Louisville defeats Indiana State; impresses no one

The morning after each University of Louisville Cardinals football game, we will provide a sampling of news and commentary about the contest. Kicking off, here’s what’s being said about last night’s thoroughly unimpressive 30-10 win over Indiana State, now losers of 28 consecutive games:

C.L. Brown, Louisville Courier-Journal

Although they soundly beat the Sycamores, it didn't come in the knockout fashion many expected against arguably the worst team in the FCS, which is a level below the FBS in which UofL resides.

UofL coach Steve Kragthorpe labeled the team's overall performance before 39,344 fans in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium as “sloppy.” That's the only way to explain the Cards' 14 penalties for 128 yards.

“I'm happy with the fact we won,” Kragthorpe said. “I'm disappointed with the way we played.”

Eric Crawford, Louisville Courier-Journal

Teams get better. You can't judge a season by its first game.

But this is the judgment after the University of Louisville's 30-10 victory over FCS team Indiana State on Saturday night in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium:

On the first Saturday of the season, the Cardinals did not play well enough to beat anybody else they will face this season.

Kentucky.com (Lexington Herald-Leader):

Justin Burke's first pass was high. So was his second. And his third. Forgive the Louisville quarterback if he was nervous making his first start in nearly four years.

The Cardinals needed most of the first half to take control against the overmatched Sycamores (0-2), a member of the Football Championship Subdivision, and never really looked crisp.

Burke threw two interceptions. The offense converted just 1 of 9 third downs and the Cardinals committed 14 penalties for 128 yards. There will be plenty to work on before a showdown with rival Kentucky in two weeks.

UofL Card Game

University of Louisville football fan John Wieland, like many of his fellow fans, tried hard to stay focused on the game. But it was a losing battle for Wieland, caught numerous times with his eyes closed as the ordeal crept toward the end. Quite possibly one of the most drawn out games in history, rationalized only by the remote possibility that coach Steve Kragthorpe may have been hiding things, hopefully a whole lot of things.

Comments

[Jack Babcock]

Rick Bozich... Why doesnt he have anything to say about this??? The same guy who predicted a penalty for 16 men on the field, the same guy who predicted an unbelievable blowout... get real! Give credit where credit is do... man up and admit you are an idiot!

[David Swinney]

I'm assuming that Bozich will have his say early this week; based on a quick look at the C-J web site, it does not appear that he attended the UofL game on Saturday night. I'll keep an eye out for it.