Kragthorpe's Playbook

Before posting this I had to look around to check and see if there were any more yellow flags lying around. Yes, Steve, I agree, Darius Ashley is an effective back. But as anyone who's ever played Tecmo Bowl can tell you, even if you have Bo Jackson, you gotta mix it up every once in awhile or the opponent is going to catch on. The weakness of the WVU defense is in the secondary; the inability to stretch the field to our wideouts is ridiculous. I've heard time and again that the rationale for keeping Krags aboard the rest of the way is because someone has to call the plays. Well, throw one of those batteries back into the stands and I think you could hit someone to call a more imaginative offense. I haven't been a proponent of firing Krags during the season before; now I'm leaning that way. Send a message that the undiciplined mess of a game plan is unacceptable, that wasting timeouts when a game is coming down to the wire is moronic, that having a team with good field position look like they've never run a 2 minute drill is pathetic. Purge the program of this incompetent anchor, and at least give the fans an opportunity to show up and support the players in a positive, Kragthorpe-less atmosphere, for the final home game. 

Will Stein, nice effort, but I'm afraid the clock has struck midnight on your Cinderella story. A big tip of the hat to the defense, they did their uniform proud and then some. Enjoy the horse races, we're taking a day of rest tomorrow. See you Monday morning when we regroup for the final push for the football season (till the bitter end folks), investigate more head coaches available out there, and take stock of the Big East basketball landscape. Go Cards.

Go Cards!!!

If you're reading this you can get our predictions here and here. Now turn off your computer and help cheer the Cards to a victory that will rain double AA's upon the home team in Morgantown!

Some goosebumps to go with your coffee...

Morning Cards fans. Hope you're up for this "nooner" today, as Krags calls them. Grab your batteries and get tanked, it's WVU time! Enough small talk, let's get to it. In the final scene, when the offense disobeys the coach (To hell with Devine, Billy! Let's get a score for Rudy!) is loosely based on the truth. Rudy's senior year was the season where the NCAA experimented with a 60-player limit (also referenced in the film). Because of this, there were several players on the team that never got a chance to dress, let alone play. Once the outcome was determined, everyone that saw the field that day was essentially going for broke, trying to get the most out of every play. Many players did go up to Rudy after the late touchdown saying, "Now it's your turn!" and similar encouragements, but the extra scoring was more for selfish reasons than anything else. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh C! A! R! D! S! CARDS!!!

...and predictions

Beginning at high noon, look for a surprisingly defensive game, with both offenses able to move the ball but stalling at critical moments. Low scoring affair through the first half, but both offenses will awaken in the second, first Louisville, then West Virginia. If the Cards D can contain Jarrett Brown's scrambling abilities, and if Will Stein starts and can pull together an inspired performance, call it for the Cards, 17-14. As was said by Mr. Red in his prediction, nothing ever came easy during the Age of Kragthorpe, so it would only make sense if we pull off the unexpected victory tomorrow. Go Cards!

Predictions, predictions...

This one is more of a gut feeling then any, obviously, analytical breakdown. I think, even at our worst, UofL is good for one upset a season. Why not tomorrow? It's not that crazy. I think WVU's talent is akin to UK's, and the Cards nearly pulled off that upset on the road. The Mountaineer's secondary is bad, maybe not UofL bad, but whatever QB takes the helm tomorrow will have opportunities downfield. More importantly, since nothing in the Kragthorpe era comes easily, I fully expect another week of articles and speculation on whether Krags can save his job. I'm feeling Cardinals 28-17. Book it.

While you're at it, book Zenyatta for the Breeder's Cup. She's the Queen until dethroned, and loves Santa Anita.

I hear ya Jerry.

JerrySmith34: Sittin here watchin sportscenter and this chick from New Mexico soccer team is EVIL!! punchin, pullin hair, elbowin, kickin.. goin in! LMAO

"They won't be quite as tanked as they were two years ago"

Nice going Krags -- just in case the Mountaineer fan base was having any trouble getting pumped up to play us, you provide 'em with a little extra bulletin board material, which the local Charleston newspaper was only too happy to report. Way to to seal the deal.

Yea, but he had a shoe

In 1984, the Cards were beaten badly by the Mountaineers 30 to 6. The most impressive of those 30 points was a 55-yard field goal by senior kicker Paul Woodside, a 1983 first team All-American who was legally blind. The kick remains to this day the longest WVU field goal in school history.

Be awake West Virginia, be very awake

I think it's fair to say that despite UofL's present ineptitude, there still exists a lingering respect in the Big East outposts for the ghosts of what the Cards once were. Here's a sample from a WVU columnist's Q&A...

Ryan: How nice is it for the team to play a team like Louisville this week to try and re-group before the crucial three-game stretch?? (i.e. I would rather play Louisville after the USF loss than any other team in the Big East)

Colin Dunlap: Great point. But, that said, West Virginia better realize they are not going to win this game just by running out of the locker room with, as Bill Stewart likes to say, "That Old Gold and Blue" on. They better understand they need to put together a solid effort or, no kidding, this Louisville team will jump up and give them all they want. Should West Virginia handle Louisville? Yes. Will the Mountaineers do it by simply sleepwalking? No.

2010 Commit?

Shooting guard Russell Smith will be visiting the UofL campus on November 15, but apparently the guard out of Connecticut just can't wait. He said in an interview today that he has already given his verbal commitment to Coach Pitino, stating, "I'm going to sign on my visit...we're still working on everything officially." I'm going to withhold judgment on this one, mostly because it seems like Smith loves the Cards more the than we love him; UofL is yet to offer a scholarship. He's a little bit of an unknown quantity, and I've seen him listed everywhere from 5'10'' 150lbs to 6'2'' 165 lbs. He is not renowned for his quickness, but does have tremendous ball-handling skills. Jody Demling said yesterday that Smith reminds some of a DeJuan Wheat-type talent, and he did drop 27 points in a game at Madison Square Gardens, so it's good he's comfortable in that building. I'll let you judge for yourself...

 

Quick Hits and Nitpicks

A great game but it wouldn't be a proper exhibition if we didn't point out the negative...

* For the second straight game Jerry Smith was unable to get himself involved on offense. Unselfishness will be a virtue with this backcourt, but Jerry's a senior and co-captain. He needs to make his presence felt when he's on the floor.

* Samuels played a good game, but still reverts to his bad habit of playing below the rim. On a couple of plays he shows how explosive he can be, getting way up there for powerful dunks. But then on the next possession he'll release the ball at 8 1/2 feet. He finished with 18 points, but if this were a Big East opponent, 8 of those points would have been put back in his face.

* Effort was great on defense, but just like against Georgetown, the Cards seem to lack the length to disrupt passing lanes and cause deflections. Bellarmine was able to run their offense a little too easily.

Now, back to the good...

* Swop and Reginald Delk played extremely well. I don't think either will "shine" this season, so to speak, but both have potential to be the consumate glue guy that can grab a crucial rebound or knock down a crunch time jumper.

* He didn't stick with it for long, but playing Jennings and Samuels together along with 3 guards seems to be the right recipe for the Big East.

* Great range on display from Samardo Samuels and Rock Buckles.

* Watching Siva, Knowles, and Smith rapping together on the bench as the clock wore down provided a glimpse of this team's potential to be great. During his interview on Tuesday, Edgar Sosa said that while every Cardinals team he has been a part of has been close, this squad stands out for its commaraderie on and off the court. That chemistry, combined with a dialed-in Rick Pitino, could make this a season unlike any other.

Obligatory Football Post

Since I've been carping at everyone lately about keeping a positive atmosphere around Louisville football, it's with a sense of duty that I bring the latest on our Saturday matchup in Morgantown. You may find some comfort in the fact that a growing contigency of Mountaineer fans are unhappy with head coach Bill Stewart; an impulse hire if there ever was one. In fact, as one WVU commenter said after an article about our dramatic decline:

"Fast forward two years, look up a Louisville newspaper, and you will find a similiar story about WVU. 3-4 years ago they were in the national title hunt. They lost their architect and hired their painter, just like WVU did."

Thanks for the solidarity anonymous WVU fan, as well as for the optimistic prediction that Louisville will still have a newspaper in two years. The sentiment, however, has been a trend in the Big East this season. At UConn, the fans don't think Randy Edsall can get them to the next level. Ditto for Jim Leavitt at South Florida. At Rutgers, the fans think Greg Schiano should have left town when his stock was high. And at Cincinnati, the fans don't think their head coach will stick around. While discouraging for the conference, I'm extremely encouraged as a Cardinal fan. The future of the conference is still up for grabs. A change at conductor and I think you'll be surprised how quickly the train can get back on track. In the words of John Connor: "The future is not set. There's no fate but what we make for ourselves."

Here's a few more on Saturday's game...

* Brian Bennett predicts a blowout, and not in a good way.

* Mountaineer bloggers have some fun at Kragthorpe's expense.

* WVU running back Noel Devine is still in the Heisman race.

* Mike Casazza of the Charleston-Daily Mail takes a look at a gutty WVU linebacker Reed Williams, and Bill Stewart's terrible bedside manner.

Post-game Twitter

Edgar Sosa:

Bout to eat.Watching Chris Paul play.Watch sportcenter tonight my Lil dude @peytonsiva3 wud def be on there. Reverse put back. It was mean!

Peyton Siva:

my big bro @Edgarsosa10 got busy tonight...crossed dude something vicious what we say edddgaaa soosa

Jerry Smith:

RT Cards' Peyton Siva's blocked shot vs. Bellarmine is No. 7 in ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 plays of the day; his reverse dunk is No. 2

Chris Brickley:

Got the win tonight...still have to improve as a team!!!

Freshman Checkup

The first one or two months of college are a strange time for basketball players and laypeople alike. Here's how I place our 4 frosh in a hypothetical, cliche-ridden campus universe thus far...

Peyton Siva is the cocky yet likeable guy that pledges with the coolest fraternity and hooks up with the frat president's drunken girlfriend at the first party. But it's ok because no one liked the president anyways, and it's adding to the buzz around him.

Rakeem Buckles spent the first few weekends shyly going home to hang with his old friends. But now he's tired of that, has told everyone on his dorm hall to call him "Rock", and blew everyone away by not spilling a drop during a :55 second kegstand. Some upper-classmen are whispering, "Whoa, we may have something here, but don't let him know that just yet."

There was a lot of hype surrounding Mike Marra during pledge week when it was just the guys, mostly because of the tattooes. But now, when it's time to party, he has one drink and then spends hours on the phone with his high school sweetheart, bumming everyone out. No one's giving him much shit yet though, because he's polite and helps clean up after the party.

Stephan Van Treese loves just being one of the guys. Right now he's keeping his head down, trying not to say anything dumb, and is secretly thrilled his campus meal plan allows him two entrees.

Pitino's interview with Scotty Davenport

On Point

Stellar point guard play set the tone for the game. Edgar Sosa displayed his much-improved shooting stroke. He scored 12 points, all in the first half, and went 5 for 6 from the field. Also, check out the guns on El Tigre. He's added some bulk to his frame that gives his drives to the bucket a more authoritative feel. Only once did a drive seem out of control, but in Sosa-fashion, it went in anyways. When looking for maturity from Sosa, you have to keep in mind the sheer mileage that he referenced after the game: "We’ve been to back-to-back Elite Eights, we’ve won Big East championships, so we know what it takes to win.” Last night he played like a veteran point guard that's seen it all, and rattled by little. On Peyton Siva, Preston Knowles pretty much summed it up: "Little man can get up." The sequence where he exploded off the court as if on a spring to block a shot, followed by a reverse dunk tip-in, will rightfully grab the headlines. But I was most blown away by the drive he made after an inbounds pass in the second half. He streaked to the basket with such quickness it seemed like Bellarmine had concrete in their sneakers. Pitino now has the luxury of adding Knowles to a three-guard starting lineup; Siva can provide the sixth-man shot of energy and defense off the bench. He plays with a joy that seems infectious.

Slick

That's about as fun as it gets for a game that doesn't count. First things first. A masterful coaching job by Rick Pitino. He had the team prepared; our guys were focused, confident, and conditioned. Pitino promised different looks, and boy did he deliver. I lost count of the different lineups, especially since coach substituted so efficiently that there was never a drop-off in talent or intensity on the court. With every sub a new wrinkle was added to the on-floor chemistry. This is going to be a fun team to watch. By my count there's six guys with an automatic greenlight from three (Smith, Knowles, Sosa, Siva, Marra, Kuric) and 3 more (Delk, Swop, Buckles) that can knock them down situationally. With that many weapons from the perimeter, and some athletic bigs who can run the floor, you have all the ingredients for Pitino to work his magic. And since we're all touchy-feely lately, watching him joke with Scotty Davenport at halftime was a welcome sight; it was good to see a genuine smile. Way too much from this one for a single post, so check back throughout the day as we break it all down. Go Cards.

Tobias Harris Match-em

Tobias Harris may be gone, but that doesn't mean we have to stop talking about him. He had a great visit in Louisville and apparently had some heated video game matchups with Peyton Siva, Terrence Jennings, and Edgar Sosa. So where do we stand on his list of suitors? Read below to see what he had to say about the 4 schools he's visited so far, and try and guess which one is the Cards. Just humor me.

A) “XXXXX was a great time. Everything was nice. The facilities were great.”

B) “I really enjoyed hanging with the team. They were a great group of guys. I loved the family atmosphere there.”

C) “The visit went great. I went to XXXXX, which was really fun. It was a great atmosphere.”

D) “I had a great time with the guys. I was really able to bond with the guys and I got to know Coach XXXXX.”
 
Click here for the answers, as well as a great article on Mr. Harris, who I couldn't love more if his last name was Funke. Unbelievable work ethic for a high schooler, the anti-Derrick Character.

Whenever I'm feeling down about football...

...I watch this clip and give thanks that at least I won't be in Los Angeles on December 21, 2012. See, it's not so bad Cards fans.

For the interesting and related link on what will probably be a terrible movie, click here.

Bellarmine Knights

Here's a glimpse at the Knight's top performers. And yes, I'm slightly perturbed by the fact that Bellarmine's starting lineup is bigger than ours.

Braydon Hobbs (6‐5, Sophomore, Guard, 12.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.2 apg)


Nick Holmes (6‐7, Junior, Forward, 9.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 22.9 mpg)

Andrew Patterson (6‐4, Senior, Forward, 5.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 16.2 mpg)

Justin Benedetti (6‐7, Junior, Forward, 12.4 ppg, 46.8% 3FG Pct)

Oladapo Fagbenle (6‐9, Senior, Center, 4.5 ppg, 25 blks, 18.1 mpg)
 
Thomas Heiser for the CJ adds his thoughts about tonight's game here.

Things that make you go hmmm

"I don't have time to worry about turning the ball over. It's my last year." --Edgar Sosa yesterday, full comments here.

To be fair the quote is taken out of context. Sosa was speaking about having a short memory and keeping his head in the game after missed shots and, gulp, turnovers. I'm not saying dwell on it, but a modicum of concern, Edgar? Could be nice.

Good Knight and Good Luck

Tonight's going to be a fun one. We're going to see some new players, new lineups, and the new top D-II team in the nation. It'll be a close game, and few will be totally shocked if the Cards go down. I do hope to see some improved offensive execution and look forward to seeing what our freshman can do as the jitters begin to fade away. Bellarmine has plenty of shooters that flat out knock it down, and if the Cards settle into their own rhythm, we could see quite a shooting exhibition. Expect the Knights to relish the underdog role, as you can see below...

Cardinal Book Club

Please leave Steve. Please. Only you could take something cool like Super Bowl winner Tony Dungy speaking to our beloved Cardinals and turn it into, well, this...

“We had a great time as a team reading that (Dungy's book), ...there was a lot of tears, a lot of laughter, a lot of hugs, a lot of smiles. And it was a great, great time for us." --Krags

I feel like crying too.

Should Will Stein start against West Virginia?

Yes.

Although one or both of our former first-stringers should be available to play against West Virginia, Coach Kragthorpe has suggested that any of his three quarterbacks could start Saturday; he further hinted that the starter would be announced Thursday. On a side note, Krags made a comment referring to his job status that -- I have to admit -- was amusing:

"I was actually talking to Jon Gruden. He wanted to know how tall Will Stein was... I said 5-foot-7 on a good day."

Hey, give credit where it is due -- that was kind of funny... also interesting how much acclaim the candid comment has received. But I digress.

Will Stein should get the nod, for three reasons. First, he earned it based on the substance of his performance alone. As the article suggests, he outperformed our other two QBs in their first starts. As has been noted at Card Game, during the first half of Arkansas State, Stein moved the offense as well as it has moved all season.

Second, Stein's story is the last positive, semi-inspirational publicity this year's football squad will receive. By the most objective of standards, it is not fathomable to say that Louisville is still playing for a winning record or a postseason bid (those who think we will close the season with a four-game winning streak, please raise your hands). Elfish Will Stein is the only great story we can anticipate, with the potential even to receive national attention if the Cards can give the Mountaineers a run for their money.

Third, Stein grew up in Louisville and played at Trinity High School. He is a hometown hero and owns a few Kentucky state high school passing records. In short, he has local pull. If the program wants to avoid another fan no-show, then it needs to invest in an angle that will pique local interest. Not only should Stein start against West Virginia, but he should also start against Syracuse at Papa John's on Nov. 14 (assuming West Virginia is not a complete disaster). Further, the athletic department would be well-advised to promote the game (and I'm getting ahead of myself here) as Stein's Start -- the chance for, of all things, a diminutive walk-on, a former Trinity standout and a Louisville native to end our embarrassing losing streak to Syracuse. Make it relevant, make it personal. Make it feel important.

If, against the Mountaineers, Stein can't make it happen after a half or even a quarter, then send in Froman or Burke. Heck, Krags, play 'em all if you think it will keep the Mountaineers off balance (and since you subscribe to the theory that opposing defenses can't prepare if they don't know your starting quarterback in advance, it shouldn't be much of a stretch). The argument against is that multiple quarterbacks mess with the offense's rhythm and chemistry, but I wouldn't accuse our offense of having any of that anyway.

So screw it. What's left to lose? Send short-fry out there, and see how his height measures against his heart.

No Goode

Nope, not another Ryan Payne post (da duh ching); forward George Goode is unavailable for tomorrow's game against Bellarmine. He's still feeling the effects from a collision with Samardo Samuels in practice. That means Cards fans will get their first look at 6'9'' forward Stephan Van Treese. Here's some freshman icebreaker info...

Favorites:
Basketball Player: Dwight Howard
NBA Team: Indiana Pacers
Athlete, Other than a basketball player: Peyton Manning, Michael Phelps
Movies: Wedding Crashers, Hangover, Hoosiers, American Gangster
TV Shows: Entourage, True Blood, Hung, Eastbound and Down.
Actor: Vince Vaughn
Comedian: Dane Cook
TV Sports Personality: Dick Vitale
Subject: English
Musical Group/Singer: Lil Wayne, John Mayer, Biggie, Drake
Foods: chicken, steak, pizza
Midnight Snack: chocolate covered pretzels
Vacation spot: Florida
Best Player Ever Faced: Greg Oden

(courtesy of UofL's website)

Kragthorpe Kwote of the Day

"They all have good arms -- whether they are righthanded or lefthanded -- they throw those batteries extremely well. They are extremely accurate with those, too. I'm going to have to have a hard hat when I come out of the locker room." --Coach Steve on West Virginia fans

The FBI does not investigate jaywalkers. Thank you.

Here's a link to Coach Pitino's 2:00 presser.

Bill Stewart, players coach?

When the Kragthorpe-era ends, expect the term "players' coach" to go down in Cardinal vocab infamy alongside words like "Patrick" and "Sparks". But maybe he's just not doing it right. West Virginia coach Bill Stewart seems to have the players coach formula down pat; when in doubt just confuse the hell out of everyone. Here's how Stewart responded last year when star running back Noel Devine and three teammates were arrested for beating up two kids outside a club. I literally have no idea what he's talking about; if he's a hardass or a wimp.

"To me a drug incident is not a fist fight," said Stewart." To me disrespecting someone downtown of the opposite sex is a whole lot worse that bumping into a guy in a bar, which you shouldn't be in the bar anyhow. But, to me there's intangibles in life. Sometimes there's confrontations, sometimes you don't handle confrontations right, but preplanned, pre-arranged instances--you can't overlook that."

Stewart says he will judge every case that comes across his desk in the best way he can, "People think I'm a nice guy and I try to be, and people think I'm a softie maybe--a substitute teacher. But I'm a street-fighter. People who know me will tell you I don't back up when it gets tough. that's when I like to get going and that's not to praise me in any way. I'll handle every incident to the best of my ability."

Arrested for what? I'm sorry. I thought this was America.

The stands for UofL baseball games may get a lot more entertaining. Rick Bozich reports on his blog that Ozney (!!!) Guillen, son of fiery, foul-mouthed Chi-Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, has the Cards on the short list for his services next season. Bozich reports that Ozney would likely play first base, or outfield, and is a likely a top-5 round pick in the 2010 MLB draft. Just thinking about this possibility has made my day.

Fixing the problem

Interesting to see that the Mountaineers, like Louisville, also have their share of kicking/punting problems. Even more intriguing, their coach is intent on actually fixing the problem, rather than giving up on special teams, going for broke on fourth down and losing all your momentum by failing to score. Said head coach Bill Stewart after last Friday's 30-19 loss to South Florida that he's willing to try different players until he sees what works (what a novel idea):

"I'm going to tell you right now, you're going to see some more interchangeable parts... There is nothing wrong with kickers and punters competing. We compete at every other position. This is not some sacred cow on sacred ground.''

Amen Reverend. Managing the Psyche of these players is exaggerated. Like at any other position, put in your best player, and if he doesn't work out, use different personnel.

Pittsnogle, I wish I knew how to quit you

It's only fitting to start West Virginia Week with a bit on the Mountaineer forever tattooed, and I do mean tattoed, on the Big East brain. The article is a bit old, but earlier this year Pittsnogle was the subject of a lengthy New York Times piece, and he actually seems like a really good guy. He now teaches middle school in West Virginia, is an unpaid assistant coach for the basketball team, bowls 3 nights a week, and lives in a trailer with his wife and two kids. He still feels the itch to try and make a run at the NBA, but a thyroid condition has hampered his conditioning and was a factor in his ballooning weight post-college (300lbs at his heaviest). Right now he says his biggest concern is his family, and making sure his special needs students graduate. Hey, while you've got the 2006 tourney on the brain, have you ever wondered what the video would look like if someone took photo stills from that Elite 8 game and put them together in erratic fashion over a Meatloaf monster ballad? No? Too bad, we got one, check it out...

 

Thriller

Payneful

When your team is struggling to hold itself together, the inability to put routine points on the board has to be demoralizing. Shoeless Ryan Payne continued his poor play, missing two makeable field goals, one to clinch the game late in the 4th quarter. His confidence is completely gone, and unless there is some undisclosed reason why backup kicker Chris Philpott cannot play, continuing to send Payne out there is becoming downright cruel for all involved. Especially since it was revealed after the game the Payne had been battling the flu all week, and was running a high temperature at game time. Also, check out Eric Crawford's (print) column today for a good analysis on how Kragthorpe's rationale for going for it on 4th down before halftime, Payne's inability to make field goals, doesn't hold up to minimal logical scrutiny.

Was this inevitable?

Probably.

Below are a few choice images from Saturday's game taken from the CJ. It's discouraging, but perhaps necessary, that the main story has become Cards fans' lodged protest against the football program, rather than the Cards actually winning the game (admittedly not that thrilling given the competition) or Will Stein's hometown hero performance (which I do think is an incredible tale and merits excitement). I am grateful that Crawford focused on Stein's determined effort without dismissing the realities of the empty seats in his column, while focusing on the empties a bit more frankly in his blog. On top of those who didn't show up, there also is the statement(s) made by those who did, which my colleague already has assessed very frankly.

A picture tells a thousand words, and to the left and below are a several of them from Saturday's game, taken from the CJ and AP. For better and worse, they say everything that will be remembered about this football game.

Tobias Harris eats, hangs

For those that also spend an inordinate amount of time wondering about the mental states of teenagers, here's Tobias Harris, currently on his Louisville visit, recent Twitter posts...

Paranormal Activity !!! Hopefully I don't get to scared

This movie is starting off to slow ... But I know it's gonna pick up lol

That movie SUCKED !!

Watching the team practice ....

Just finished eating ... Hanging with the team

@Tj23louisville (Jennings) just got the L in 2k10 and it was my first time playing common nowwww

Going to bed twitt world .... had a great day today chillen with the guys ... back at it again tomorrow

Here's what all the fuss is about...

 

A Look in the Mirror

***SOAPBOX WARNING***

Cardinal fans need to stop using sub-par play as an excuse for being sub-par fans. Much has been said about the record-low 21,497 in attendance for the Arkansas State game. I don't mean to besmirch the majority of those that at least bothered to show up, but my anecdotal evidence gathered from the stands on Saturday gave me some legitimate concerns about the future of Cardinal football fandom. The embarassing spaciousness of the stadium afforded us the opportunity to move around quite a bit. I sat next to a group of 20 or so college coeds that were so enamored with themselves that, I promise you, not one could have told you the score of the game. We moved closer, then sat near a young drunken fool that stood up and announced to his friends and the section that "He couldn't take this shit anymore!" and left before halftime, when we were winning 14-3. Also quite amused with himself, he took a bow at the exit ramp. After halftime (when things really cleared out) we moved closer still, down with the real fans, and witnessed no less than 6 people shout jeers at an Arkansas State player down with a legitimate injury.

The negative vibes, of course, mainly stem from the head coach. But even if you hate Kragthorpe, the players have shown a fierce heart, have busted their asses, and deserve better from the Cardinal community. A successful football program is a collective enterprise where the efforts of athletes, coaches, administrators, and fans need to dovetail with one another and snowball to get us where we want to be. On the Collision Course. Right now we've veered badly. There's blame to be spread around, and some bear larger responsibility than others, but more than a little blame can be cast at us, the fans, for exacerbating a poisonous atmosphere. Some "proactive" fans decided to use Saturday's Halloween game to hand out thousands of paper bags before the game, each reading "Bag Krag", to wear in protest of Kragthorpe. I saw only one person wearing one on Saturday. These days, Card fans seem incapable of getting on the same page, and cannot even get the negative right.

The sweet, constant Ladybird

Other than the hellacious hit Chris Campa put on Ark.State QB, the Halloween highlight of the game may have been the Ladybirds' performance of the "Thriller" dance in full costume. Just to make sure that we never take our stellar squad for granted, here's a video of their performance from the Indiana State game. You're welcome, gentleman.