Louisville Cardinals
Preview 2007
By
Richard Cirminiello
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2007 Louisville Offense Preview |
2007 Louisville Defense Preview
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2007 Louisville Depth Chart
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2006 CFN Louisville Preview
Former head
coach Bobby Petrino is now with the Atlanta Falcons and one-time
star Michael Bush has not expectedly left early, but the lofty
expectations for the reigning Big East champs not only haven’t
changed, they’ve been cranked up a little more.
Louisville is thinking big again largely because of the return of
quarterback Brian Brohm and his top receivers. It also helped to
snag Steve Kragthorpe from Tulsa, one of the hottest young coaching
stars, to quickly respond to Petrino’s sudden departure to keep the
machine rolling. It’s easy to forget the concern when John L. Smith
left and Petrino stepped in. Now there’s a possibility Kragthorpe
can take the program to yet another level.
Head coach: Steve Kragthorpe
1st year at Louisville
5th year overall: 29-22
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 26, Def. 27, ST 4
Lettermen Lost: 15 |
Ten Best Cardinal Players
1.
QB Brian Brohm, Sr.
2. WR Harry Douglas, Sr.
3. WR Mario Urrutia, Jr.
4. LB Malik Jackson, Sr.
5. OT George Bussey, Jr.
6. C Eric Wood, Jr.
7. PK Art Carmody, Sr.
8. DE Peanut Whitehead, Soph.
9. TE Gary Barnidge, Sr.
10. RB Anthony Allen, Soph. |
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2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 11-1 |
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Aug.
30 |
Murray State |
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Sept. 8 |
Middle Tennessee |
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Sept. 15 |
at Kentucky |
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Sept. 22 |
Syracuse |
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Sept. 29 |
at NC State |
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Oct.
6 |
Utah |
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Oct.
13 |
at Cincinnati |
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Oct.
20 |
at Connecticut |
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Oct.
27 |
Pitt |
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Nov.
8 |
at
West Virginia |
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Nov.
17 |
at South Florida |
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Nov.
29 |
Rutgers |
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2006
Schedule
CFN
Prediction: 11-1
2006 Record: 12-1
Preview
2006 predicted wins
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| 9/2 |
Kentucky
W 59-28 |
| 9/9 |
at Temple
W 62-0 |
| 9/16 |
Miami W 31-7 |
| 9/23 |
at Kansas State
W 24-6 |
| 10/6 |
at MTSU
W 44-17 |
| 10/14 |
Cincinnati
W 23-17 |
| 10/21 |
at Syracuse
W 28-13 |
| 11/2 |
West Virginia
W 44-34 |
| 11/9 |
at Rutgers
L 28-25 |
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11/18 |
South Florida
W 31-8 |
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11/25 |
at Pitt
W 48-24 |
| 12/2 |
Connecticut
W 48-17 |
| 1/2 |
Orange Bowl
Wake Forest W 24-13 |
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Kragthorpe’s
teams are always smart, tough, and keep mistakes to a minimum. In
other words, they’re well coached, and with more talent he’s ever
had to work with, it’ll be an interesting study to see just how
solid the program is to undergo a second major coaching change.
Of course, the coaching can look a whole bunch better with someone
like Brohm to rely on. One of the nation’s best offenses will keep
cranking out yards and points in chunks, and they’ll all be needed
to get through the brutal Big East. The defense, which played so
well last fall, has returning talent, but has to replace six
starters including three all-league performers. Fortunately, the
schedule allows for a little bit of time to get everyone in the
right spots.
The biggest concern will be the secondary which loses three key
players, and it’s asking a lot to get the same consistent offensive
production, but even if the Cardinals have a few new wrinkles and
aren’t quite as explosive, the overall results should be the same,
if not better. Even so, just keeping things rolling might be good
enough for now.
What to watch to watch for on offense: It might be a little less
inventive and a tad more conservative, but no less combustible under
a coach that cites the BYU teams of the 1970s as the genesis of his
offensive philosophy. With Brohm at the controls and Mario Urrutia
and Harry Douglas flanked to either side, the Louisville passing
game will be humming once again. The balance will be there with the
lightning and thunder combination of George Stripling and Anthony
Allen, who should blow up under the new coaching staff. Kragthorpe,
who loves using his tight ends, inherits a good one in Gary Barnidge
and will likely get him more involved than Petrino did.
What to watch for on defense: If Brohm’s healthy all year and
the Cardinals don’t win the Big East, it’ll have something to do
with the play of a defense that has plenty of holes to plug. Gone
are premier run-stuffer, Amobi Okoye, top two defensive backs,
William Gay and Brandon Sharp, and last year’s emotional leader,
linebacker Nate Harris. How quickly fresh faces, such as corner
Woodny Turenne, end Peanut Whitehead and tackle Earl Heyman emerge
as playmakers will dictate whether Louisville can contend for more
than just the Big East.
The team will be far better if … the defense regroups on the
fly. Petrino’s recruiting has ensured that plenty of talent waits
in the wings, and Kragthorpe has had a lot less to work with, but
it’s still asking a lot to improve on a porous pass defense that has
to replace three starters. Granted, most of the yards came in
comeback mode, but there’s still a concern with high-octane offenses
like Kentucky’s and Utah’s early on.
The Schedule: Kragthorpe's first season should be easy early
and brutal late. Outside of a near-certain shootout at Kentucky, the
nastier-than-it-looks home game against Utah, and a road date at
Cincinnati, it should be relatively smooth sailing through the first
two months of the year on the way to an 8-0 record before the season
really kicks in. Pitt, at West Virginia, at South Florida and
Rutgers will make or break Big East title hopes needing to win three
of the final four to likely get back to the BCS. Win all four and
the national title shot might be in view.
Best Offensive Player: Senior QB Brian Brohm. When Brohm opted to return for his
senior season rather than test NFL waters, Louisville instantly had one
of best players in America and a viable Heisman candidate. He’s a
franchise player, who makes all the throws and has the head and
leadership qualities usually reserved for professional quarterbacks.
Best Defensive Player: Senior LB Malik Jackson. In his
first year as a starter at outside linebacker, Jackson showcased why
he’s the defense’s most versatile all-around athlete leading the Cards
with 16 tackles for loss, nine sacks and three fumble recoveries. A
disruptive force with a knack for making the big play, he’s also been
used as a rush end and is the team’s top linebacker in pass coverage.
Key player to a successful season: Senior OT Breno Giacomini. Or
redshirt freshman Jeff Adams. George Bussey will be an All-America
candidate on the left side, but it’ll take a huge season for either
Giacomini or Adams to replace all-star Renardo Foster on the right.
Adams is a 6-8, 300-pound mountain who can play defense if needed, while
Giacomini is a 6-7, 300-pound athlete who moves extremely well.
The season will be a
success if
... Louisville goes back to the BCS. 11-1 is also a good goal to shoot
for with an upset to prevent a 9-0 start before dealing with West
Virginia, South Florida and Rutgers. As long as Brohm is healthy and
winging, the offense will be among the best in America. The defense
won’t miss a beat under Kragthorpe and should be among the best in the
Big East. It’s all there for another Big East title, and maybe more.
Key game:
Sept. 15 at Kentucky.
Of course the last month of the Big East season is all huge, but for
Louisville to have the season it thinks it can have beating an improved
Kentucky is a must. After winning four straight over its in-state rival,
a loss could be disastrous to Kragthorpe and the new coaching staff.
2006 Fun Stats:
- Third quarter scoring: Louisville 112 – Opponents 29
- Third down conversions: Louisville 74 of 160 (46%) – Opponents 55 of
180 (31%)
- Average yards per pass: Louisville 9.8 – Opponents 6.8