The Louisville Cardinals came into 2007 ranked high in the preseason polls and potential national title contenders. They saw star QB Brian Brohm turn down an early shot at the NFL for the chance to try at a championship. However, the Cardinals had to deal with a new head coach in Steve Kragthorpe after Bobby Petrino went to the NFL.
Whether that was a big factor or not, the 2007 season definitely didn’t go according to plan. After an electric 2-0 start, Louisville was beaten by in-state rival Kentucky. In their next game, the Cardinals were shockingly upset by 37-point underdog Syracuse, and it was downhill from there. The Cards also lost to Utah, Connecticut, West Virginia and were pounded by USF, but they managed to avoid a losing record with a comeback victory over Rutgers in the final game of the year. Still, that was nothing to celebrate after going 12-1 the year before.
With just nine returning starters in 2008, can the Cardinals make a return to the postseason, or will they take another step back?
Coach: Steve Kragthorpe (2nd year at Louisville, 6-6)
2007 record: 6-6, (3-4 Big East)
Starters returning: 9 (4 offense, 5 defense)
Top returnees: QB Hunter Cantwell, RB Brock Bolen, WR Scott Long, C Eric Wood, LT George Bussey, DT Earl Heyman, SS Bobby Buchanan, CB Woodny Turenne
Key losses: QB Brian Brohm, RB Anthony Allen, WR Harry Douglas, TE Gary Barnidge, WR Mario Urrutia, WR Patrick Carter, RT Breno Giacomini, LG Daniel Barlowe, NT Willie E. Williams, MLB Lamar Myles, LB Preston Smith, LB Malik Jackson, CB Rod Council, SS Deon Palmer
2008 Schedule
Aug. 31 Kentucky
Sept. 6 Tennessee Tech
Sept. 17 Kansas St
Sept. 27 Connecticut
Oct. 10 @ Memphis
Oct. 18 Middle Tennessee
Oct. 25 USF
Nov. 1 @ Syracuse
Nov. 8 @ Pittsburgh
Nov. 14 Cincinnati
Nov. 22 West Virginia
Dec. 4 @ Rutgers
Key game: Aug. 31 vs. Kentucky - It is tough to pick the first game of the season as the Cardinals’ key game, but they cannot afford to lose to their in- state rival for a second straight year. With the middle pack of teams in the Big East mostly a mystery, the Cardinals need to get off to a great start before they play their toughest conference opponents later in the season.
2008 Outlook
Louisville will have to deal with replacing an elite quarterback, as three-year starter Brian Brohm is now with the Packers, and while that would be devastating for most, the Cardinals think they have an ace up their sleeve in QB Hunter Cantwell. He is oozing with NFL potential and is the complete package of size, strength and mobility. Despite starting just four games over the past three seasons, Cantwell is considered one of the top QBs in the conference. Behind Cantwell is the future. Matt Simms, son of former Giants great Phil Simms, was a top recruit and will play backup to Cantwell this season.
The backfield returns a great deal of experience, and that experience needs to translate into consistent results to keep the pressure off of Cantwell. Last season’s leading rusher, RB Anthony Allen, decided to transfer to Georgia Tech, but Brock Bolen appears ready to take his place. Bolen rushed for 456 yards and 7 touchdowns while backing up Allen last season. If Bolen can’t take control of the rushing attack, George Stripling, Dale Martin or Bilal Powell will have to step up. Stripling (258 yards rushing) and Powell (187 yards rushing, 2 touchdowns) both saw playing time last year and were effective when given the ball. Martin is the youngest on the unit but has the most potential.
The receiving corps is in trouble. The unit lost its top four players, three of whom were NFL Draft picks. Not only that, but junior JaJuan Spillman was recently suspended after getting arrested, and fellow junior and big-play threat Trent Guy was shot last month and stands to miss a fair amount of the season. Scott Long (358 yards) is team’s leading returning receiver. Also in the mix are Josh Chichester, Maurice Clark, and TE Rock Keys. As long as these guys can catch, Cantwell will make them look good.
On the offensive line, first-team Big East C Eric Wood and second-team Big East LT George Bussey return for their senior seasons and will be stalwarts. LG Brian Roche was a top recruit, and the addition of two decent JuCo recruits should solidify the line.
The defense was depleted of a lot of talent and will be working with a new coaching staff after last season’s collapse. Ron English is the new defensive coordinator and comes over from Michigan, where he held the same position. He will need to get the most out of his players for the Cardinals to be able to do anything on the defensive side of the ball.
The defensive line recorded just 18 sacks and allowed 165 rushing yards per game last year. However, that group was hindered by injuries, so the line should be better this season. DT Adrian Grady is healthy and ready to go and so is DT Earl Heyman, who put up a solid campaign in 2007. The question is whether the Cardinals will get good production out of the end positions. Maurice Mitchell and Rodney Gnat have not started many games and will have to show that they can do the job. DT James McKinney is a Michigan transfer and has serious potential.
The linebacker unit is the biggest concern on defense. All three starters are gone and key replacements James Bryant and Chris Campa spent the spring dealing with injuries. Bryant transferred from Miami, while Campa and Jon Dempsey are talented JuCo recruits.
The secondary ranked near the bottom of Division I last year. Two of last year’s starters, CB Rod Council and SS Deon Palmer, are gone, but the Cards do have seven players returning with starting experience. There are high hopes for CB Woody Turenne and SS Bobby Buchanan, who both started eight games in ’07, along with FS Latarrius Thomas, who missed almost all of the last season with injury.
The 2008 season will be used to create some stability among the program. The Cardinals do have some good pieces in place, like Cantwell, to compete, but this team will need to overachieve if it is to make any noise in the Big East. The Cardinals will be on the brink of making it to a bowl game and should be able to earn a winning record with an upset or two along the way.
