor in the first half but displayed some serious heroics in the second half. After throwing a TD early in the third quarter, Bridgewater found his team behind 25-21 with 1:35 remaining when he hit wide out Eli Rogers with the game-winning touchdown. Bridgewater finished with 256 yards on an efficient 21-25 passing and two touchdowns. Senorise Perry and Jeremy Wright had solid performances. The Cards defense took a step back giving up nearly 200 yards on the ground to South Florida.

The Bearcats will have to put the Toledo loss behind them quickly as they prepare for Friday’s contest against our conference leading Cardinals. With still no losses in Big East play, the Bearcats have plenty goals left on the season. Cincy will try to put pressure on the Cardinals defense and will need to get pressure on Teddy Bridgewater in order to have a chance in this one. The UC defense has some potential, but like its offensive counterpart will need some younger players to step up. A lot of UC’s good fortunes rest on Legaux, who must become more accurate and reliable as a starting QB. Cincy is not considered a likely 10-win team, as it was in 2011, but coach Butch Jones is building a foundation for success that will serve UC for years to come. He has talent, and he is getting some leadership.

Coach Jones: “Everything is about building a foundation,” “Every year is a new challenge. It’s a different team. Each team has a different identity. But we have started the expectations and the formula for winning. A lot of players in the program understand the expectations.”

Our Cardinals boast two rushers ranked among the top seven in the Big East in Senorise Perry and Jeremy Wright. They will need to continue their season’s performance against Cincy. But perhaps the biggest key to getting that glorious Keg of Nails back in the Cardinal trophy case lies with Teddy QB’s ability to put the pressure on a Cincy defense that ranks third from the bottom in the Big East in passing yards allowed per game (229.8). Our defense will also have to meet the challenge of stopping a Cincy offense that is improving every game.

Coach Strong: “We’re going to have to play pretty good defense, because I know their quarterback is a runner and a thrower.”

I look for a close contest for most of the game then Teddy QB and company will take things over late as Louisville rides the momentum of a very loud Papa Johns Friday night crowd. Cards will move to 8-0 on the season and hoist the Keg of Nails high.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 33 Cincinnati 24

– The Beak Preview: Louisville vs. South Florida

After 35 days on the road, our Cards return for Homecoming weekend to face the South Florida Bulls. Our Cards have been on a roll and have a chance to start 7-0 for only the third time in school history. South Florida is on another path. They have been one of the most disappointing teams in College football. After returning pretty much their entire team, including key players from injury last season, the Bulls have stumbled to a 2-4 record and a 0-2 start in the Big East.

Charlie Strong: “It’s good to always come back home to our place,” “I tell our players, now that we’re home; we have to defend our home stadium.”

If you look back to Big East Media days most had this game marked on their schedules as a must watch. They were picked 1 and 2 in the preseason Big East Polls. But it sure doesn’t look like that marquee match up now. Louisville comes into this game 6-0 on the season, ranked 16th in the AP Poll, and 14 in the USA Today Poll. The Cardinals were once again impressive this past Saturday, securing a 10-point victory on the road vs. Pittsburgh. Senorise Perry rushed for four touchdowns and Teddy QB threw for just over 300 yards and a TD and was his usual efficient self. Louisville had 460 yards of total offense and a turnover free performance. They did all of the things you have to get wins on the road. South Florida enters this game coming off a bye week. Before the bye week, South Florida fell at Temple for their fourth straight loss after a 2-0 start to the season. Quarterback BJ Daniels threw for 219 yards, a touchdown, and a pick but continues to get little help from any
other skill players.

South Florida is deep, fast, and mature. They have 45 guys on their roster that have earned at least one letter. But the big question mark for this team is finishing games and stopping the run. They will rely heavily on their QB BJ Daniels who is having a good season throwing for 1,504 yards and 10 TDs while ranking second on the team with 277 rushing yards and 4 scores. Our Cards have had issues this season with a scrambling quarterback so this could be interesting.

Skip Holtz on his QB: “He’s incredibly athletic and extremely talented. He’s got a lot of different skill sets as a quarterback. His biggest growth has been developing mentally, understanding the offense and playing within the system. He’s gotten past what to do and is getting into how to do it. That’s what you have to have to be a great player.”

Our Cards have a 6-5 record in October and have won three in a row in the 10th month under Coach Strong. The Cards have at least two rushing TD’s in each of the six games this season. Teddy QB has 19 throws that have gone for better than 20 yards in the last six games.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 31 South Florida 24

– The Beak Preview: Louisville vs. Pittsburgh

The Cards have had their bye week and now prepare to take to the road for an early morning game with nemesis Pitt at Heinz Field this Saturday. Since joining the Big East the Cardinals and Panthers have locked up seven times. With the first three contest going to the Cards and the last four going to the Panthers. Our Cards are off to their best start in six years and look to go 6-0 for only the 5th time in school history. But it won’t be an easy task against a team that has had their number lately.

Coach Strong: “We’ve had a week off and now we’re ready for the real season the conference season. It’s a one game season each week.” “It’s all about the conference race right now. We can’t afford to slip. The Pitt game is our 1st league game, so we must be ready to go.”

Strong on Pitt: “With a new coach , early in the season they were trying to find themselves. They were impressive in the win over Virginia Tech.”

Strong on staying unbeaten: “It’s challenging to stay unbeaten. The key for us is taking one game at a time and not look too far down the road.”

O-Lineman Jake Smith on Pitt: “They’re a good team. They’re tough and they’re smash mouth. We were a little flat against them last year, so we have to be ready.”

The University of Pittsburgh welcomed another new coaching staff this offseason after Todd Graham abruptly left the program, and this one has a very strong Wisconsin flavor with head coach Paul Chryst and his staff spending the last 7 seasons in Badger land. Chryst is trying to bring a smash-mouth, old-school running attack from the Big Ten to the Big East and instill a sense of blue-collar work ethic. QB Tino Sunseri has his top three wide receivers and his tight end back from last season, but he will also be breaking in a new pair of offensive tackles a season after Pitt quarterbacks were sacked 63 times.

Coach Chryst on challenge of coaching players that are once again having to prove themselves to a new staff: “I’m not a hard guy to gain respect from,” “None of us know what the limit is, and if you set that bar at a certain limit then you might be short-changing them. You appreciate and see them progress. Why are you going to set a bar here if it’s supposed to be higher? You just keep going. Are you the best you can be? You don’t know so you have to keep working.”

Pittsburgh comes into this game after a very close loss to Syracuse in the Carrier Dome last week. The Panthers were not able to capitalize on a few drives late in the second half that ultimately cost them the game 14-13. The loss puts Pitt at 0-2 in the Big East. The Cardinals enter this game coming off their bye week and a 21-17 win at Southern Mississippi the week before. Louisville struggled to put away the Golden Eagles in that game. Teddy Bridgewater was average for his second straight game throwing for a minimal 85 yards a touchdown and a pick. The Cards had a great night on the ground as Senorise Perry had 118 yards and two touchdowns. Jeremy Wright also had 84 yards.

The Pitt team thrives on turnovers and in their only two wins this season they were able to force 7 of them. In order for them to give our Cardinals a challenge, they will have to get turnovers and rally in front of their home fans with arguably their toughest test of the season coming to town. And in order for our Cards to keep rolling the 18th ranked defense will have to keep doing their job as they are yielding only 18 points per game to opponents. Teddy QB will also need to return to the guy we saw through the first three to four weeks of the season when his name was being included in early Heisman discussions.

Food for thought: Panthers are 6-0 against the spread in their previous six home games vs. an opponent with a winning road record. The Cardinals are 4-0 against the spread in their previous four games in October.

Pitt has had our number lately and they are a very tough team at home. But I look for the Cards defense to be very solid after having a bye week to prepare and also think Teddy QB returns to his early season form. Cardinals will win in a tough one and move to 6-0 on the season.

The Beak Prediction:
UofL 34 Pitt 21

– The Beak Preview: Louisville vs. Southern Miss

Last week we had the Golden Panthers and this week we stay on the road to face the Golden Eagles.

There are only 26 teams left in college football who have not lost a game. At least two teams will fall from this list after the weekend. One of those undefeated teams is our Louisville Cardinals. They will put that 4-0 record on the line as they travel to Hattiesburg this weekend to face an old foe Southern Miss. These two teams haven’t done battle since the Cardinals defeated the Golden Eagles 31-28 in the 2010 Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl. The Golden Eagles will be primed and ready for this game as they have already schedule it to be a black out and haven’t beaten the Cards since 1999.

Coach Strong:“We’re going on the road for the second-straight week,” “What’s going to be critical for us is that we maintain our focus, emotions and our confidence – play with confidence and compete.” – UofLsports.com

As mentioned above these teams are very old foes. The Cardinals and Golden Eagles were in Conference USA together from 1996-2005 and they first played each other back in 1949. The Golden Eagles hold an 18-10-1 advantage in the series and the Cards are just 3-11 all-time in Hattiesburg. Needless to say that we have seen our fair share of heartbreak in this battle. I just hope we don’t experience one this weekend.

Things are a lot different than they were back in those days as in this meeting the Cardinals come into the game ranked as the 17th best team in the nation, according to the USA Today poll and the 19th ranked team according to the AP poll. Louisville is 4-0 for the first time since 2006 after beating FIU last Saturday, 28-21. While their performance was underwhelming last weekend the young Cards continue to show quite a bit of character and have a very solid team on both sides of the ball. The 0-3 Golden Eagles are off to a rough and bumpy start this season. They have lost all three of their games by double digits including a big loss against Western Kentucky last Saturday 42-17. Unlike the Cards who had most of their main contributors return for this season the Golden Eagles lost a ton to graduation and are facing a re-build.

Coach Johnson:“I think Larry’s obviously left a challenge on some accomplishments, but we’ve got a good bunch of football players we have to work with. I think we had a good recruiting class. We feel good about it right now. We’ve got a little tougher schedule. It’s going to be a lot harder than the last several years.”

This one will be close early as the Golden Eagles will be primed on pure emotion but in the end over-all talent will win out in this battle. Our Cards are a class above anyone else who has romped Southern Miss this season. I look for the Cardinals to run away with this one and Teddy QB will have a huge bounce back game through the air.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 45 Southern Miss 10

– The Beak Preview: Louisville vs. Florida International University

This Saturday is where the rubber meets the road for our Louisville Cardinals. Literally. The Cards leave to comforts of Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium and take to the road for a month. The road has been very good to Coach Strong’s teams as the Cards are 7-4 and were 4-2 last season with a very impressive win on the road at West Virginia. It will be very important for them to continue that success during the next 4 weeks.

Coach Strong: “This next month is going to be a really good challenge for us,” “We are going to see just how strong of a football team we are.”

The Cards have been rolling as they take a 3-0 record down to Florida to face the FIU Golden Panthers Saturday. Ironically, the last time these two teams played FIU beat the Cards 24-17 to go to 3-0 on the season. The Cards will bring in an offense that has had its way over the past three weeks as Teddy Bridgewater is currently leading the nation completing his attempts at a nearly 90 percent rate while Senorise Perry and Jeremy Wright are ranked third and fourth respectively in the Big East in rushing yards, combining for 528 yards this season. FIU enters the game off a road loss and have a 1-2 record. They are lead by senior running back Darian Mallary who has scored a team-best five touchdowns this season, including back-to-back games with two rushing TD’s.

The FIU football program has enjoyed success during Mario Cristobal’s tenure as coach. When he arrived at FIU, he inherited a program that had never posted a winning season and didn’t have a weight room or meeting rooms. Now coming off back-to-back bowl appearances, the Golden Panthers boast solid facilities and will play this season in a newly expanded stadium that seats 28,000.

Coach Cristobal on his team: “I think we have a very well-rounded, motivated, explosive football team that really wants to get things started,” Cristobal said. “They’re a very humble team that knows that this conference is as crazy as it gets. It is anybody’s to win. And we want to make sure that we’re in it, and that we’re in it to win it.”

Even though this will be considered a road game, it will be a homecoming of sorts for some of the Cardinal squad as 34 of the 104-man roster are from the Sunshine State. . 21 of the 34 Floridians hail from the South Florida tri-county Region. Miami Northwestern will be a featured high school as both teams have a combined 12 players from that high school on their rosters. This will add a new dimension to the competition as some of these guys played with each other in high school.

Coach Strong: “It will be nice to have the extra fan support while away but this is a business trip.”

Louisville will have revenge on their minds Saturday as this two game series with FIU ends. No doubt in my mind that Teddy QB and company want to return the favor of that loss they suffered last year on national TV to the Panthers. They will also have that dismal second half performance last weekend fresh on their minds. I look for our Cards to have a big day and they will roll to their first 4-0 start since 2006.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 38 FIU 14

– THE BEAK PREVIEW: Louisville vs. North Carolina

Our Louisville Cardinal Football team is on a roll. They are 2-0, ranked 19th in the country with big wins over in-state rival Kentucky and FCS member Missouri State. But the question still remains whether or not this Louisville football team is as good as it has appeared in recent weeks. That question is likely to be answered on Saturday as ACC member North Carolina rolls into town. 

Coach Strong: “You look at it, it’s an ACC opponent coming in here that just has some tradition about them. It’s a big football team and they’re going to look good. It has to be a physical game for us.” “This is great test for our program,” “I think this weekend we will find exactly where we are as a football program.”

North Carolina is 1-1 after beating up on Elon in their opener and getting beat by Wake Forest last week. The Tarheels are lead by first year coach Larry Fedora who used to be the head man at Southern Mississippi. Fedora took over the job at UNC after they were hit with a one-year bowl ban and a reduction of 15 scholarships over the next three years for violations involving illegal agent activity, improper benefits and academic fraud. He was able to convince 19 seniors on the roster to stay, even though they were eligible to transfer and play right away under NCAA rules. 

Fedora on his team:  “All we’ve done is come in and try to implement a philosophy, basically, a whole new offense, a whole new defense and a whole new special teams unit,” “We’ve worked hard at doing that. We’re not anywhere close at this time. But I think our guys have an understanding of what we’re trying to get to.”

This is the seventh meeting with UNC in a series tied at three. Last season, the TarHeels defeated Louisville 14-7 in Chapel Hill. The TarHeel defense limited the Cardinals to 273 yards to win a defensive struggle. Louisville missed a pair of field goals in the first half. This is the 11th straight season UNC has faced a Big East opponent. Since 2002, Carolina has played 16 games against Big East teams and is 7-9 in those contests with three consecutive victories.

Strong and Fedora were the defensive and offensive coordinators at Florida from 2003-04. In 2010, with Fedora coaching Southern Mississippi and Strong in his first season at Louisville, the two met in the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl with the Cardinals rallying for a 31-28 win.

UNC will come into Papa Johns Saturday energized by their high-octane new coach with his aggressive new offensive and defensive schemes. And the Cardinals will be fired up bringing in the momentum of a 2-0 record and a 19th ranking in the AP poll. This should be a great game and a great battle.

The Beak Prediction:
UofL 24 UNC 17