Go Cards!!!

If you're reading this you can get our predictions here and here. Now turn off the computer and help cheer the Cards to victory so that Louisville can once again take proud possession of the Keg of Nails... if the Bearcats haven't completely destroyed it by now.

Collaros to start

ESPN is reporting that Zach Collaros will start today in place of injured quarterback Tony Pike.

Some goosebumps to go with your coffee...

Morning Cards fans. According to actor Scott Benjaminson, who played the jealous elder brother Frank Ruettiger, the real brother was a kind, caring, and loving man that was always supportive of Rudy's dream. Apparently Rudy's supports system was a little stronger than indicated. Benjaminson also has a younger brother that has overcome impossibly long odds to become a successful producer at ESPN. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. C! A! R! D! S! CARDS!!!

...and predictions

Louisville will get out to an unexpected lead early on, then promptly give it away. Odd plays in the second quarter will keep the Bearcats and Cards deadlocked by halftime. Special teams will ensure an early lead in the third quarter, to which the Cards will hang on for dear life. The Bearcats offense, harnessed by the unexpected entrance of injured Heisman candidate Tony Pike, finally will spring to life late in the third quarter, but Adam Froman, Darius Ashley and Scott Long will combine for the drive of the season in the fourth quarter. If the Cards defense can hold on after that, or special teams comes up with a special play, and the Cards manage to score over thirty, call this one for the Cards, 38-31.

Predictions, predictions...

It's a good thing I took that creative writing course in college, cause this may take some doing. Cards score first. They've got points on the board and Cinci is squirming just a little. A Johnny Patrick interception sets up another running TD by Darius Ashley. 14-0. The crowd is out of it now, the uneasy feeling of watching a dream season slip away is setting it. It's raining.
Tony Pike is out (this is a guess, he's still day-to-day). The Cards stack the line to try and force their backup to beat them in the air. They move the ball easily, but aren't connecting as accurately as they do with Pike. Cards take a 14-13 lead into the locker room.

Adam Froman's legs, and a couple of screen passes has the Bearcats D on their heels. The wet field neutralizes the Bearcats speed and our defense plays the best game of the season. Brian Kelly arrogantly goes for it on a 4th down and gets stuffed. A late game stop by the Cards seals it. 27-21 Cards. Book it.

Q and A

Watching defensive end Greg Scruggs has been one of the hard-to-come-by highlights this season. Here's his interesting interview with ESPN's Brian Bennett.

Cards in Action

Papa Jer

WLKY reported that Jerry Smith was at the hospital last evening, awaiting the birth of his child. Based on his tweets last night, things went well. No word yet on how many fist pumps were performed in the lobby. Congrats Jerry.

John Wall's eligibility in doubt

An ESPN.com report reveals that Kentucky super-recruit John Wall is being investigated by the university because of his relationship with his former AAU coach who apparently picked up a second job as a certified agent. This could put Wall's eligibility in doubt or limit the number of games he is allowed to play in. Details at the link.

What's in the cards for Saturday...

For two unevenly matched teams, this Saturday's game has a fair amount of intrigue. Will Tony Pike play? Will we finally see what Darius Ashley (who Vic Anderson praised as a better back than he) can do? Will the Bearcats be out for revenge from the 70-7 stomping they took a mere 5 seasons ago? Can the Cardinals make an extra point?

Brian Bennett picks the Bearcats 27-17. He predicts the injury to Tony Pike will slow down Brian Kelly's aggressive play calling just enough to allow the Cards to keep it close with a trio of relatively healthy running backs. I'm not quite as convinced. I don't think many offensive-minded coaches look at UofL's secondary and plan to hit the brakes on the passing game. And though we certainly will need a solid running game, the Cards are going to have to fling the ball all over the field to have a shot at this one.

Bearcats' den

The other day, someone (it might have been Mr. Red... if so, apologies Mr. Red for stealing your post) was telling me that Nippert Stadium, home to the Bearcats and site of this Saturday's Louisville-Cincinnati game, is one of the underrated venues in all of college football. I've never been there, but after glancing at a few pictures, I must admit it does seem like a cool place to watch a football game. Campus setting, amiable atmosphere, historic grounds (it's the fifth oldest stadium in college football), and the stands look close to the field. It only seats 35,000 but Cincinnati is gearing up for a stadium expansion following the football program's recent explosion.

The class grows...

The 15th committment to the 2010 Cardinal class is Tyrell Willis out of Calloway County. Check out the video below to see the 6'2'', 250lbs back in action. Shades of Michael Bush in there, maybe not as fast, but he has great feet for such a bruiser. He also played linebacker in high school, though no word yet on how the Cards intend to use him. If a coaching change is made, there's going to be tools at his disposal for a quicker turnaround than one might think.

History of the Keg of Nails

On Saturday we shall witness a battle for the most contrived trophy in all of college sports: the KEG OF NAILS. The origins of this ubermasculine emblem of greatness are shrouded in legend, but some date the tradition all the way back to 1929, when fraternities of the two schools came up with the idea for some reason. Since then the keg has gone through some inglorious adventures, including being lost during construction of new UofL offices. It also experienced some highly-classified damage that Cinci coach Brian Kelly hints at in the video below. If you can make it through the whole thing, you're a better fan than I am.

Roundball Roundup

Fans clamoring for a starting lineup of Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings may be disappointed to learn that Pitino is leaning against the idea. Pitino is planning a smaller lineup, possibly starting Jared Swopshire and Reggie Delk. I'm not against it, especially because Samuels and Jennings would likely both foul out in the first half, but the plan hinges on a strong improvement from Swopshire. I also think some mind games are at work here, as Jennings seems to have become a permanent resident in Pitino's doghouse. Rest assured, however, there will be a lot of lineup tinkering in the first month of the season.

Rick Bozich writes in the adorable print edition, that Pitino passed the first of many hurdles with his Media Day performance yesterday. Is it possible that the effect of this scandal has been overstated a bit? Once the game starts, I just don't know how much sexual-Sypher chants will really influence the outcome. We shall see.

Villanova, predicted first in the Big East, just landed four-star shooting guard Achraf Yacoubou.

Samardo Samuels is 18 pounds lighter after kicking his McDonald's habit in the offseason.

I know it was an awesome game, but does the Syracuse-UConn tourney game really need its own website http://www.sixovertimes.com/ ? Plus, that game is overshadowing the fact that we won that tournament dammit!

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Very intriguing week on the blogs.

Charlie Springer at Card Game wrote a defense of Tom Jurich against his detractors, described as a small minority of Cards fans angry about Jurich's comment suggesting that some Cards fans have unrealistic expectations (the gist of his quote was that they expect the football team to go to the Orange Bowl every week). Among the highlights:

"... [O]ne must face facts. Jurich probably made the Orange Bowl comment in jest. And he still may not have been convinced that Kragthorpe was wrong person who could turn the program as the third season began... If some fans were really offended by those comments, they need to grow thicker skin."

As of this reading, there were 34 comments in response to Springer's post, both in favor and against (including among them a familiar voice from Cardinal Laws). Read through them... they offer a revealing (and I think accurate) account of the fractures and frustrations current among the Cardinal faithful, given the sorry state of our once proud program.

Elsewhere...

Louisville Sports Buzz (trying to escape from false rumor purgatory, yet at the same time still attempting to figure out a way to justify that its rumor was somehow correct) wonders whether Kragthorpe might be smarter than we think, given how he removed any potential mid-season successor when he took over as offensive coordinator before the season started. Billy Reed has no shortage of musings on several topics, including Jennings/Smith's guilty plea, Bobby Bowden's corrupt ways, Gillispie's buyout, and the possibility that Kentucky's celebrated Coach Rich Brooks and the much-maligned Kragthorpe are not that far apart in terms of coaching ability.

And, from straightpinkie.com, Duke unveiled at its Midnight Madness the most disgusting display of cinematic parody ever observed. The Titanic bit in particular. Dreadful. Reason 64,372 why people can't stand Duke.

El Tigre looking muy guapo

Here's senior point guard Edgar Sosa looking very mature in his suit, answering questions about the upcoming season. Let's hope that maturity is reflected on the court.

You're 5 foot nothin! A hundred and nothin! And you have nearly a speck of athletic ability!

It's come to my attention, that for a professed Rudy-phile, I may have been a little harsh on plucky point guard Elisha Justice. I feel a deep sense of shame that I've thrown my lot in with dastardly doubters like Frank Ruettiger, Dad Ruettiger, Dan Devine, and Coach John Beasley. I'm sorry. And kid, if you ever make the dress list, I'll be there.

Wait, I've heard this before

This cracked me up. It's because small forward J.J. Moore likes us so much that he can't be with us. This from his AAU director on last weekend's visit:

"Because he loved it so much, he felt compelled to visit the other schools again and make sure about his decision."

Kidding aside, the visit supposedly went really well, his list is trimmed to three, and the Cards are still in great shape.

10 Bearcats to Watch for

Cards are going up against quite a bit of NFL-level talent this week. Especially watch out for senior safety Aaron Webster, the hard-hitter has 3 INTs returned for 104 yards this season.

History of the Cardinal Helmet

I defy you to spend less than 20 minutes on this site. It's impossible. In what must have been a labor of love, the "Helmet Project" is an ongoing, ten-year endeavor to chronicle 49 years of headgear history. Scroll the index on the left to find the Big East conference. And yes, in case you're squinting, that's "Red Rage" written on the 1979 helmet, top left. And who knew that 1970 to 1972 was such a patriotic time for the Cards, top right? Here I thought "The Ville" uniforms were bad. Follow the link, I think the black-facemask helmets we wore on October 2nd are the best.

(Hat Tip: theHoff)

Big East Media Day

Cardinals Jerry Smith and Edgar Sosa will accompany Coach Pitino to Big East Media Day; the trio make a triumphant return to the Big Apple today. The Cards are picked to finish 5th in the Big East this season by the media, 4th by the coaches. Only one Cardinal received preseason honors, Samardo Samuels was named 3rd team all-conference. It's going to be a madcap season in the BEast.  But the unfortunate reality is it's not going to be all about basketball this year. The Sypher saga will follow the Cards into every opposing gym and every newspaper once the trial begins. This trip also marks the beginning of how the Cardinals, and especially our head coach, can cope with the frustrations of repetitive, outside-the-Ville, media questioning. Dana O'Neil at ESPN writes an excellent article on what Pitino will face this season, and how the players and coach have coped thus far.

No me gusta

At this point, it is unclear whether Cincinnati quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Tony Pike will be cleared to play or not against Louisville. Despite the prospect of having to go without him, the 5th ranked Bearcats don't seem too nervous about taking on the Cards. Said head coach Brian Kelly:

“We’ve got enough in our library that we can win with whoever the quarterback is going to be. We’ve got to be able to do the things we’re good at. That is throwing the football and picking our spots to run the football.”

Pike's out until Thursday, when team doctors will take another look at his injured left forearm and determine whether or not to clear him for Saturday. He will miss two days of practice in the meantime. During that time, will Pike be busy in the film room, watching video of the Cards' secondary in case he can play, or helping to prepare backup quarterbacks Zach Collaros (who filled in admirably for Pike against South Florida) and Chazz Anderson? Said Kelly:

“He will spend that time working on his Spanish class that he needs to pass for graduation. After 48 hours, we’ll have him out at practice. He’ll begin throwing. Then we’ll take it day to day.”

Downgraded for extra lessons in espanol. Dios mio.

Let Justice be Done, continued

Jody Demling reports that Rick Pitino and Steve Masiello are flying to Pikeville today to watch senior point guard Elisha Justice play. Pitino wants to see in person whether Justice is "quick enough for the Big East". Demling has previosuly stated that the offer would likely be the option to walk-on in his first year, and receive a scholarship for his sophomore season. I haven't seen him play, but I'd wager a guess the answer is "NO" to the quickness question. Once again, he has scholarship offers from Jacksonville University and Eastern Kentucky. We need to think bigger, for every scholarship, from top to bottom.

Future Cardinal

To help you get through the last hour of work, here's a glimpse at Card commit Harris Bivin. The versatile athlete played defensive tackle and offensive line in high school, and the Cardinals are still not sure which side of the ball to put him. Out of Apollo high school in Owensboro, he is also one of the best discus throwers in the state. He already has his own website with much better production value than this one.

Mid-term grades are out

And Brian Bennett goes a little easy on us. Like the slow kid that at least tries, he gives us some effort points and indicates we've at least been competitive for most of our games. Offensive MVP thus far? Scott Long. Defensive? Jon Dempsey.

Cinci, no surpises, is at the head of the Big East class. They have the best offense, the best quarterback, and the best coach in the conference. Aaron Webster, the veteran hard-hitting safety, is given the defensive honors.

See here for the rest of the Big East report card.

CSI: Jeffersonville

The legal saga of Jerry Smith and Terrence Jennings arrest appears to be over. Both have plead guilty to one misdemeanor count of resisting law enforcement, and will receive one-year probation and 40 hours community service. I don't have enough facts to judge whether this is a fair resolution, but it certainly is the correct move from a basketball standpoint. The team can put it behind them, neither player has seriously jeopardized his future, and Coach Pitino can use the incident to do that motivational, insult through media, then build-em-up, voodoo that he does. At the very least, it should be a lesson that basketball players can never, ever, respond to, or escalate any such situation when they go out.

In a different context, however, I would be curious to see the outcome if Smith and Jennings refused to plead guilty. We've been dubious of how this incident unfolded from the beginning. I would suggest that Jerry and Terrence perform their community service at Jeffersonville Legal Aid, as a small symbolic protest.

Yea, we don't have that problem

Starting QB Tony Pike's status for Saturday is still uncertain, he's practicing in a cast, but hampered by a wrist sprain. Get ready for a week of wincing when you read "They shouldn't take any chances rushing him back, they don't need him this week to beat Louisville."

At least it's not something serious, like a chest bruise. Speaking of which, yesterday Coach Kragthorpe still played coy about the Cards' QB situation, only saying that Froman would "probably" start on Saturday, and opining that he has a "quarterback luxury". This is getting absurd. Other than Pike's injury, Cinci's biggest problem right now? Scoring too quickly. I hate you Bearcats.

Husky Hell

My four points on Connecticut:

1) After surrendering 38 points, over 200 yards rushing and passing and 481 yards total, the Cards D -- especially the secondary -- will keep feeling the heat from fans and coaches alike. I continue to think that this defense isn't as bad as made out to be, but has suffered from pitiful support -- both in terms of points and morale -- by the offense. Think back to our John L. Smith or early Petrino years, when winning games meant racing to 40 points. Is our defense any worse than those teams? I don't think so. Nevertheless...

2) Our guys need to return to the fundamentals of tackling. Besides our missed-tackle ability to make all of UConn's scramblers look like Barry Sanders, did anyone else notice how our defensive players are actually executing the tackles they do make, especially in the open field? They run up alongside the ball-carrier, body positioned upright rather than keeping the body's center of gravity downward, latch on to the ball-carrier, and basically just hold on for dear life until the drag him down. I can't profess to great expertise in the art of tackling, but piggy-back riding Andre Dixon just didn't look right.

3) Under different circumstances, Adam Froman's performance would have been sensational. 24-31, 295 yards, 16 completions in a row. However, as already mentioned, offensive point production is pitiful, leaving the defense out to dry, and the fact is that Adam Froman, who also threw two interceptions, is the starting quarterback (nevermind Krags' ridiculous elusiveness on this topic). Still, I think most Cards fans feel comforted that there is capability at quarterback, both for the remainder of this season and for next year.

4) In terms of talent-versus-performance, this must be the most pitiful red zone offense in college football. And with fumble-itis inside the 20 the latest trend, it's getting worse.

4b) Anyone else get a little annoyed last weekend by all the television coveraged obsessed with Connecticut's mascot, Jonathan the Husky?

4c) R.I.P. Jasper Howard. You left it all on the field (For latest on his tragic death, click here).

It doesn't have to be like this

Novelist George Eliot once wrote, "It's never too late to be what you might have been." That quote seems especially appropriate right now for a team, a fanbase, and a city that is searching to find its place in the college football universe. Our current identity crisis is reflected pretty clearly in the reactions to rumors surrounding one Mr. Jon Gruden. There are Louisville fans that I respect on both sides; some dismiss (and laugh at) the idea out of hand, and others say, "How awesome will that be?! He bought a house Lake Forest you know?" I'm relatively young, but I can't recall a scenario when there existed such vast fluctuation of self-regard amongst a fanbase. Are we a fallen power? Or just a flare-up fluke? In the absence of leadership, and with no overarching vision for the future, it's no wonder that many Cards fans have embraced what we have left. Tailgaiting, self-deprecation, and Kragthorpe jokes.

Frankly, it matters little to me whether Kragthorpe finishes out the season. If firing him would help recruiting and put us in a better position for a couple of a possible coaches, then proceed. If not, his remaining will have minimal impact on the course of the rest of the season; that trajectory seems to be set. But what happens at the end of the season will define who we are, and what our goals are as a football program. Foolish optimism is a hallmark of Cardinal football fandom. The famous Collision Course; that unique Cardinal ability to poke fun at ourselves for harboring fantastical aspirations, yet simultaneously believing in them. From the Fiesta Bowl to the Orange Bowl and everything in between (except for Cooper), I've always felt that we were on that bumpy path towards Schnellenberger's Dream. If Kragthorpe is brought back as coach next year, I do think some of that spirit will be doused. Mediocrity will be given a stamp of acceptability, and our status as an average football program that takes a stab at Bowl season every few seasons will be cemented for the forseeable future.

I'm not trying to be melodramatic. I'll still be decked in UofL gear, giving full-throated support for the Cards every Saturday. But it will be different, that's all I'm saying.

I hope it doesn't come to that. There are good coaches out there. There is talent on the roster, and solid recruits coming in. There's an impressive expansion to the Papa to christen next season. Most importantly, there's a passionate fanbase ready to believe again if given something to believe in. It's not too late.

Kudos Crawford

On his blog, Eric Crawford gives voice to the many of us questioning Kragthorpe's arithmetic when he decided to go for the 2-point conversion after the Cards' TD with 11 minutes to play:

EXTRA POINT: Kragthorpe again ran afoul of conventional wisdom on conversion strategy Saturday, when he went for two after the Cardinals had cut their deficit to 31-19 with just over 11 minutes to play in the game. The conversion failed, meaning that U of L no longer could tie with a touchdown and a field goal. The chart that almost all coaches carry with them to sort out such situations calls for going for one when down by 12. It's precisely that kind of thing -- beyond the losing -- that has eroded fan confidence in Kragthorpe.

Monday Afternoon Presser

Though technically I think this violates the Geneva Convention, here's a link to Steve fielding questions.

Fish in the Sea: Update

Cardinal Laws is not the only one taking notice of Bootch Jones. ESPN has penned an article lauding Central Michigan's impressive season thus far.

Sweet, sweet, basketball

Get geared up Cards fans. I wasn't sure how much floor time freshman Mike Marra was going to get this season. But based on this wonderful article that descibes our team as having a calm, confident focus, Rick Pitino is looking for lineups stacked with perimeter shooters in order to maximize one-on-one matchups for Samardo Samuels. So the 6'5''deadly-accurate Marra may be logging more PT than you anticipated. My point is then, get geared up Cards fans. Whether it's his tattoos, his distinguished profile, or his penchant for faux hawks, Marra is going to be the target of opponent ridicule. We need to circle the herd and take care of our own. To make it easier, check out the following video displaying his effortless shooting stroke. He also has amazing hops considering his, um, pigmentation.

The Last Boy Scout

Here's an anecdote for you.

Following the Pitt disaster, my father donated the rest of his season tickets to the Boy Scouts. Had he reached his breaking point? Not exactly. Although frustrated with the program and sick of the coaching staff, he still enjoys watching the game. At any rate, he loves the tailgating. He may have given away his football tickets, but Dad certainly held on to his green lot parking pass.

So for Southern Miss, Dad -- minus a ticket in to Papa John's -- showed up for tailgating as if it were any other game. When kickoff came around, my ticketless father walked up to the gate, and... well, let's just say that extra tickets weren't hard to come by. Inside the stadium, Dad decided to stop by his old section to say hello, only to find that his former seats were empty. The Boy Scouts hadn't shown up.

Settling down in his usual seat, my Dad explained what he had done to his longtime pal. After hearing the generous donation story, pal responded, "so what do you have against the Boy Scouts?"

Ashley M.I.A.

When Vic Anderson is banged up, and your other back has a bad case of fumblitis, that may be the time to see what scintillating freshman Darius Ashley can do. He got zero touches on Saturday. Is he hurt? Is he in Krag's doghouse? Is he too busy twittering? Since we get little info from the coaching staff these days, I'll just have to keep checking Ashley's facebook page to get the scoop. I don't know how Tom Jurich expects the fans to react when we're 2-4, have no realistic hope for improvement, cannot get straightforward information on the status of key players, and are often scapegoated for being overdemanding. One of the things welcomed as I look towards a future that likely includes a new coach is the opportunity to press the reset button on relations between the athletic department and the fans. We need to regain some honesty and mutual respect; this feeling that we're at war with ourselves is depressing.

Another Tragedy

In what's become a disturbing trend, another opposing player of the Cards has died too young. Jasper Howard, starting cornerback for the UConn Huskies, passed away following a bizarre on-campus stabbing incident close to the student union. Howard played magnificently against the Cards only hours earlier, recording 11 tackles, and forcing and recovering Bilal Powell's 3rd quarter fumble. Howard overcame a tough upbringing in Miami, and often spoke of making it to the NFL to help his family achieve a better life. The perpetrator is still at large.