I don’t think that I’ve ever been so excited for a game and the folks in the local media did a remarkable job of building up the hype. It was wall to wall coverage all week and Louisville social media was fully engaged. When ESPN College Gameday comes to town it is a happening and has become one of the great phenomenon’s in college sports especially College Football. The day was going to be incredible right…

It did get off to a good start… It was awesome taking in all the sights and sounds on and around 2800 South Floyd Street. My son really enjoyed listening to the DJ at one of our tailgate stops and even my wife started to have some fun after a great meal and beverages at the Cardinal Hall of Fame Cafe. Yes, I even had her on board now for what was going to be a great game. This was going to be the perfect night. My Cardinals were going to finally beat Clemson on the National stage and vault into the playoff picture. It was all happening…

As we approached the gates at Papa John’s Stadium I was thinking in my mind how the day couldn’t have been any better and I was happy that my wife was having fun. I couldn’t wait to get to our seats and watch this game. I just knew that the Cardinals were going to win and I envisioned how it was going to look as fans flooded the field afterwards.

We made it inside and you could feel the energy of the crowd. One last pit stop before we headed to our seats. My late father always told me to put my wallet in my front pocket when I was in a crowd and as I was walking out of the restroom I reached for my wallet to do just that. “Oh Shit! My wallet it’s gone”, I grabbed my sons hand and run back in the bathroom frantically looking to see if it had fell out there. It had not. My wallet was gone. Credit Cards, Social Security Card, Bank Cards, driver’s license and about 20 checks all gone.

Losing my wallet made me feel horrible but the anxiety of having to tell my wife about it was much worse. This was her night too… she had finally bought in and was ready to have a great time… as she came out of the women’s restroom she had a big smile on her face ready to do just that. What happened next threw an atomic bomb on the whole day. I told my wife about the wallet, and we spent the first 30 minutes of the game in the breezeway calling credit card companies, and banks… it was horrible.

There was 9 minutes left in the first quarter and I hadn’t seen live football yet. Then it happened. It was like a call to arms when the train horn finally sounded and the score was 7-7. We agreed to fight on and try to salvage something of the night if not for ourselves at least for our son. And hey our Cardinals were in this thing…

The Cardinals defense was battling and would hold Clemson to just 3 field goals on their next six possessions… The score was 19-7 as the second half started. My family and I were rejuvenated and came out of our seats when safety London Iakopo sacked Clemson QB Kelly Bryant for a 9-yard loss to force a punt on their first possession to start the second half. I just knew that would be the spark the Louisville offense needed to get it going. My Cardinals were going to win this game and were going to save my night.

High fives and smiles everywhere in our section. Let’s get Lamar Jackson the ball and let him work his magic. My phone started buzzing in my pocket. I was getting some type of notification I looked down and it was my credit card apps informing me that someone was attempting to use my cards. Target 250.00, Wal-Mart 300.00, Hertz rental 500.00… “ugh not this shit, not right now”… then just as soon as I looked back up towards the field Clemson LB Dorian O’Daniel snatched the Lamar Jackson pass from the air like those thieves did my wallet.

Things started to unravel from that moment on and the thunder that this team had all week was gone, what air was left in the Louisville defense was finally gone, the excitement in Papa John’s Stadium gone and any hope I had of salvaging this day was gone.

As far as my assessment of the game: The defense has been beat up by everyone over the last couple of days but they didn’t quit. Guys like Iakopo and Jon Greenard were out there flying around and making big plays. I really like Greenard. We need more guys on this defense like him. He communicates, is active and knows where the play is going every time. And we’ve got to get our All-American Jaire Alexander back. I’m still confident that Coach Sirmon can get these guys playing at a high level, but we also need the personnel. Recruiting will help that down the road. But for this season to be a success we’ve got to have some guys step up. Guys like Drew Bailey who had nine tackles to end last season against LSU but has yet to show up this season.

I don’t think the Louisville offense showed up at all… They were outclassed and outplayed by the Clemson defense. I know that there are several future NFL players on the Clemson defensive unit but that should have made our guys step it up even more just to prove that they could play with the best. They did not. I didn’t like the comment from Coach Petrino Monday about his guys not having the confidence to beat a Clemson. What the hell is that?

The one thing that Coach Strong established again quickly when he took over was confidence. During his time at Louisville he had his team’s believing they could play and beat anybody and anywhere. His teams were world beaters. We’ve got to get that confidence back. I’ve seen the Cardinals finish just one season with that type of confidence since Coach Petrino’s return. The 2015 group that won 6 of the last seven games including that big win against A&M in the Bowl game. That group finished as world beaters. Hey Coach Petrino stop giving me excuses and give me some more of that.

As far as my 11th wedding anniversary… It was messy but isn’t that what marriage is all about. Coming together to solve problems that this life throws at us. She was there patting me on the back when my Cardinals lost and we worked together in our time of crisis and kept things moving forward. It was a crappy night but I’m thankful to have spent it with such an amazing person.

The next two weeks will be great rehab for a Louisville team and fan base that had the wind knocked out of them. There are two very winnable games coming up at Papa John’s Stadium. It will give the team a chance to heal up, work some young guys in, and work on things on both sides of the ball. And it will give fans a chance to feel good again. These next two weeks are important and could determine how the rest of the season goes. It’s not going to get any easier with a trip to NC State and Florida State left.

Here’s hoping for a better trip to Louisville the next time around. And watch your wallets folks!

Go Cards!