Keg of Fails: Cardinals Continue the Painful Present, fall 25-16

There's nothing new to say, really. Just scroll down and read the recap from last week's loss to UNC, scratch out "Philpott stunk" with "Philpott delivered", but otherwise it was the same.

The story is so familiar it's becoming cliched. Cardinal defense played like warriors, scored the only touchdown of the day, but got zero help from an anemic offense that is lost, and looks downright scared at times. The logical and rational fan response is becoming cliche as well; we're young, we're too inexperienced, we lost 25 seniors last season, what did you expect? Agreed on some counts, but sports aren't supposed so detached and clinical. Watching this team hurts. And if doesn't hurt, I don't what to tell you.

Again, the football was moved nicely in the first half but could not be pushed into paydirt, even from the inch-yard line (hey, at least they made the field goals). They walked away with 9 points instead of 21 because of the great "I Know Not What" that seizes this team like a succubus at the 20 yard line.

The defense again left it all on the field and put the team in a position to win. The secondary played their hearts out and looked like a completely different unit than the one getting burned by FIU a month ago. If there is one reason to not give up on the rest of the season, it's that the play of the defense is inspiring.

But there's little hope that answers will be found on offense anytime soon. All the tinkerings haven't made a bit of difference--Sanford/Watson, Bridgewater/Stein, Brown/Wright--they're differences without a distinction.

When Cinci finally broke through to take a 22-16 lead, the deficit felt like 50. The Cards got the ball back with tons of time and 75-yards to go, but it felt like 10 miles. And so the Keg is still captive, the Cards are staring at a bowl less season, and the prospect of a winning football program has been kicked down the road. How far is open to debate, but when it hurts like this, it feels like miles.

Game Time

BEAT CINCINNATI.




Game available here.

...and predictions

I can't help feeling desperate for the Cards to pull out another unexpected, season-altering, transformative win today. Why is that? Cards fans have been through a lot worse than this over the past few seasons. Damn you Charlie for giving us hope.

The win at Kentucky, automatically the highlight of this season no matter what happens, was only weeks ago. But a lot has transpired since then, including that we have replaced our offensive playcaller. That game seems like a season ago. 

But if the Cards could do it today and return the Keg of Nails to Louisville, well... it'd be awesome, right? The dawn of another new season within one.

Okay, enough ruminating. For the Cards to stand a chance, the offense has to give the defense something to rally around, actions that inspire, a territory to protect and defend. I don't know if Strong decides to go with Bridge or Stein, but what's crucial is that whoever's-behind-center completes enough throws to set up the run. Shawn Watson has to understand this. The run is not going to set up the pass; not this season. That's less a challenge to Teddy/Will to make those throws; I think they're capable and that they've shown it in flashes. It's more about challenging the coaching staff to get through their heads that we don't have the thoroughbreds this season to run a rush-happy offense.

If Louisville can get two touchdowns on the board by the end of the first half, we've got a fighting shot in this game. Put the Bearcats on their heels, and our defense can take care of the rest. 

A tall order, I know. We're 17 point underdogs. But we were 15 point underdogs against North Carolina, and we should have taken a two touchdown lead into halftime of that game. So it's possible. Two sizable challenges have to be overcome: 1) Victor Anderson, Jeremy Wright, Dominique Brown and the offensive line have to create some run yardage for the offense to function (there is no getting around that); but more importantly, 2) Watson has to stretch the field to set up the run, not the other way around. 

I know that's a typical fan thing to say. But what evidence proves otherwise? And the throw setting up the run is exactly what we saw against UK. 

Here's hoping that Louisville can do it. I think they can, and I pray they will. Call this one for the Cards, 16-14. Player of the game: Philpott. That's right.

Predictions, (football) predictions...

All eyes on Shawn Watson tomorrow. If the Cards suffer another outing of extremely poor offense, Watson will take heat, Charlie Strong by extension, and Mike Sanford will be smiling somewhere in his undisclosed bunker.

Having said that, I don't think that'll be the case. Cinci's offense is top notch, and no matter how well our defense is playing, you have to think the Cards need at least 24 points to win. I hope to hell we see a gameplan that recognizes that fact. What does that mean most practically? If you can't run the ball, don't force it. There are soft spots in the Bearcat secondary and exploiting those should be priority one, two, and maybe 2 1/2 for this team.

Start Bridgewater and let him run the hurry up, which he's practically begging to do. Throw the ball till their D cools its heels, then hit them with Dominique Brown. Insert Stein if need be, and let Short Fry explore those "Brett Favre" tendencies he has a little more. Stein plays his best with a chip on his shoulder, so we could see some special play from him tomorrow when he gets his chances. Maybe in the future we can embrace and build around the "run-first" mentality of the Bilal-success of yesteryear. But now is not such a time, and yet we're still playing in winnable games if we can utilize the strengths we do have. I hope/think we'll see a turn towards that tomorrow, but all eyes are going to be on Watson, that's for sure.

If there's been one certainty so far this season, it's that the defense will hold up its end of the bargain. The defense is a unit coming together, and coordinator Vance Bedford is taking the training wheels off and letting them rip with blitzes on almost every down. Expect more of the same tomorrow, with Collaros making us pay on several possessions, but the D still able to hold them to 3 not 7.

The Cards offense progresses steadily throughout the game. And in a tight one in the 4th quarter, they finally put together that sustained drive, punctuated with a TD that has eluded us thus far. Scored by Vic, in dash to the endzone from the flat.

Cards 28-23. Player of the game? Dexter Heyman. Storyline of? Forget Sanford's absence, how long can we expect to enjoy Bedford's presence?

Cinci in one fell swoop

I've been slacking on my scouting duties this week, so let's try and do this all at once. You know Louisville's struggling, anemic, often-tough to watch offense? Now think the opposite. That's the Bearcats.

Cinci is 9th in the nation in total points, and their lowest output of the season was 23 in a loss to Tennesee, their only of the season. They are still led by Zach Collaros, the QB famous around these parts for being the one Steve Kragthorpe didn't want to face, even in a year when Tony Pike was putting up ridiculous stats. Collaros is having a solid season, having already thrown for over 1000 yards, 10 TDs and 3 picks, amassing a QB rating of 148.8. But he's not doing it alone. Senior running back Isaiah Pead is rushing for better than 6 yards a carry, and has chipped in 7 TDs. The Bearcats offense is by far the most potent in the Big East, and they are as close to perfectly balanced as you can get; averaging 221 yards a game rushing, and 219 passing. Impressive.

The Cinci defense was much-maligned last year; the offense was similarly potent, yet UC finished with a 4-8 record because they couldn't stop anybody. This year they have shown improvement. They shutout Miami(OH) last week, the first time they've managed the feat since '06. And in the last two games they've held their opponent to negative rushing yards.

They are led by one of the brightest coaches in the game, in Mr. Red's opinion, in Butch Jones, who I briefly flirted with back in '09 before wisening up and falling for Charlie Strong. Along with West Virginia, you would have to call Cinci a favorite to win the conference.

So am I worried? Nah, this one has upset written all over it.

UofL Tipoff Luncheon...

Was a nice event, and whadaya know, was somehow done with nary a mention of UK. Only 24-hours after UK's event was held in the very same room, when Pitino's sexual stamina and extortion case were brought up for the second year in a row, "Painting Louisville Blue" was a repeated mantra, and John Calipari told his throngs they should all view themselves "as kings", UofL held, ya know, a nice, classy, fairly sane event.

Sean Moth did a first-rate job as MC, there was some very slick UofL theater staging, and the epic comeback win against Marquette from last season served as the audio visual backdrop for the lunch portion of the event.

Pitino was himself. He had some zingers, some good, others not so much. Used the phrase "in my 35 years of coaching" about a zillion times. He brought each the players from each class onto the stage in sequence, those that were there and not it actual class, anyways. The frosh, Zach Price and Chane Behanan were first. He poked some fun, gave some praise. Zach Price was thrust in front of the mic, and did really well for himself for an impromptu-type thing.

Now 248 lbs, an extremely, extremely nervous Gorgui took the stage next, spoke in broken English, and said "I hope I am healthy and happy this year", before losing his train of thought, cracked up laughing, and left the stage. Here here, Gorgs.

Peyton Siva, hope you've been working out your shoulders, because a lot, everything really, is going to heaped upon them this year. This team will be as good, and only as good, as Peyton Siva can make us. And I'm excited about that.

Jared Swopshire sounds exactly like Barry White.

Kyle Kuric and Chris Smith, the senior captains, took the stage last. Pitino referred to Kuric's story as "a carbon copy of Larry O'Bannon".

Louisville First and "the precious present" continue to be the themes that guide this team. It's gonna be a fun year.

Rick Pitino at Louisville Tipoff Luncheon

Available HERE. 12:40ish.

So, we talkin' fat fat or phat fat?

Of course, for Wayne Blackshear, out of shape means a much different thing than Mr. Red out of shape. Still, Rick Pitino indicated on radio this morning that Blackshear arrived on campus sub-par physically, and therefore the coaches are reluctant to play him till he gets back into form for fear of another injury. I know Blackshear's been out of the loop for awhile rehabbing his shoulder, but it's still not the best way to begin a much-heralded freshman campaign. He may or may not play at the Red/White scrimmage on Friday night.

Pitino is taking this scrimmage seriously and wants to get something out of it from a competitive standpoint, though he says whichever team Peyton Siva is on will be the one that wins.

Great stuff from Rick, today. The old spinmaster can still put on a public relations clinic when he wants to.

The #4 - # 5 split

All signs indicate that Teddy Bridgewater and Will Stein will both see action on Saturday in Cincinnati. Though I'm skeptical of most dual quarterback systems, I'll withhold judgement on this one till we see it in action. I can see that there are arguments to be made on both sides...

PROS: There should be safety valves for true freshman QBs. If TB struggles, it's important to take him out, calm him down, and receive individual instruction. A bowl game still a possibility. Now is not "just get Bridgewater more experience" time. Charlie Strong loyal to his players, meant it when he said no one loses spot to injury. Will Stein is more seasoned. Gives us best chance to break through red zone woes. Louisville boy, always a good thing.

CONS: Offense stalled, but has it been TB's fault? His composure never in doubt; he's big enough for the moment. Will Stein doesn't add any wrinkles to pressure the Cinci defensive coordinator. If they can stop TB, they can stop Stein, not like they require separate gameplans. Two signal callers could be the death knell for this o-line; I think Hernandez false started just thinking about it. In the past 2 games did you ever feel, if only Will were in we would have scored there?

No Sanford

It's not a good thing when there've been more Yeti sightings than offensive coordinator sightings this week. At mid-week, still no Mike Sanford at Louisville practice and still no word on what his new "role" on the staff will be.

But as C.L. Brown inferred on his blog yesterday, it's pretty clear we're talking about legal matters at this point relating to Sanford's freshly signed contract. If Strong fires Sanford he presumably walks away with the full amount of his contract, but that's not the case if he quits. Either way, it looks extremely unlikely that Mike Sanford will ever return to this coaching staff in anything more than name only.

Basketball schedule released

And available for your perusal HERE. A bittersweet scroll through though, I gotta warn, because we do so knowing that the Big East will never be the same, and far too soon if you ask me. Like I said yesterday, the Louisville Cardinals are a consensus Top #10 team yet are picked to finish 4th (!) in the Big East by USA Today. Good lord, what a conference. Oh well, wah-wahnnnn.

And you can go ahead and circle February 13th and 26th on your calendar, the dates when the Kayefseum crowd can officially bid those fond farewells and best wishes to Syracuse and Pitt.

Yeti lives! 95% of him anyways

Loyal readers know that I love the paranormal. And I also love how these things creep into my mind even more in the pre-Halloween days when the nights get colder and seem a little less safe, in a way back in your brainstem, Cro-Magnon sort of way.

And just in time for the season, as I do my annual inching even further towards the fringes of human society, scientists in Russia report they are 95% certain they have confirmed the existence of Bigfoot! Or Yeti, as the ruskies call him. Apparently a few weeks into a well-funded expedition into the Russian wilds to confirm or deny the existence of the legendary creature, they claim to have found quite a bit of testable evidence, footprints and "dens" and hair samples and such to test in labs.

You're next Goatman. We've got some unfinished business, old friend.

Andrew White

One scholarship left for the 2012 basketball class, and there's three prospects on Louisville's immediate radar. D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Robert Upshaw will be attending Louisville Red/White scrimmage on Friday that will be nationally televised.

But perhaps the most coveted is Andrew White, who took a visit to Louisville over the weekend and said it exceeded his expectations. He's taken visits to Kansas and West Virginia among others, and will also be going to Texas before making a decision.

It's normally a fool's errand to try and follow this process too closely. But when you hear the universally well-respected Jody Demling rave about Andrew White like he did on the Early Birds radio show this morning, it makes your ears perk up a little more. Calling him the absolutely perfect wing for Rick Pitino's system, a 6'6'' knock down shooter that's rangy and capable of attacking the lane.

And Louisville would seem to be in a great position to offer an immediate role for White. With Kuric having graduated, Kevin Ware's future up in the air, and the distinct possibility of a Wayne Blackshear one-and-done season (if there's an NBA) there are going to be minutes to be had on the perimeter. And if Wayne does stick around for a sophomore season and we have two oversized guard/wings roaming the perimeter in 2012, well, let's not get ahead of ourselves...

But it's tough to tell if Louisville's scholarship dearth will help or hinder this situation. White is obviously aware that there is only one-spot left, and he's well aware who will be visiting this weekend. He called the situation "interesting", one that he'll be keeping his eye on. It could prompt an earlier decision to seize the remaining scholly, or it could make him feel uncomfortable enough to just look elsewhere.

Can't the Kuric's just pony up and take on Siva's tuition too? Selfish pricks.

Checking in on the conference front

The SEC made no overtures towards accepting Missouri as its next member yesterday. And just so we're all on the same page, the math goes: if Mizzou goes to the SEC, than the Big 12 will likely add one more program, and possibly as many as three. Louisville is maybe next on that list, though West Virginia has been gaining "steam" in the last few days. But bear in mind that "steam" in this context is even less dense than actual, tea-kettle steam that takes place in the physical world. You know, that non-cyber one.

And the Big East is looking to expand to 12 members, which will require six new programs. The three service academies, ECU, Central Florida, Memphis, and Temple are all names being floated. And what the hell happened to my Houston?!? They're my little pet program in all this that I want to see get a larger profile when it's all said and done. Until they beat us in 3 years.

It's looking increasingly likely that the Big East is going to survive this in some shape or form. The question, obviously, is whether Louisville is still there when the dust settles.

Again, I've made my feelings plain about this from the beginning. I think the Big East can restructure and still be one of, if not the best basketball conference in the land, and a football conference that keeps its BCS bid once this whole mess is reevaluated in a couple years. I think Louisville can step right into a leadership role alongside West Virginia as the flagship programs of the conference. Step outside the echo chamber for a moment, and you can hear the whisperings that the Louisville Cardinals can get the last laugh when all these panicked moves look stupid in two years.

What's that? You want knee-jerk ill-informed reactions to the proposed members? Ohhhh, ok.

Navy, YES. Air Force, YES. Army, NO. Houston, YES. Memphis, NO. Temple, YES. Central Florida, NO. ECU, YES. Southern Miss, YES.

That's 12 teams. That's a stronger league than the one we play in now. And if the beauty pageant that is college football is ratified again in 2014, then it's still a conference that deserves an automatic bid.

Salute to Marcus Smith

Amidst all the other topics, we should all take a step back to recognize just how spectacularly our defense played on Saturday. UNC's mammoth offensive line and talented backfield managed just two touchdowns and were stunted for almost the entire game. And but for a boneheaded offsides on a field goal attempt (evidently UNC practices a special formation to produce just such a result) they would have held them to 10. Going in, if you had told me UofL's D could hold them to 14 or 10, I would have bet a pinkie toe that Louisville was walking away with a season-changing upset.

Didn't happen. But the performance on that side of the ball was nonetheless admirable. The solid play seems to have been overshadowed by that one display of comically bad tackling when two-defenders tried to strip the UNC receiver who spun out and waltzed into the endzone. But that was a fluke. The receiver had already caught the ball on about the 5-yard line anyways and a touchdown was forthcoming against a unit that was clearly gassed.

But the rest of the game, they shined. Anthony Conner and Hakeem Smith combined for, oh-what-could-have-been a gamechanger of a turnover. UNC's running attack was totally stifled in the first half, and there was a Cardinal in QB Bryn Renner's face every time he dropped back. The game devolved into a hideous tennis match with each defense doing its damndest to hold serve.

No player showed up to play more than Marcus Smith, the former QB (think about that for a second) who is now our promising sophomore defensive end. Smith had a breakthrough performance with 3 sacks, each critical, each drive-killing. One was for a loss so major it flipped the field position. Time and time again the Cardinal D rose to the occasion until finally they could rise no more.

And really, how can you blame the two defenders for trying to strip the UNC receiver instead of tackling him? At that point, a fumble and a 90-yard return looked like the only way we would see the endzone.

Presser impressions

In a word, awkward. Strong hates these things and the media apparently hates holding Charlie's feet to the fire. So it made for some strange back-and-forth.

Charlie Strong started the session by addressing the Sanford Situation. He said there was no physical altercation, and no blow-up verbal altercation, either. He said that both he and Mike are coaching veterans, professionals in the biz for a long time, and that they are adult enough to have heated disagreements.

I take him at his word on that. I guess it breaks down to semantics and what the word "altercation" means, but clearly something happened. Strong said he hasn't spoken with Sanford since last week. Look, Strong hates these things. That much is clear. It's a 30-minute chore that takes him away from the practice field and the film room.

But I'm baffled by some of the reporters that seem to have no journalistic curiosity or courage. Another complete whiff at shedding light on this bizarre situation. OK, there was no "altercation" as such. Then what did happen? What was the reason for this professional disagreement? At what point in the week was it clear that Mike Sanford wouldn't go to Chapel Hill? Was the role of Teddy Bridgewater in the offense a source of friction?

All reasonable questions. None asked. Or at least not with logical follow-ups. So that's just weird, but I'm not really interested about the journalistic integrity of the local media. I'm interested in Cardinal football getting better. So in that regard, I wish Charlie Strong would stop looking at these pressers as a chore to skirt through and start viewing them as an opportunity for honest communication with Louisville fans.

When he does these, Strong looks like an adverse witness on the stand that is willing to answer any direct question asked, but reveals the absolute minimum while doing so. When he was asked about Daniel Brown, he answered frankly, that he wasn't going hard enough in practice and therefore didn't start. Someone mentioned Adrian Bushell, and Strong corrected him and said that yes, he was at the game, he just didn't play as much. No one asked him why, so he didn't tell them.

Charlie Strong remains enormously popular and will likely remain so every moment he's in Louisville red. And maybe that's the reason for the media's reticence; that Strong is a decent and likable man and human instinct wants that feeling to be reciprocated; therefore, questions about the real reason our OC goes AWOL for a week go unasked.

But even if they go unasked, I wish that Charlie Strong would start taking the bull by the horns and lead these things himself. It's OK that you're shaking up your staff. It's OK to bench players you're unhappy with. Charlie Strong's leadership of the locker room is unquestioned. But the responsibilities of the head coach don't end there. The are legions of passionate fans and we need a leader too.

Charlie presser

Noon. HERE. Also a chance for some local reporters to inquire as to, perhaps, the reason our OC took the week off?

Things that make you go, huh?

* The announced attendance of 51,500 at Chapel Hill on Saturday. I know what 50K fans looks like. I do my best Rainman-analysis every home game from the UPS FLIGHT DECK so I also know about trying to fudge attendance numbers. And that was not what 51,500 fans looks like. Unless they have a "Terrace" like ours that they didn't show, only the size of an aircraft carrier.

* Adrian Bushell did not play. The starting corner that came into the program and immediately became one of the best players in our secondary. No explanation given.

* 13-game starter and leading playmaker Daniel Brown benched in favor of freshman Deiontrez Mount. Was he injured? I haven't read anything that indicated such, but I might be wrong. I'm not saying Mount doesn't have a bright future ahead of him, but this smelled like internal discipline being meted out.

* The Charlotte Observer columnist that wrote: "The difference in athletic ability between these two teams was striking. Louisville patiently moved its way up the field on a few drives, but never seemed in danger of breaking a big gain on offense because the Tar Heels have too much team speed."

I'll give you the "never in danger of breaking a big play" but it's not because of UNC speed. It's because of the sea change in mentality that plagues the team once the ball inches closer to the redzone. Whatever our faults, they lie not in thine athleticism, but in thine selves.

If anything, I thought UNCs studs looked overhyped. Quinton Coples likely hurt his draft stock with a hohum performance in a game he should have dominated, and our defensive line made their vaunted o-line look foolish most of the afternoon.

* UNC defenders getting 2 yards into the backfield before the UofL snap with nary a flag from a very trigger-happy group of zebras.

* The weird milquetoast gene that is in the DNA of announcers everwhere. Whenever there's a bad call, they have to say something vanilla like: "Hmm, I don't know about that one." Yes you do! You're implying it right now! We just saw it on slow-motion replay! For love of everything holy just say it's a bad call!

Two Ricks owed apologies?

First, Rick Pitino, who most castigated and cackled at when he suggested that the ACC's moves against the Big East stemmed from jealousy that our basketball league had sucked all of the oxygen from the room in the last few years. Apparently, not that far-fetched. Eric Crawford points us towards a Boston Globe piece yesterday that details the ugly side of ACC expansion, and how Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was a driving voice in the moving and shaking, and indeed was miffed that the ACC was no longer regarded as the pinnacle of college basketball power.

And second, Rick Bozich, who faced the full brunt of Matt Jones' bully pulpit for most of last week. Dr. Bo's column that suggested Calipari's deplorable personality is most directly attributable to "Pitino Envy" steamed, miffed, incensed, excoriated, poked, prodded, and inflamed UK nation more than any time since smallpox vaccinations were introduced and recommended.

Even I, who appreciated the spirit of Bozich's column, didn't think "envy" was the proper sin to pin the situation. But maybe it is after all. A blogger at Cardchron takes a pretty thorough look at the history, and it is a tad creepy. 

Houston, we have some problems (and join the Big East while you're at it)

Three gripes for Sunday before we start finding some silver-linings tomorrow and prepare for our epic quest to Mordor for the enchanted Keg of Nails.

* If Sanford's future is Story #1 from the the post game, then penalties are #1a. I'll first just master the obvious and say that they are incredibly and mindnumbingly frustrating. I also want to point out that unlike almost every other problem our team has, this one cannot be blamed on youth.

It's not inexperience. It's sloppy and undisciplined football, period. And frankly, correcting it just doesn't seem like that high a priority for this team. You recall any coaches reaming a player on the sideline after costly after costly flag? And I don't know for certain, but junior lineman Alex Kupper appeared to be laughing and smiling after his second consecutive false start in the 4th quarter. I despised the John L. Smith "I like the enthusiasm" approach to not playing the game cleanly, and I have no appetite for going back to it.

I'd much rather a guy just get beat on an assignment than continuing like this.

* Look for four dudes wrecking havoc on horseback, because I'm about to say something nice about John Calipari. One of Cal's smartest moves when he got to Lexington was that he looked at the mistakes that Billy Gillespie made before him and set out to do precisely the opposite. Billy Clyde's biggest mistake was the moment he said: "I'm a basketball coach, not an ambassador for the University" (or something to that affect). The comment went over well with nobody. Cal saw that, and said: "Hell, I'll not only be an ambassador for the university, I'll be Mr. Ambassador, Super Ambassador. I'll be the most annoying Ambassador this state has ever seen! Billy Clyde was a jerk to his players, you say? Then I'll be the most player-friendly coach in the land! I'll be boys and best friends with all of them. And they shall call me Cal." (of course, Calipari's malleability borders on sociopath and is as transparent as a televangelist, but still).

My point is, half the battle is positioning yourself as the anti-of whatever your unpopular predecessor was. And one of Steve Kragthorpe's biggest failures was his secrecy. The way he closed the wagons and decided to just bear any and every criticism as a faux-martyr.

The way the Sanford-business was handled last week was downright Kragthorpian. It made no sense, and news of the dysfunction trickled out slowly and steadily all week on message boards and blogs. Strong's explanation that "there was no altercation" is downright insulting to the intelligence of fans. When the offensive coordinator doesn't go to practice all week, doesn't travel with the team, and doesn't show up on Saturday to do the job he was hired to do, the fans are entitled to a reasonable explanation.

It's all the more maddening when the secrecy and sleight of hand is completely unneccessary. Like what about Will Stein and the firm belief that no player should lose his position due to injury? What happened to that? If that's not the case, if Teddy Bridgewater is officially the starter, JUST. SAY. SO. You think the fans will rise up in revolt because you decided to go with the clearly more-talented prospect? Or that you had a heated altercation with your OC and wanted to put him in his place? Hell, you'd earn points for that.

Learn from Steve Kragthorpe's mistakes, Coach. Keep the fans in the loop with reasonable explanations on major developments affecting the team and straight talk about the roster. It's not too much to ask, and it will make your life much easier in the long run.

* Once, just once, please throw the ball on 4th and 1. Those crunch time decisions that Charlie Strong is clearly courageous enough to authorize, but won't explore anything more creative than a Dominique Brown run up the gut.

You have to zig every once in awhile when you're expected to zag. I don't care if it ends in disaster. I don't care if Chichester has the ball bounce off his helmet into the arms of a defender who then proceeds to truck Teddy Bridgewater who tears his ACL, takes it to the house, runs through the endzone and then impregnates my wife. I'd still say: "Eh, you gotta gamble every once in awhile."

And finally, I engaged in some heated debate with a few UofL fans last night. And that's good; it was precisely the opposite of a fanbase ready to give up on a team. For one thing we saw a fiery defensive performance yesterday that was something to behold. The defense plays fearlessly, if not flawlessly, and it has earned the collective respect of Cardinal fans. If Vance Bedford continues to do his thing, and the players grow physically and mentally in this system, his unit will be a dominant defensive force within two seasons. Probably sooner.

But the frustration is boiling over because it is obvious that we have enough skill to win most of the games on our schedule. We can do that. But we're running out of reasons to believe that we will.