So long and thanks for all the batteries

The Louisville Cardinals finally got a win in Mordor Morgantown, defeating WVU 38-35. What a game. What a statement. What a turning point for a program that seems irrepressibly bound for great things.

Go celebrate. See you Monday. Go Cards.

Game Time

 BEAT WEST VIRGINIA


Game available here.

...and predictions

Talk about plot line intrigue. Louisville and West Virginia square off today just a week following their face-off on conference realignment, a nasty backroom affair pitting home-state politicians against one another and leading fans to accuse each other with the dreaded "backwater" and "hillbillie" labels. The Cards, having found their footing in league play after the post-UK letdown, roll into Morgantown with college football's 12th-rated defense, only to confront the nation's 17th ranked offense. The teams are tied for second place in the Big East. West Virginia is favored by double digits to beat us; and yet Syracuse beat West Virginia by 26 points, and we beat Syracuse by 17. On top of all this, who the hell even knows if the cheerleaders are going to show up?

Outside of conference politics and pom poms, the impending battle between Louisville's D and Morgantown's O has attracted the most pregame attention. Dana Holgorsen is another Halle Mumme disciple running the ol' Valdosta State offense, which we've seen once already this season. We did fine in that game, albeit against lesser competition.  Florida International, probably the more apt comparison, showed weeks later how disastrous could be a passing attack succeeding in delivering the ball into the hands of talented playmakers in the open field against us. The Mountaineers have that potential.

But our defense has come a long way since that game. Our defensive playmakers are hungrier and more tenacious, and they WILL contain the Mountaineer offense to fewer than twenty points, a new season low for a team that hasn't scored fewer than 34 this year. Watch for Vance Bedford to unleash the blitz in the first half with mixed results, gets conservative in the third quarter, then unleash again in the fourth. Adrian Bushell will have his best overall game since netting 11 tackles against Kentucky, including his second pick of the year. And William Savoy will nab his first sack since against Kentucky. Big-time players showing up for big-time games.

As for offense, the recipe of our recent success has been good line play. That has to continue, but our guys will be challenged by -- to put it politely -- a hostile environment. Watch for another impressive Bridgewater-to-Michaelee touchdown grab early, and for Dominique Brown to key some crucial runs late. But it will be clutch receptions on third down by Josh Chichester that keeps drives alive and nabs Chi player of the game honors. Assuming all, let's call this one for the Cards 24-17, in a charged affair full of personal fouls, and will include a warning from the officials to those classy cuddly lovable stinkin' goofs known as Mountaineer fans to stop throwing their keys, cups and batteries (!) onto the field. They may riot Saturday afternoon in Morgantown, but they'll party Saturday night in the Ville. Go Cards!

Predictions predictions...

West Virginia has been an enigma this season. At times they've been impressive. They played gamely against LSU, moved the ball well but consistently shot themselves in the foot at critical moments. But they've also looked atrocious at times, most recently against Syracuse, who seemingly scored at will against the Mountaineers.

Which team we see tomorrow depends on just how much the Louisville Cardinals have "grown up" in the last few weeks. I no longer doubt that this team has all the size, speed, and physicality to win any game on its schedule. But there are lingering questions about our mental fortitude. WVU will be fueled by the crowd celebrating its Big 12 future, and the Cards will have to weather the storm early in a hostile environment.

We know we have brawn, but Louisville will have to win this one with brains. I'm talking about recognizing screens and dump off passes and not selling out on the pass rush, by Teddy Bridgewater not taking sacks and taking the yards given to him, by introducing a level of patience to a defense that till now has been predicated on all out attack. WVU has a layered and complex offense and a QB in Geno Smith who can punish defenses that get a little too greedy. The Cards must must must recognize this fact and position our defensive pieces wisely.

I think we will witness a coming out party for the offense, a unit that has been growing in fits and starts all season. The running game for UofL is beginning to gain traction, and once it does, this offense can take off under Teddy Bridgewater. I expect Jeremy Wright to have a big game tomorrow, along with Teddy who will chip in 2 more TD tosses.

A late turnover forced by Dexter Heyman seals it, and the Cards can cross another name off the "Revenge List". Final score? 31-21. Player of the game? Teddy Bridgewater.

Time to grow up. Go Cards.

Kendall Dartez

Was drafted last night in the 3rd round of the NBA D-league draft by the Idaho Stampede. Best of luck to him as he continues to follow his hoop dreams. Here's Kendall from back in his Louisville days, albeit somewhat grainier, dunking against UK in 2003 when the Cards took down the Cats in Rupp...

Walking Dead Cardinals down Bellarmine, 62-54

Limited to only seven players, the battered Louisville Cardinals managed to find a way to win against the defending Division II champion Bellarmine Knights. It was a close contest throughout, with the Cards surging ahead every time the Knights pulled within a bucket or two.

It was a strange game in many ways, the limited rotation kept the Cards from using its full court pressure, and our senior leaders in Chris Smith and Kyle Kuric were much too passive the entire game, scoring just 6 and 4 points respectively. That has to change.

But there were bright spots as well. Shooting guard Russ Smith scored 13 points on several impressive drives to the basket. For those laughing/complaining about how out of control Smith is, you have to ask, who else did you expect to score?

Jared Swopshire takes of Player of the Game Honors (for the Cards, Kendle MVP for the game). Swop looked aggressive yet in control, playing to his strengths. He was a remarkably efficient 7-9 from the field and also grabbed 9 rebounds. In fact, the entire team was impressive off the glass, dominating the boards 41-23.

It's tough to take away too much from a game with a roster so depleted. It's just important to remember how bad Louisville occasionally looked in these types of games in the past. So a simple win against a quality opponent like Bellarmine is nothing to sneeze at.

Siva concussed, Cards nonplussed

Oh, so Peyton Siva won't play against Bellarmine having suffered another concussion in practice. Mike Marra either, he'll miss the game rehabbing a back injury. No big deal, just the way it is for Louisville basketball.

And Wayne Blackshear's timeline for recovery has been shortened. Having already undergone surgery, Pitino reports now that WB may be able to play in 6-8 weeks.

Not going to waste a second more of my life trying to figure this stuff out. I'll just cheer and support what's on the court.

So we want to win. But how?

You could launch a thousand articles on the symbolism of the UofL-WVU matchup on Saturday. We desperately want this one, that much is clear, and this one in particular. Achieving that win is a different story, however. Here's five things I think will determine/can determine the outcome...

1) Grow up.

The Cards get a second chance to do what they could not do earlier this season--handle winning. After the UK upset the team lost that focus they had used to earn victory. Young teams do that, I suppose. But now we're staring at a similar circumstance in the very same season. Coming out of the locker room last week the Cards were clearly the more focused and pumped team and took it to Syracuse from kickoff.

Now we see Part Deux. Can the Cards handle success and maintain winning intensity? Charlie Strong's pitch perfect admonition to his squad two fortnights ago, a team that was losing in winnable games, was that they needed to "grow up". We'll see a good measuring stick on Saturday.

2) Expect what they are expecting.

The word is out on Vance Bedford's blitzkrieg. The Cards send an extra blitzer on almost every down. And it's working. The past two weeks neither QB could find rhythm or comfort in the pocket.

But we need to be realistic. The Cards also had the good fortune of a dropped gimme-TD against Rutgers, and a few overthrown balls against the Orange when their QB couldn't complete the strike. WVU will be gameplanning for UofL's balls-to-the-wall defense and will take chances downfield to try and deal a knockout blow early.

I'm not saying that Bedford should chuck a strategy that's been working. I'm saying the Cards defensive front may be talented enough to pressure the QB by themselves. I'd like the Cards to drop a man back into coverage, especially early, until the game settles down before Vance Bedford completely unleashes the dogs.

 3) Use Teddy's wheels.

Bridgewater's eyes being locked down the field is a promising sign for his future. But there have been times when he's passed up large swathes of green grass in front of him. For this game, I'd like to see him take advantage; we still haven't really seen what TB can do in the open field (minus his airborne TD). He doesn't have to be Michael Vick, but he can keep drives alive simply by taking the yards in front of him.

4) Don't mess up special teams.

This one is self-explanatory. Philpott has been spectacular of late, so I'm really only talking about punt returns. I get a lump in my throat every time our revolving door return corps drops back. Can't afford a flubbed punt this week.

5) Use Dominique Brown's arm.

You just know there is a trick play somewhere that uses our running back/3rd string QBs arm. A toss pass back to Brown with Devante Parker streaming across the field, or a reverse to Brown with the option to run or throw. Someone is going to use trickeration on Saturday, and the team that gets 7 out of it will be the one that wins.

One for the ages

For me, when sports rivalries get this heated, they cease to be fun. When we play UK in either basketball or football, it's not enjoyable for me, even when we win. There's too much at stake, too much animosity, too much of my identity is entangled in the outcome. I'm not saying it's healthy, but it's true.

And the game against West Virginia on Saturday is rapidly approaching that level. The UofL Ladybirds and cheerleaders won't be making the trip to Morgantown this weekend citing safety concerns (the teams had to leave the field in 2009 after some bottles were thrown in the 4th quarter). Charlie Strong is being asked about the flying batteries in press conferences, and local radio is being flooded with personal tales of mistreatment by UofL faithful that braved Morgantown in the past.

West Virginia fans are crying sour grapes, obviously. After being freshly selected for the Big 12, the Mountaineer faithful can sanctimoniously claim that Louisville is merely whining about being passed over.

I think both are true. Some of the Louisville outcry can be attributed to sour grapes, but that doesn't make it less true. The Cardinals dance team did have to be pulled from the field for safety concerns in 2009, the Louisville baseball team was refused service at a West Virginia sandwich shop, and there were LSU fans that were dragged from their car and beaten earlier this season. 

So yes, I think Louisville fans are resentful. Last week's news of Louisville being snubbed, WVU chosen, was just the tipping point, the catalyst for the frustrations of Louisville fans that have traveled to West Virginia to come pouring out. But when steadfast and lifelong fans, obviously rational and reasonable people, call into Louisville radio with tales of pizzas getting spat on right in front of them, full beers being dumped on, and relentless obscenities being hurled their way, I believe them (for one, UofL is by no means the only school to report being on the receiving end).

And no school has ignored and tacitly celebrated the "insane" reputation of their crowd more than WVU. It's indeed lauded as part of their folklore and anti-charm. It reminds me of the NFL and the Oakland Raiders, who once promoted the "Black Hole" as a similar morality-free zone. But even the Raiders, after fans were involved in an ugly assault, started taking the safety and gameday atmosphere issues of their stadium seriously. They took measures to change.

We haven't seen anything like that from West Virginia. At least nothing beyond the wink-wink nod-nod generic condemnations of boorish behavior. So are UofL fans bitter? You bet. About all of it. And this Saturday will be one for the ages; one of those times when it feels like more than just a game. 

Pitino Curse

The litany of bad voodoo since that horn sounded against the MSU Spartans in 2009 is well-known. We've had injuries that cannot heal, grades that cannot be made, once solid-recruits that never saw campus, and players that jumped to the pros unexpectedly. And that's just the basketball part, the non-embarassing Karen Sypher stuff.

I've shrugged and shucked off the curse and karma talk before, I've cheered the exhilarating moments and despaired our downfalls. I've defended Rick Pitino and, at times, that faith has been rewarded; there have been positive moments from the past two seasons. But still, even the sweet times are overwhelmed by the sense that bitterness awaits the next bite.

I can't describe it. It feels otherworldly. It feels, well, like a curse.

And news of the Wayne Blackshear injury sealed it for me. It's real (and yes I've heard the conspiracy theories that WB was never cleared by the NCAA and the shoulder-injury is a coverup from an even worse PR hit but I don't buy it). We don't need conspiracies to explain what seems more readily apparent.

The loss of Wayne Blackshear is tough to overstate. He was the mismatch, the superstud that was supposed to free our talented veterans to shine. We can still win games without him, but there's no denying that we now seem fated to another season like the last; scrappy overachievers that rely on incredible chemistry.

The rational part of my brain won't discount the possibility of a special season from that group, a group we've seen do special things before. But on this Halloween, after what we've gone through, I'm not discounting that curses are real, either. 

Happy Charlie

HERE. Noon.

Helmet stickers

* Teddy Bridgewater. Played his best game yet. Has a preternatural feel for the pocket.

* Preston Brown. Prestone! 2 sacks, led the team in tackles.

* Senorise Perry. Solid play on special teams. Really excited about his future.

* Shawn Watson. A playaction TD pass on a goal line 3rd down! Pinch me.

* Vic Anderson. Sealed the W with a 61-yard dash. His speed caused defenders to take bad angles.

Syracuse win: What does it mean?

In the end, maybe nothing. We may look back on Saturday's victory as a just a moment, a welcome respite from the conference frustrations, but of little significance for a season marred by early losses in winnable games. It may be viewed only as a 3.5 hour look into a crystal ball and the clearest view yet for what this collection of freshman and sophomores can become. It will certainly be remembered for Anthony Conner, who inspired his team and warmed a chilly Papa John's with a memorable appearance.

But it may be more than that. It may be the beginning of something special. Inspired by the twin desires to "Do it for AC" and the underlying urge to give the middle finger to all the paper-champions moving on to greener conference pastures, the Cardinals can seek their solace on the gridiron. Two driving forces; one laudable, one petty, but both can be powerful motivators in the world of sport.

The next scene in this drama takes place this week as the Louisville Cardinals prepare for a hellish trip to Morgantown where the upstanding Mountaineer faithful, emboldened with a new Big 12 smugness and a bitterness towards Louisville for nearly costing them such, will no doubt be in rare form. No one said it would be easy.

It starts this week. And in the beleagured Big East conference, anything's possible.