The Confidential

A Tussle In Tallahassee

Louisville vs Florida State……..

Not exactly a rivalry of any sort, and unless you’re a Cardinal fan this is probably just another game on the schedule. But for UofL, playing the likes of Florida State in the past and in the present has come to mean a great deal to the Cardinals and where they stand in the eyes of others from a respect standpoint. I can remember the game in 2002 that helped pave a path for Louisville Football’s up and coming relevance like it was yesterday. For once, the local meteorologists nailed their forecast when calling for rain on that magical night and a monsoon proceeded to take place. What also took place was a win for the ages as the Cards beat a fourth ranked FSU squad 26-20 setting off a wet and wild storming of the field and the destruction of two goal posts. Unfortunately, I did not witness the awesomeness in person as I wimped out of battling Mother Nature and gave my ticket to a close friend……a dumb move that I still regret to this day. Nonetheless, it happened and I’ll forever hold a special place in my heart for Henry Miller.

Henry Miller scores winning TD in ’02

Fast forward from that shocker in 2002 up to last season when FSU would again visit a newer, more modern PJCS carrying yet again top 5 national ranking and this go around the title of defending national champs. While UofL came up short in that game thanks in large part to their forgetting how to tackle and the talents of Jameis Winston, Nick O’Leary and Dalvin Cook (more on Cook later), the fact that UofL played the highly touted Noles to the wire again gave credibility to a program starving for respect and reverence from it’s fellow ACC brethren. So in a nutshell, playing Florida State, despite the positive or negative outcomes, has been terrific for the University of Louisville. Tomorrow will be no different. FSU will be hosting a UofL team in Doak Campbell Stadium at noon that is vehemently clamoring for a “signature win” in this 2015 season. The Cards had a golden opportunity to grab such a win against ACC foe Clemson a few weeks back but fell short by a field goal. Beating FSU on the road will assuredly prove to be just as difficult however, so if UofL has any hopes of walking out of The Sunshine State with a win they’d better come fully prepared to control the ball and find Dalvin Cook on every…..single……snap.

FSU running back Dalvin Cook

For my money, Dalvin Cook is one of the top 2 or 3 running backs in all of college football. Yes, Leonard Fournette of LSU is terrific but Dalvin is simply dangerous and dazzling. The kid hits a hole like lighting from a rain cloud. His speed and evasiveness make him virtually impossible to corral, thus setting him up to be a threat to score on virtually every play he touches the pigskin. Louisville found this out last year the hard way after Cook relieved an injured Karlos Williams and then proceeded to run rough shod over UofL amassing 110 yards (seemed like a thousand) and two TDs. If Cook continues to play at the same level that he has shown thus far, one would have to think that he’ll be in the discussion for an invite to NYC for the Heisman Award Show.

The silver lining in all of this is that I do have faith in Todd Grantham’s defense, particularly the linebacker corps of Brown, Burgess and Kelsey. Louisville doesn’t have to SHUT DOWN Cook, they just need to minimize damage and somehow force quarterback Everett Golson to beat them with his arm. Despite having a clean record thus far in ’15, Golson has shown to be turnover happy in the past as evidenced by his lackluster performance last season when he and his Notre Dame squad were beaten in South Bend by the Cardinals due in large part to Golson’s inability to protect the ball. Of course, it should be noted that keeping Cook in check still won’t guarantee a win tomorrow for UofL. The Noles are littered with talent all over their roster. On the flip side, FSU has not exactly been dominant in any of their previous 5 wins thus far this year. It is of my opinion that UofL will be the best all around team that FSU will have faced up to this point when they kick things off. But despite UofL having somewhat comparable talent and speed, FSU has the advantage of playing in their back yards tomorrow and that matters. Not only has FSU won 17 straight at home, they have also reeled off 27 straight in the ACC. So, until somebody in the conference starts beating the Noles every once in a while, they will continue to be the measuring stick for everyone else, Louisville included.

Chief Osceola

Keys for Louisville tomorrow if they want to walk away with a season changing win……

• Do not fall behind early
• Win the turnover battle (this applies to every damn game though)
• Use the middle of the field in the passing game (tight end – Mickey Crum)
• Amass 75-100 yards on the ground by a RB (Brandon Radcliff where are you?)
• Survive the madness / minimize Tomahawk chops

Louisville Freshman Tight End Micky Crum

Sounds simple enough right? I won’t hold my breath. But, I also won’t write the Cards off until I see it happen on my flat screen. The thing that scares me the most in this game isn’t so much FSU’s talent and prestige. Instead, it’s Louisville’s youth – particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Kudos should be given for the way that UofL played in Raleigh two weeks ago. But comparing NC State to Florida State (at least this year) is simply apples to oranges. Two weeks ago the Wolfpack forced Lamar Jackson to thrown the ball in the second half by containing him in the pocket – that didn’t work out too well for Bobby Petrino’s offense. You know that Jimbo Fisher and his staff are already prepared to NOT let Lamar Jackson beat them with his legs. That’s not to say that Jackson won’t make some big plays on the ground because I believe he will. But, he is gonna HAVE to make some accurate throws tomorrow to keep the offense on the field and keep the clock running. My hope is that the freshmen continue to grow up right in front of our eyes and that guys like James Quick will show their upper classmen leadership by making plays on the field and not dropping passes.

Should be a good one tomorrow. Go Cards! Go ACC!

Spirits Lifted 🔼

Louisville 20  –  NC State 13

What the game on Saturday WASN’T…..

• pretty
• dry
• well officiated

What the game on Saturday WAS…..

• hard fought
• a struggle
• a much needed win

So just when the University of Louisville Football team needed a shot in the arm in the worst of ways (along with the rest of athletic department amid recent men’s basketball program allegations), the Cardinals were finally able to get out of their own way Saturday long enough to muster up a much needed and potentially season altering road win in Raleigh over NC State. UofL did just enough offensively on Saturday to allow it’s defense to steal the show and solidify the Cards’ first ACC conference win in 2015. Lamar Jackson played really well in the first half, then did his best Jeckyl & Hyde impersonation in the second half suddenly losing the ability to hit open receivers. Nonetheless, it was Jackson’s first half legs and a beautiful soft touch pass for a TD to fellow true freshman Devante Peete that gave UofL the cushion it needed to hold off the Wolfpack.

Devante Peete

There were numerous drives in the second half where it looked as if NC State was going to finally knot things up but Todd Grantham’s defense should be given a ton of credit for bending but not breaking. Sheldon Rankins played big up front and the Cards’ linebackers, as expected, were terrific. Keith Burgess’ big hit on 4th and short with just over a minute remaining in regulation sealed the deal. NC State had been averaging over 250 yards a game on the ground coming into yesterday’s game. The Cards held them to less than 50 however, which forced Wolfpack QB Jacoby Brissett to throw the ball far more than NC State wanted. Advantage, Louisville.

Key takeaways from the game………….

• The officiating on Saturday was the most incompetent I have witnessed in several years
• UofL got jobbed at the end of the first half – there was one possibly two seconds left when Brissett slid (horrendous no call)
• Devante Fields MUST make himself more of a presence on the defensive side of the ball
• This game was vital to UofL becoming bowl eligible; without it my confidence wanes
• Charles Standberry MUST catch that ball that Bonnafon delivered late in the 2nd quarter
• Without a running game, every contest will be, at a minimum, close – some a struggle
• Major plus from yesterday – no major injuries despite the bad weather/slick field

Now, the Cards get to enjoy a bye week which they’ll need from an X and O standpoint in order to prepare for their next opponent, Florida State.

The Seminoles won their 13th straight ACC league game yesterday by taking care of business at Wake Forest. The Cards will most certainly enter Tallahassee as a fairly heavy underdog. UofL had a golden opportunity last year to knock off FSU at home in their annual Thursday night game but were unable to cap off one last offensive drive late in the 4th quarter to pull off the upset. Is there a revenge factor in play for this next game? No, but being that the Cards have a slew of Florida born players on it’s current roster, I have zero doubt that the players will require any extra motivation to be hyped for this one. Hopefully,  the extra off week will give the offensive staff time to continue fine tuning Lamar Jackson and his understanding of Petrino’s passing schemes. Once Jackson really “gets it” and his comfort level in the pocket starts to ripen, I would expect him to get more and more accurate on his throws. And then, watch out…..

Jackson’s talent is unquestionable and the sky is the limit for him. What will be most interesting to see, is how the QB position in 2016 shakes out if Jawon Pass follows through with his commitment and makes it to UofL’s campus next August. But, that’s another blog entry all together for another time.

In my next blog, I will cast out my thoughts on the recent allegations that have recently come out regarding the men’s basketball team. I have some strong opinions on this matter as I am certain many other UofL fans do as well. We all know that rival fan bases are loving the negative exposure that is hitting UofL at the moment. My take, if nothing wrong occurred then hold steadfast and the truth shall set you free. But again, more of that in my next attempt at a semi-entertaining entry.

From a  conference standpoint, major kudos to the Clemson Tigers in their huge home victory over Notre Dame. Also a big shout out to the University of North Carolina in their huge comeback win over Georgia Tech.

Go Cards! Go ACC!

Just What the Doctor Ordered

In a season that has thus far been as negative as any in recent memory, Louisville finally got it’s first win of the 2015 campaign last Saturday by destroying an outmanned Samford squad. Despite being an FCS school, Samford came into the game with a 2-1 record and a promising quarterback, not to mention former Murray State head coach Chris Hatcher who had familiarity with UofL running the show. Look I know, I know……Samford is an FCS school. And, I totally get it. I am not a huge fan of programs scheduling FCS schools and cutting out a paycheck just to get one win closer to being bowl eligible every season. But hell, at this juncture Louisville desperately needed to win a game and feel positive about something, anything. And fortunately, the positives came in droves on Saturday. Petrino finally bit the bullet and re-inserted Lamar Jackson back into the starting lineup at QB which lead to a performance that would go etched into the Louisville Football record books. Jackson finished the game with two rushing TDs in addition to two more through the air in helping the Cards grind out 45 points – giving the Cardinal faithful reasons to believe that this Petrino offense has signs of life still yet. Again, this win came against Samford and it’s all about perspective. Nevertheless, I think a win after starting the season with three gut wrenching losses is exactly what the doctor would have ordered for this UofL’s teams’ ills.

The ills, per say, for this UofL team has been the inability to develop any type of running game. In addition, another ailment that has haunted the Cards thus far is the inept play of the offensive line. On Saturday, the Cards gashed Samford for 288 total yards on the ground. The offensive line was anchored with eleven different players getting playing time which resulted in not only a solid ground attack but a line that did not yield a single sack. Against Clemson, a week prior, UofL amassed a TOTAL of 16 rushing yards as a team and Kyle Bolin spent the majority of his night running for his life or throwing from his back. Despite the drastic drop in level of competition, improvement took place yesterday……

So now comes arguably the biggest game of the year this season for UofL – at NC State this weekend. Yeah, I know that the Wolfpack are not the likes of Clemson or Florida State in terms of talent. It matters not, however, as this game could do one of two things for this Louisville team. Lose, and you’re setting at 1-4 with a road game at top 10 Florida State right around the corner. Win, and despite what may or may not happen in Tallahassee, the Cards set themselves up for at least six or seven wins which would lead to the school’s 5th consecutive post season bowl game. But winning in Raleigh will not be easy. Although untested, NC State is unbeaten and has the revenge factor in it’s corner following a loss at PJCS last year. Plus, this Louisville team has yet to even play a true road game so anything could transpire. Not even the late Ted the Rooster from Irvington, KY could make a calculated guess as to how this game will turn out. One thing is certain – it’s gonna rain. But rain might be putting it mildly. The remnants of a newly developed hurricane are almost certain to hit Raleigh on Saturday. Crazy enough, that could bode well for UofL being that Lamar Jacskson is a run first QB. Then again, the Wolfpack run the ball almost 67% of the time on offense so Mother Nature could play into their favor as well Saturday. Whatever happens, I’ll be watching (Wave 3 / ACC Network) and hoping for Cardinal win.

Looking way ahead, I see this season ending with a potentially ironic situation. It is not out of the question that UofL could enter the friendly confines of Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington to end it’s regular season by needing one more win to become bowl eligible. Kentucky, thanks to it’s newfound ability to beat other average SEC teams not named Vandy, looks to almost be a shoe in for already being bowl eligible before the ’15 Battle of the Bluegrass. So, essentially the tables would be turned in just one year after Kentucky came to Louisville last year needing another victory to get to the ever coveted 6 win mark. THIS is why I love having this particular game at the end of the season. Aside from bragging rights, the game potentially carries direct post season implications.

I shouldn’t put the buggy before the horse, but I am counting on UofL to find enough wins on the latter half of their schedule for that last game to have extra meaning. In the immediate future, I just want to hear less talk about how “dope” UofL’s newest uniform scheme is and see more evidence that the Cards are forming an identity.

Go Cards!