2008 Louisville Cardinals Season

2008 Louisville Cardinals Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

2008 Louisville Cardinals

Dec. 4
Rutgers 63 ... Louisville 14
Mike Teel threw seven touchdown passes and Rutgers rolled for 671 yards of total offense in the blowout win. The Scarlet Knights got up 42-0 at halftime helped by a 35-point second quarter highlighted by Tim Brown touchdowns from 74 and 37 yards out. A 23-yard Dennis Campbell touchdown catch with 18 seconds to play capped a half with six Teel touchdown throws and a 31-yard Kenny Britt scoring run. Louisville started the scoring in the second half with a one-yard Brock Bolen run, but Britt answered with a 44-yard touchdown catch. Rutgers averaged 11.4 yards per play; Louisville averaged 4.9 yards per play.
Player of the game: Rutgers QB Mike Teel completed 21-of-26 passes for 447 yards and seven touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Louisville - Passing: Hunter Cantwell, 24-34, 270 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brock Bolen, 12-33, 1 TD. Receiving: Doug  Beaumont, 8-97
Rutgers - Passing: Mike Teel, 21-26, 447 yds, 7 TD
Rushing: Jourdan Brooks, 11-124, 1 TD. Receiving: Tiquan Underwood, 5-88, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The Louisville season ends with a crashing thud as Rutgers and its passing game did whatever it wanted to. Hunter Cantwell and the Cardinal offense weren't bad, but they had no hope of keeping up the torrid pace, and in a flash, it wasn't just over, it was an ugly blowout. The defense was far better throughout the year than it showed in the season finale, but on a five game streak to close things out, when just one win was needed to go bowling, this will be an even uglier off-season than it was after last year's disappointment. Considering the program is just two years removed from winning the Orange Bowl, the Steve Kragthorpe era is on thin ice.

- 2008 Louisville Preview  
- 2007 Louisville Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2008 Record: 5-7

Aug. 30 Kentucky L 27-2
Sept. 6 Tenn. Tech W 51-10
Sept. 13 OPEN DATE
Sept. 17 Kansas State W 38-29
Sept. 27 Connecticut L 26-21
Oct. 4 OPEN DATE
Oct. 10 at Memphis W 35-28
Oct. 18 Middle Tenn W 42-23
Oct. 25 South Florida W 24-20
Nov. 1 at Syracuse L 28-21
Nov. 8 at Pitt L 41-7
Nov. 14 Cincinnati L 28-20
Nov. 22 West Virginia L 35-21
Nov. 29 OPEN DATE
Dec. 4 at Rutgers L 63-14

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 11-1
2007 Record: 6-6

Aug. 30 Murray State W 73-10
Sept. 6 Middle Tenn W 58-42
Sept. 15 at Kentucky L 40-34
Sept. 22 Syracuse L 38-35
Sept. 29 at NC State W 29-10
Oct. 6 Utah L 44-35
Oct. 13 at Cincinnati W 28-24
Oct. 20 at Connecticut L 21-17
Oct. 27 Pitt W 24-17
Nov. 8 at West Virginia L 38-31
Nov. 17 at South Florida L 55-17
Nov. 29 Rutgers W 41-38

Nov. 22
West Virginia 35 … Louisville 21
Pat White set the D-I record for the most career rushing yards by a quarterback (4,292) by tearing off 200 yards and three scores with touchdown runs from 66, 43 and seven yards away. Louisville scored first on a one-yard Bilal Powell touchdown run, but West Virginia ripped off 21 straight points and coasted over the final 18 minutes after White’s third scoring run. He also threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jock Sanders. The Mountaineers finished with 376 rushing yards.
Player of the game: West Virginia QB Pat White ran 21 times for 200 yards and three touchdowns, and he completed 6-of-11 passes for 122 yards and two scores.
Stat Leaders: Louisville - Passing: Hunter Cantwell, 27-47, 276 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Bilal Powell, 13-77, 1 TD. Receiving: Doug  Beaumont, 8-84
West Virginia - Passing: Pat White, 6-11, 122 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Pat White, 21-200, 3 TD. Receiving: Bradley Starks, 3-17
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Louisville just can’t find any consistency. On a four-game losing streak, it was the run defense that didn’t show up this week against West Virginia after the pass defense struggled the week before against Cincinnati. Hunter Cantwell hasn’t been bad at helping the offense crank out yards, but he’s not doing enough to stop opposing scoring runs. This hasn’t been a disastrous season, the team hasn’t been horrendous, but it’ll be a losing season if it can’t get past a red hot Rutgers on the road. The rushing combination of Bilal Powell and Brock Bolen should be good enough to carry the offense, and they ran well against West Virginia, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Cantwell’s three interceptions.

Nov. 14
Cincinnati 28 … Louisville 20
Dominick Goodman caught a 23-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter and John Goebel ran for a six-yard score in the fourth as Cincinnati came back to beat the Cardinals. Louisville got a three-yard touchdown run from Victor Anderson in the second and a two-yard James Bryant catch in the first, but the offense was stuffed late on a last-gasp drive and only managed a 23-yard Ryan Payne field goal in the second half. Mardy Gilyard started out the scoring for the Bearcats with a 48-yard catch on the opening drive.
Player of the game: Cincinnati WR Dominick Goodman made nine catches for 134 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Louisville - Passing: Hunter Cantwell, 19-35, 204 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Victor Anderson, 13-60, 1 TD. Receiving: Doug Beaumont, 4-61
Cicninnati - Passing: Tony Pike, 19-33, 250 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: John Goebel, 10-77, 1 TD. Receiving: Dominick Goodman, 9-134, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Hunter Cantwell threw well enough against Cincinnati, completing 19-of-35 passes for 204 yards, but he didn’t lead the team to any big drives in the second half and he didn’t change the game when he had the chance. The running game has been decent, but nothing special. Overall, the Cardinals played a decent game against UC, but the O failed to come through late. Now UofL needs to beat either West Virginia or a hot Rutgers team to go bowling.

Nov. 8
Pitt 41 … Louisville 7
Pitt dominated from the start on both sides of the ball getting out to a 17-0 first half lead helped by a brilliant leaping 26-yard Oderick Turner touchdown catch and a seven-yard run from Aundre Wright. Louisville benched quarterback Hunter Cantwell for a stretch, but he came back to throw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Troy Pascley in the third. That was is for the Louisville fun as five turnovers proved to be costly. LeSean McCoy took a direct snap 11 yards for a sore and then the defense and special teams got into the act. Ricky Gary returned a fumble three yards for a score and Scott McKilliop returned an interception 18 yards for a touchdown.
Player of the game: Pitt QB Bill Stull completed 15-of-27 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Louisville - Passing: Hunter Cantwell, 15-28, 164 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Victor Anderson, 17-73. Receiving: Doug Beaumont, 5-65
Pitt - Passing: Bill Stull, 15-27, 216 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: LeSean McCoy, 17-39, 1 TD. Receiving: Derek Kinder, 4-30
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Consistency continues to be the biggest problem for the Cardinals. Just two weeks ago they were flying high after the fantastic performance in the win over South Florida, but losses to Syracuse and the blowout to Pitt changed up everything. Now the Cards have to win two of their final three games against Cincinnati, West Virginia and Rutgers at Rutgers, and to get that bowl game and to turn things around, they need Hunter Cantwell. He’s trying, but it seems like he’s pushing too hard. When the team starts to make mistakes, he starts to press. It would be nice if he could elevate the team, but that’s not really his game, Just being steady could be enough.

Nov. 1
Syracuse 28 … Louisville 21
Curtis Brinkley ran for 100 yards for the fifth time in a row and Cameron Dantley threw two touchdown passes as Syracuse shocked Louisville. Brinkley ran for a two-yard score to answer a nine-yard Victor Anderson touchdown run in the first quarter, and then the Orange jumped ahead on a 38-yard Da’Mon Merkerson catch and a 39-yard Antwon Bailey run. The Cardinals got two Hunter Cantwell touchdown passes in the second half, but they weren’t nearly enough as the offense stalled late. SU outgained the Cardinals 385 to 351.
Player of the game: Curtis Brinkley ran the ball 33 times for 166 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Louisville - Passing: Hunter Cantwell, 23-36, 215 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Vic Anderson, 23-113, 1 TD. Receiving: Johnnie Burns, 4-27
Syracuse - Passing: Cameron Dantley, 11-22, 178 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Curtis Brinkley, 33-166, 1 TD. Receiving: Da’Mon Merkerson, 3-68, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Just when Louisville appeared to be turning things around with a great win over South Florida, the clunker came against Syracuse to put the season in jeopardy. There isn’t a sure win in the bunch the rest of the way, and the Cardinals only have five wins. Victor Anderson ran well and Hunter Cantwell wasn’t bad, but the yards didn’t translate into points until late. The run defense really struggled, and now comes a bigger problem with Pitt’s LeSean McCoy up next.

Oct. 25
Louisville 24 … South Florida 20
Scott Long caught touchdown passes from 69 and 24 yards out, with the second one giving Louisville the lead for good midway through the fourth quarter, to overcome a huge day from Matt Grothe. The South Florida quarterback threw touchdown passes to Richard Kelly from three yards and to Ben Busbee from 15 yards away, but he couldn’t get the offense moving late. The Bulls outgained UofL 352 yards to 323, but 14 penalties and two turnovers proved costly.
Player of the game: Louisville WR Scott Long caught five passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: South Florida - Passing: Matt Grothe, 30-40, 344 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Benjamin Williams, 7-14. Receiving: Jessie Hester, 8-74
Louisville - Passing: Hunter Cantwell, 12-21, 212 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Vic Anderson, 18-64. Receiving: Scott Long, 5-134, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Scott Long has added another dimension to the Louisville offense. He came up big with long touchdown grabs against South Florida to change the game around. Hunter Cantwell hasn’t always been great, but he has been great at times over the three game winning streak. Now the team is in the hunt for the Big East title with Syracuse up next before dealing with a trip to Pitt. The run defense is playing well enough, holding USF to eight yards on the ground, to keep the run going.

Oct. 18
Louisville 42 … Middle Tennessee 23
Louisville got down 14-0 on a Jeremy Kellem interception return for a touchdown and a 39-yard play from Phillip Tanner, but then the offense exploded for a 42-3 run with Brock Bolen running for three short touchdowns and Victor Anderson adding the home run from 88 yards out. A blocked punt for a touchdown from Johnny Patrick put the game away early in the fourth quarter.  UL only outgained Middle Tennessee 391 yards to 306.
Player of the game: Louisville RB Victor Anderson and Brock Bolen ran 39 times for 228 yards and four touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Middle Tennessee - Passing: Joe Craddock, 16-28, 152 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Phillip Tanner, 13-46. Receiving: Eldred King, 5-33
Louisville - Passing: Hunter Cantwell, 14-23, 144 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Victor Anderson, 19-161, 1 TD. Receiving: Johnnie Burns, 4-21, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It wasn’t the smoothest blowout win Louisville will ever have, but it came up with the win over Middle Tennessee thanks to 247 rushing yards and now it can move on to the meat of the Big East season. Hunter Cantwell and the passing game failed to click with a pick six and too many misfires, but the running game picked up the slack highlighted by the 88-yard Victor Anderson touchdown dash. While it was a 19-point win that was really better than it looked, Middle Tennessee scored in garbage time, the team will have to be far sharper against South Florida next week.

Oct. 10
Louisville 35 ... Memphis 28
Trent Guy returned a kickoff for a touchdown and caught a 43-yard touchdown pass, and Johnny Patrick returned a fumble 21 yards for the game-winning score and he blocked a field goal as Louisville finished with three returns for touchdowns. The Cardinals scored 28 points in the second quarter with Brandon Heath returned a blocked field goal 60 yards for a touchdown and Pete Nochta caught a 23-yard touchdown pass in the run. Memphis outgained the Cardinals 481 yards to 299 with Arkelon Hall running for a one-yard score, catching a one-yard touchdown pass, and throwing two third quarter touchdown passes.
Player of the game: Louisville WR Trent Guy ran once for 26 yards, caught a pass for 43 yards and a touchdown, and returned two kicks fro 105 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Louisville - Passing: Hunter Cantwell, 13-25, 133 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Victor Anderson, 15-81. Receiving: Scott Long 3-18
Memphis - Passing: Arkelon Hall, 33-55, 350 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Curtis Steele, 16-80. Receiving: Carlton Robinzine, 6-30
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The win over Memphis shouldn't overshadow the continued problems the offense is having with its consistency and production. Hunter Cantwell couldn't keep the chains moving, struggling mightily on third downs, while the running game wasn't used enough. Victor Anderson was excellent and Brock Bolen ran well, but there were only 30 carries. With Middle Tennessee up next, the team has one more warm up before the meat of the Big East schedule kicks in starting with South Florida. Cantwell has to be better, and has the Memphis game showed, Trent Guy needs the ball in his hands more in a variety of ways.

Sept. 26
Connecticut 26 ... Louisville 21
UConn capped a run of 17 unanswered points with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown from Lawrence Wilson with 2:45 to play. The Cardinals' final drive ended with an interception to cap off a the loss. UL gained over 500 yards of total offense, including 261 on the ground, with Victor Anderson running for a two-yard score, Bilal Powell running for a five-yard score, and Hunter Cantwell with an ankle injury, who got dinged up but was able to continue, threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Anderson as part of a 21-0 run. UConn QB Tyler Lorenzen got knocked out with a foot injury, but Zach Frazer was productive throwing a 13-yard touchdown pass to Darius Butler and leading a long drive for a 29-yard field goal with 5:32 to play to pull within one.
Player of the game:  Connecticut RB Donald Brown ran 33 times for 192 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Louisville - Passing: Hunter Cantwell, 17-29, 247 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Bilal Powell, 11-112, 1 TD  Receiving: Josh Chichester, 7-63
Connecticut - Passing: Zach Frazer, 8-15, 90 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Donald Brown, 22-190, 1 TD. Receiving: Darius Brown, 3-40, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Does Louisville have to learn how to win? It dominated Connecticut for long stretches, ran wild on the strong Husky defense, and finished with a 508 yards to 279 advantage. Everything was working, but the team collapsed late capped off by the awful pick six for the game-winning UConn points. Hunter Cantwell tried to gut it out through an ankle injury, but struggled late. However, if Bilal Powell and Victor Anderson keep running well, and the balance is still there, the wins will start to come.

Sept. 17
Louisville 38 ... Kansas State 29
In a game of big plays, Louisville RB Victor Anderson grabbed hold of the game with touchdown runs of 29, 56 and 27 yards out to give the Cardinals a 35-14 lead early in the forth quarter. Kansas State had tried to keep up with Brandon Banks touchdown catches from 45 yards to start the game, and 59 yards to end the scoring, and Jerod Mastrud took a pass 52 yards to pull within 14 in the fourth. Deon Murphy added an 86 yard punt return for the Wildcats, but two Hunter Cantwell touchdown passes kept the Cardinals ahead. Louisville ran for 303 yards and outgained KSU 577 yards to 343, and never trailed.
Player of the game:  Louisville RB Victor Anderson ran 18 times for 176 yards and three touchdowns, and caught two passes for six yards
Stat Leaders: Kansas State - Passing: Josh Freeman, 22-42, 313 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Josh Freeman, 3-18  Receiving: Brandon Banks, 7-153, 2 TD
Louisville - Passing: Hunter Cantwell, 22-33, 274 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Victor Anderson, 18-176, 3 TD. Receiving: Doug Beaumont, 9-119
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... It's one thing to roll up big numbers on Tennessee Tech, but it's another to run wild on Kansas State. Victor Anderson is the new superstar after ripping off big run after big run, showing a great blend of speed and power, but give credit to the offensive line. Anderson had plenty of room to move. On the down side, the secondary had a nightmare of a time keeping the Wildcats from hitting the home run, but overall, this was a huge performance for a Louisville team that needed to show it could be the real deal once Big East play kicks in.

Sept. 6
Louisville 51 … Tennessee Tech 10
Louisville jumped out to a 34-0 lead at halftime and let the defense do the rest. Hunter Cantwell threw two touchdown passes including a 35-yarder to Troy Pascley, Brock Bolen added two short scoring runs, and Victor Anderson rumbled for a three-yard score. The defense came up with two touchdowns including a 19-yard fumbled recovery for a score from Adrian Grady. Tennessee Tech didn’t get into the end zone until late in the fourth on a 20-yard Tremaine Hudson catch.
Player of the game:  Louisville QB Hunter Cantwell completed 15-of-23 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Tennessee Tech - Passing: Lee Sweeney, 14-25, 93 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Tremaine Hudson, 6-21  Receiving: Tim Benford, 6-45
Louisville - Passing: Hunter Cantwell, 15-23, 203 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Victor Anderson, 12-114, 1 TD. Receiving: Doug Beaumont, 5-83
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The defense has played well enough to be 2-0. The Kentucky loss will sting for a while, and beating Tennessee Tech is no big deal, but considering the nightmare of a time last year’s defense had, the early showing is an important one. The Cardinals forced four Tech turnovers and allowed just 33 rushing yards and 176 overall.

Aug. 31
Kentucky 27 ... Louisville 2
Everyone expected an offensive shootout, and the two defenses showed up. Tony Dixon ran for a seven-yard touchdown for Kentucky in the fourth quarter. That would be the only offensive touchdown as UK got a 28-yard fumble recovery for a score from Ashton Cobb in the second quarter, and a 72-yad fumble recovery for a score from big defensive tackle Myron Pryor. The two teams combined for a mere 415 yards of total offense, but it was the five Louisville turnovers that made the biggest difference.
Player of the game: Kentucky DT Myron Pryor made three tackles, one tackles for loss, forced a fumble, and returned a fumble 72 yards for a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Kentucky - Passing: Mike Hartline, 16-31, 147 yds
Rushing: Tony Dixon, 12-27, 1 TD. Receiving: Randall Cobb, 3-31
Louisville - Passing: Hunter Cantwell, 20-43, 152 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Victor Anderson, 12-31. Receiving: Doug Beaumont, 9-77
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Before jumping off the cliff after a disastrous offensive performance against Kentucky, notice the bright side: the defense. The offense will come around. There's too much talent, too much speed, and too many good coaches to not come up with more production in a big hurry. The defense was the big question mark after last year, and it was swarming. Considering the O didn't provide any help, the D did a great job of holding up, especially against the run, despite being on the field for most of the game.

2008 Recruiting Class

Star of the Class

Tyler Jessen DT 6-2 300 Wichita, Kan. (Butler CC)
Split time at defensive tackle and defensive end... named Honorable Mention All-League... was the third-leading tackler for one of the top JUCO defenses in the nation, recording 88 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and three sacks to help the Butler defense limit opponents to 9.1 points per game... Butler allowed only 204 yards of total offense per game and ranked fifth nationally against the run... recorded 44 tackles as a freshman, including 18 for a loss and three sacks... attended Wichita Northwest High School... named first team All-State at defensive tackle and second team All-State at offensive guard... selected All-City on both offensive and defensive line... voted All-Metro ... chose Louisville over Oklahoma State, Marshall, Troy and Kansas State.

Potential Instant Impact Players

Jon Dempsey LB 6-0 233 Visalia, Calif. (College of the Sequoias)
Played for Curtis Allen at the College of Sequoias... rated a three-star prospect by Scout.com... led the team in tackles as a sophomore... two-year starter at linebacker... recorded 109 tackles, including 80 solo stops as a sophomore... also had four sacks and an interception... earned All-Conference accolades... selected as a JUCO All-American... voted as the team's Most Valuable Player... attended Collingswood High School where he was a four-year starter... four-time All-Conference performer and two-time All-State honoree... selected All-South Jersey... played running back and linebacker... recorded 90 tackles... rushed for 1,100 yards and 22 touchdowns... chose Louisville over Michigan State, UAB, Memphis and Arkansas.

Josh Wiley S 6-1 200 Hattiesburg, Miss. (Pearl River CC)
Two-year starter... named second team All-District... played scholastically at Hattiesburg High School... named All-Area... voted the team's Most Valuable Player... three-year starter... guided team to a state championship in baseball... played catcher and outfield... chose Louisville over Marshall, Alabama, Southern Mississippi, West Virginia and Mississippi.

Rest of the Class

Darius Ashley	RB	5-9	182	Cincinnati, Ohio (St. Xavier)
Keith Baker	LB	6-3	230	Scotch Plains, N.J. (Scotch Plains-Fanwood)
Stephon Ball	TE	6-4	215	Cincinnati, Ohio (St. Xavier)
Ryan Barnes	OL	6-6	300	Carmel, Ind. (Carmel)
Mario Benavides	OL	6-4	285	Los Fresnos, Texas (Los Fresnos)
Jacques Caldwell	ATH	5-9	175	Garland, Texas (Garland)
Chris Campa	LB	6-2	220	Orlando, Fla. (Butler CC)
Maurice Clark	WR	6-3	200	Lake Elsinore, Calif. (Saddleback)
Damion Dixon	WR	6-3	180	Port Allen, La. (Port Allen)
Dexter Heyman	LB	6-3	225	Louisville, Ky. (Male)
Rock Keys	TE	6-5	235	Collins, Miss. (Jones County JC)
Justin Mathews	S	6-2	215	Leaksville, Miss. (Jones County JC)
C.J. Millenbah	OL	6-4	295	San Diego, Calif. (Grossmont College)
Nate Nord	TE	6-5	230	Boca Raton, Fla. (West Boca Raton)
Chris Philpott	K	6-0	180	Atlanta, Ga. (St. Pius X)
Randy Salmon	DT	6-3	290	Stockbridge, Ga. (Stockbridge)
Greg Scruggs	DE	6-5	235	Cincinnati, Ohio (St. Xavier)
Byron Stingily	OL	6-6	295	Country Club Hills, Ill. (Joliet)
Zack Stoudt	QB	6-4	210	Columbus, Ohio (Dublin-Coffman)

2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: It's not necessarily a bad thing when you have a wildly disappointing season and still finish 6-6. Steve Kraghtorpe was hit with a ton of criticism, most of it warranted, but he can coach and his team hardly quit on him. Four of the six losses were very winnable, and there might not be too much tweaking needed to pull off more close wins. The running backs should be among the best in the Big East.
Why to be grouchy: The personnel losses are major. QB Brian Brohm was an all-timer, WRs Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia were tremendous, and the defense, while awful, will miss top tackler Lamar Myles in the middle along with the rest of the linebacking corps. The D doesn't just need to improve, it needs to find a pass rush, has to stop someone's passing game, and has to make more big plays.
The number one thing to work on is: Getting everyone to rally around Hunter Cantwell. He's no Brohm, but he could be the best senior pro quarterback prospect (which might not be saying much in a horrible year for draftable passers) with great size and a live arm. He's not starting from scratch with a little bit of experience when Brohm was hurt over the last few years, and if he can be a quick decision maker and make the new receivers around him shine, the O should be fine.
Biggest offensive loss: QB Brian Brohm
Biggest defensive loss: LB Lamar Myles
Best returning offensive player: C Eric Wood, Sr.
Best returning defensive player: FS Bobby Buchanan, Sr.

2007 Recap
Recap: Louisville belongs right in the same discussion with Nebraska, Notre Dame, and UCLA as one of the most disappointing programs of 2007.  The Cards, a Big East favorite and fringe national title contender in August, squandered QB Brian Brohm’s final year in school, failing at 6-6 to even attract a bowl invitation.  Louisville’s demise can be traced to a leaky defense that allowed 38 or more points seven times, and was helpless against opposing quarterbacks.      

Offensive Player of the Year: QB Brian Brohm

Defensive Player of the Year: LB Lamar Myles

Biggest Surprise: With very little to play for in the regular season finale, Louisville dug real deep against Rutgers, rallying from an 18-point, second-half deficit to pull out an improbable 41-38 victory.  The Cards displayed more heart in two quarters than it had in the previous 11 games combined, getting a spark from a future star, freshman RB Bilal Powell.

Biggest Disappointment: Where do you begin?  In a season marked by disappointments, none was bigger than the 40-34 loss to Kentucky on Sept. 15.  In a microcosm of all that went wrong in Steve Kragthorpe’s debut season, Louisville somehow allowed WR Steve Johnson to get behind the secondary for a game-winning 57-yard score with 28 seconds left on the clock.  The loss wasn’t quickly forgotten by the Cards, who were shocked by Syracuse the following Saturday.       

Looking Ahead: Kragthorpe has already shaken up his coaching staff like a snow globe, but it’s going to take some time before the changes have an impact.  Louisville needs to replace a ton of offensive firepower in 2008, namely Brohm, receivers Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia, and back Anthony Allen, who’s transferring.