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Steve Kragthorpe is fired up, but Cards still lose a game they could have won

The morning after each 2009 University of Louisville Cardinals football game, we will provide a sampling of news and commentary about the contest. Regarding the Cardinals’ 31-27 loss yesterday to Kentucky, it is not really comforting to me that they were decided underdogs and were unexpectedly in the game with a chance to win late. They simply made too many mistakes and failed too often to take advantage of Kentucky’s generosity.

Rick Bozich, Louisville Courier-Journal

For more than three hours UK seemed determined to give this football game to the Cardinals. No, thanks. The Cardinals were just as resolved not to accept..

A Louisville team that was supposed to lose by two touchdowns had to be thinking this was a game they could (should?) have won by two touchdowns. That would have stopped the unrelenting criticism of their coach, Steve Kragthorpe, the first UofL coach to lose three straight to UK since this series resumed in 1994.

Here is the statistical nugget that will haunt the Cardinals as they review the video and search for answers about why they lost:

In the second and third quarters, Kragthorpe's team had four possessions where they pushed the football to the Kentucky 15-, 5-, 11- and 5-yard lines. Football people say moving the ball inside the opponents' 20 is taking it into the red zone. The Cardinals were in the bright end zone.

But instead of celebrating a possible 28 points, the Cards settled for six — two field goals.

Eric Crawford, Louisville Courier-Journal

This may have been Steve Kragthorpe as you've never seen him. His news conference Saturday after the University of Louisville lost to the University of Kentucky 31-27 wouldn't rival Chris Rock for salty language, but by Kragthorpe standards, it was spicy.

“I'm freaking sick that we didn't win that game,” he said.

Say what you want about this coach. I doubt if his team's passionate performance moved the needle much on his approval ratings. But UofL came to play, and Kragthorpe got the ball into the hands of his playmakers enough not only to give the Cards a chance but to leave them thinking they should have won.

Tom Heiser (Louisville Courier-Journal fan blog):

This one is really disheartening. I guess it's only apt that the Cards squandered what looked like a stunning upset when Trent Guy, arguably the Cards' MVP, badly muffed the punt that would have given the Cards the ball back leading 27-24. After all, Louisville directly benefited from three UK turnovers in the third quarter -- but therein lies the problem. This game was lost in that momentum-shifting 15-minute block when the Cards twice settled for field goals and whiffed on another.

How do Card fans feel after cleanly beating the spread and almost coming out of Commonwealth Stadium with a win? Probably the same as UK fans felt when the boasted and brayed on this blog about nearly beating the Cards in 2005. But Utah and Pittsburgh are close enough to feel them breathing. Did the Cards show the kind of progress to lead fans to believe that a win over either of those upcoming foes is likely?

Brian Bennett (ESPN.com):

Bad luck, thy name is Steve Kragthorpe.

Louisville had every opportunity to beat Kentucky on the road [Saturday]. The Cardinals got three third-quarter turnovers, and had the ball inside the Wildcats' 10 four times in the second half. But they only came away with 16 points on those drives, and they gave it away twice themselves in the fourth quarter, falling short, 31-27.

What can we take from this game? Louisville played hard, and Justin Burke showed me something. He didn't make many mistakes until the fourth quarter, and even his interception was tipped at the line of scrimmage. The Cardinals played hard and showed some life.

At the same time, it's the same old story under Kragthorpe, with Louisville coming up on the wrong end in a game it could have and should have won. Kentucky did everything to give this game away, yet the Cardinals still couldn't take it. Now with a trip to Utah coming up next week and few breaks on the schedule, you wonder where the wins will come from.

Card Chronicle

If Tom Jurich and the fan base were looking for improvement, they got it. But as my friend Brian put it so eloquently, "If there's one thing I hate, it's a moral victory."  As I see it, this moral victory could be the tipping point for the Kragthorpe era. This game had three potential outcomes:   1) Louisville loses looking like a lame duck, Kragthorpe watch officially goes from "Hottest seat in America" to "We've gone plaid", 2) Louisville makes it competitive, showing much-needed improvement and assuaging the beleaguered fan base for another week, or 3) Louisville turns the corner and stuns the Cats at Commonwealth.  Most people expected the outcome to be worse than #1. This fell somewhere in between # 2 and # 3.

Both on the field and in the presser following the game, Steve Kragthorpe was fired up.  You could tell he wanted to run right back out on the field and play best 2 out of 3. SK quotes out of context:  "That guy's a stud.  That guy's a freaking stud" in reference to Trent Guy's game. "We were going after his ass!" in reference to the intimidating Trevard Lindley.  "Next freakin' question, you're wrong!" in response to a reporter's ill-willed question.  SK is fired up about this team. This is the kind of fire I have wanted to see from our coach since day one, not just some stupid Kragisms and coach-speak to fill the newspapers, but a true desire to win.

Why isn’t there more interest in Louisville vs. Kentucky (even in Kentucky)?

Tom Heiser, who writes a University of Louisville fan blog for the Courier-Journal, said on Wednesday that the Cardinals’ recent mediocrity is not the only thing that has caused the intensity of the Louisville-Kentucky football rivalry to wither.

You may recall that when the schools began playing football each year in 1994 (after an 80-year break), the game was scheduled as the season opener for both teams, creating a tangible excitement for fans of both teams during the summer months.

This continued until 2006, when UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart insisted that the contract for Kentucky to continue playing the Cardinals not require the game to be the UK season opener in those years that the Wildcats were scheduled to be the host team.

Tom continues:

The decision to move the game to fit into UK's lackluster non-SEC schedule as either its second or third game is more and more coming to look like a colossal blunder, one we'd hope Barnhart would correct since it's not written into the state constitution or imparted to him by a burning bush.

As the opening game, it's an integral part of Labor Day weekend festivities. Even for those around the nation untouched by the rancor of the rivalry, it is a foretaste of the full menu of college football to come.

The energy and excitement of the rivalry is unmatched as the kickoff game. Even anticipating a Kentucky win, there always exists an air of the unknown for each fan base. Card fans, With a game under each team's belt this season, we're aware of the warts, we're shorn of any surprise in terms strengths and weaknesses. Kentucky looks like the clear favorite; U of L fans hold out hope, but the showing in game one is reason for concern.

This applies as well to UK. During U of L's recent four-year hegemony, the teams squared off in game one. Only once in my recollection did UK not put up much of a fight: U of L's 28-0 thrashing of the Cats in 2005. Both games in Commonweath Stadium were grueling donnybrooks. Kentucky's win in 2007, for all the excitement for Cat fans at watching Woodson connect with Johnson to crush the spirits of the Cardinal faithful, was lost in a whirl of mounting criticism of Coach Kragthorpe and the realization that UK was on the verge of a 4-0 start.

Isn't it time to finally castigate Mitch Barnhart for tamping down the ardor of the fans? And to question why Big Blue fans sit by so placidly and wait for whatever week the game lands on?

Maybe the Louisville football team can take its lead from the volleyball team

From Charlie Springer and the UofL Card Game:

Freshman Lola Arslanbekova had 21 kills and a block to lead the University of Louisville to a 3-2 win over No. 16 Kentucky before a record 1,200 fans at Cardinal Arena in volleyball Wednesday.

U of L (7-3) handed UK its first loss of the season, dropping the Cats to 10-1 with the 25-19, 23-25, 25-19, 22-25, 16-14 win. “We had not heard of Kentucky but we heard we had to win this match,” said Arslanbekova. “We wanted to win it for coach and I knew we would.”

Big East teams to be under the spotlight this week in college football

Columnist Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal points out that while last weekend was the Big Ten’s turn in the media spotlight (Michigan won over Notre Dame, Michigan State somehow lost to Central Michigan, and Ohio State once again failed to defeat a top 5 team in USC), this week the media gaze shifts to the Big East.

In a down year for the conference, many observers are carping that the Big East does not deserve to have a guaranteed spot in the BCS Championship picture. This weekend, there are five games in which the Big East teams will all be underdogs against opponents from other Bowl Championship Series leagues. This means there will be five chances to win a non-league game against another BCS school. Three prior such games this season have ended in Big East losses.

The Cincinnati Bearcats are the only conference school in the Associated Press Top 25 (17), and they are a 1 1/2 point underdog at Oregon State. Louisville is a 13-point underdog to Kentucky.

If the Big East is going to be successful in gaining back a measure of national respect, this is a good time to start.

Louisville vs. Kentucky Game Watch this Saturday

This Saturday, September 19, 2009, the University of Louisville DFW Alumni Club is hosting our first Football Game Watch of the season for the annual grudge match between the Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats. Game time is 11:00 AM Central Time, and our venue is Jerseyville Classic Sports (6121 West Park in Plano; it’s located on the north side of the Shops of Willow Bend mall). Please join us to cheer on the Cardinals as they take on the favored Wildcats in Lexington.  If you have questions about any of this or any club events or about the UofL DFW Alumni Club, please contact please contact Club President Mitch Matamoras (uofl@verizon.net / 214-348-5325).

UofL-Kentucky Game Watch

On Saturday September 19, 2009, the University of Louisville DFW Alumni Club is hosting our first Football Game Watch of the season for the annual grudge match between the Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats. Game time is 11:00 AM Central Time, and our venue is Jerseyville Classic Sports (6121 West Park in Plano; it’s located on the north side of the Shops of Willow Bend mall). Please join us to cheer on the Cardinals as they take on the favored Wildcats in Lexington.  If you have questions about any of this or any club events or about the UofL DFW Alumni Club, please contact please contact Club President Mitch Matamoras (uofl@verizon.net / 214-348-5325).

Louisville announces 2009-2010 basketball schedule

The University of Louisville has formally announced its 2009-2010 NCAA basketball schedule (PDF), and unlike the football team – which has fallen from grace in the eyes of the television networks – the basketball Cardinals will make at least 14 appearances on national television. The schedule also includes 21 games to be played at Freedom Hall in the last year the Cardinals will call the venerable arena home. UofL will move to a new downtown arena in Louisville for the 2010-2011 season.

From the University press release:

Nineteen of the Cardinals' 31 games will be played against teams that participated in post-season competition last season, including a dozen in the NCAA Tournament.

U of L will open its season on Nov. 17 against Arkansas in the Hall of Fame Showcase at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo. The doubleheader, televised by ESPN2, will also include Memphis facing Kansas in the second game of the evening.

The Cardinals will continue with the Hall of Fame Showcase in its next three home games in Freedom Hall against East Tennessee on Nov. 21, Morgan State on Nov. 22 and Appalachian State on Nov. 23. U of L will venture on the road again in its next outing, traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada to face UNLV on Nov. 28.

U of L will play its next eight games at home in Freedom Hall during the month of December, including a Dec. 19 matchup with Western Kentucky televised on ESPN2. That game will be the Eighth Annual Billy Minardi Classic, an event named in memory of Pitino's brother-in-law who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The event has alternated between a four-team tournament and select single game over the years.

U of L closes out its home stretch and the month of December as the Cardinals face USF on Dec. 30 in its first BIG EAST Conference game of the season. The Cards follow that contest with their final non-conference game of the season at Kentucky on Jan. 2 on CBS. U of L will have 14 national television appearances, including eight of its last 11 games.

The Cards' 18-game league schedule includes two games each against Connecticut, St. John's and Syracuse. Louisville closes the regular season against Syracuse on March 6 in the final game U of L will play in Freedom Hall. The BIG EAST Conference Tournament will be staged at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 9-13, with all 16 teams participating for the second straight year.

Tipoff times and television arrangements for all games are incomplete and will be released at a later date.

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.

Come on Cardinal fans; you know you want one of these

This beauty is available now at FootballFanatics.com, for a mere $21.95. :-)

I’ve got a very bad feeling about this year’s Louisville football team

As the University of Louisville football team prepares for its 2009 season opener (September 5 against Indiana State), few college pundits are offering hope to recently beleaguered Cardinal fans.

Louisville faces a very tough schedule this year, including road games at archrival Kentucky, Utah, Cincinnati, West Virginia and South Florida.

Nearly everyone willing to put a pen to paper or a finger to a keyboard believes that (1) Louisville will end up deep in the lower reaches of the Big East standings and (2) Steve Kragthorpe is fighting for his job. Here’s a sampling of what is being said around the blogosphere regarding UofL’s chances this year:

CollegeFootballNews.com

It’s taken just two seasons for Steve Kragthorpe to dismantle what Bobby Petrino had accomplished when he was at the controls. Say what you will about Petrino’s exit strategies, but he knew how to win games, going 41-9 in four seasons and basically spoiling the locals. Not only has Kragthorpe failed to take the baton, but he’s completely botched the handoff, winning just 11 games and failing to make the postseason both years. Even worse, the Cardinals lost their final games of 2008 to share the Big East cellar with Syracuse. Yup, the same Syracuse that’s been the league’s doormat for much of the decade.

In response to the team’s collapse, Kragthorpe took a broom to his coaching staff in the off-season, sweeping out offensive coordinator Jeff Brohm and some of his assistants, and hiring Brent Guy to replace the departed Ron English. In another sign that Kragthorpe wants greater control over his fate, he’ll be coordinating the offense and calling the plays this fall. The big issue? He doesn’t have an abundance of talent on either side of the ball. Both lines have been damaged by graduation and there isn’t a proven quarterback on the roster.

The College Football Voice

The bottomless pit of JuCo recruiting is eating away at the Cardinals. Instead of placing building blocks, Steve Kragthorpe seems to be stuck patching holes, especially on defense. In the 2009 recruiting class 5 of 7 JuCo players taken were on defense, that number was 5 of 9 in 2008. The issue there is the chemistry between the schemes and players is gained and lost in just one or two seasons as opposed to the four or five for recruits right out of high school. The Cardinal quarterback position has heavy competition between 4 legitimate candidates.

Associated Content

The Cardinals are usually led by a pretty good quarterback but that isn't the case in 2009. The offense has some talent but there probably won't be a lot to be excited about this season.

Bleacher Report

In his third year at Louisville, head coach Steve Kragthorpe could be coaching for his job.  Unfortunately, other than sophomore running back Victor Anderson, there doesn’t appear to be enough talent left in Louisville for the Cardinals to avoid another disappointing season.  Another last-place finish and it could mean the end of the Kragthorpe era in Louisville.

About.com

It doesn’t seem all that long ago that Louisville was being talked about as one of the Big East’s budding new powerhouses. So much for that. Last year the ‘Cards limped to a 5-7 finish and things aren’t likely to improve much this season. The biggest problem—and the issue that has most plagued the program of late—is the defense, where the ‘Cards simply look too small and too slow to compete with the elite. Time is running out on coach Steve Kragthorpe.