ESPN Insider's Preview of Louisville

[Empire Lindy]

I haven't had a chance to read it, but I wanted to post it here for discussion. Based on the browsing, this should provide a new round of arguments from the bunkers of World Krag War.

COACH AND PROGRAM
The 2007 season was only three weeks old, and Louisville had already lost more football games than it had the entire 2006 season. It was then that Steve Kragthorpe got his first real taste of the turmoil that would accompany his inaugural season as the Cardinals' head coach.

On that September afternoon in Louisville, the No. 18 Cards fell to winless Syracuse, 38-35. Their defense allowed 474 yards of offense to a team that would finish an anemic 114th in the nation in generating yards (291.9 ypg).

Fan internet message boards lit up with threads calling for Kragthorpe's head nearly before he had a chance to unpack his bags. And, they reasoned, why not? Their Cards had gone 12-1 the season before, won the Big East championship and defeated Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl. With 21 starters back from that team, Kragthorpe was expected to ride the crest of a wave of success created by Bobby Petrino, who had departed for the Atlanta Falcons after the magical run.

Little did they know that Kragthorpe was, by his own admission, "shocked" by what he encountered when he arrived from Tulsa, where he had inherited a team that had lost 21 of its last 22 games and guided it to 29 victories and three bowl trips in four seasons. After that amazing performance he supposed coaching a team that had gone 41-9 over the last four years would be gravy.

He was wrong.

"I was surprised by the lack of depth, especially on the defensive side of the ball," Kragthorpe said.

The defensive problems surfaced in the second game of the season when Middle Tennessee put up 42 points. The following week the Cards yielded 40 in a loss to Kentucky, then 38 to Syracuse, among them touchdown plays of 79, 60 and 42 yards and a 93-yard kickoff return.

But there were more than defensive issues. Kragthorpe believed there were character problems, too, and he knew that such a cancer could prove fatal to a program unless dealt with swiftly and emphatically. Instead of coasting along with Petrino's talent -- and there is no question he left an ample amount of it behind -- Kragthorpe found himself weeding out troublemakers. Such work is best left to the offseason, but he thought he had no choice.

The result was a season of dizzying ups and downs that featured lows such as the Syracuse loss and a 55-17 conference wipeout at USF and highs like a 28-24 victory at No. 15 Cincinnati and a 41-38 season-ending victory over bowl-bound Rutgers. The offense was prolific, ranking No. 6 in the nation (488 yards per game). The defense was porous, ranking No. 84 (416.5 yards per game allowed) and yielding at least 38 points in seven of 12 games.

"Obviously, we struggled in some areas and didn't get off to the start we wanted to, losing to Kentucky and then Syracuse," Kragthorpe said. "The guys continued to battle throughout, handling some of the setbacks well and playing hard."

When it was over, Kragthorpe called the 6-6 season the most frustrating he has ever experienced as a coach, and there was talk he would leave afterward and take an opening at SMU. He adamantly maintained it was all smoke and no fire and went to work trying to plug massive holes left by graduation, defections and disciplinary evictions.

There were plenty of each, especially the latter. Rod Council, the team's most experienced cornerback, was kicked off the team when he was arrested after the season for allegedly robbing a gas station in North Carolina. George Stripling, who had stepped in as a freshman three years ago and so admirably replaced star Michael Bush when the running back went down with a broken leg, was booted off the team in May for a "violation of team rules." That took another senior out of the mix.

Meanwhile, many of the offensive stars who had carried the Cards to new heights under Petrino graduated to the NFL, among them quarterback Brian Brohm (second round, Green Bay), wideout Harry Douglas (third round, Atlanta), tight end Gary Barnidge (fifth round, Carolina), tackle Breno Giacomini (fifth round, Green Bay) and wideout Mario Urrutia (seventh round, Cincinnati), a junior who was in Kragthorpe's doghouse early in the season and decided to enter the draft early.

Leading rusher Anthony Allen decided to transfer after the season. Art Carmody, who won the Lou Groza Award as the nation's best place-kicker in 2006, graduated. All three starting linebackers and the top reserve departed.

Get the picture? Kragthorpe's housecleaning was so extensive he had little choice but to go the quick-fix junior-college route to replace the missing parts, always a risky venture.

"We had to do it because if you look at the last four recruiting classes, 43 of those players are no longer here," he said. "Obviously, you would rather not have to do it."

Ten junior college players were signed, and the uncertainty of their potential impact was such that Kragthorpe refused to release a depth chart after spring practice to offer much insight on the state of the program.

"Everything was up in the air before spring ball," he said, "and everything is still up in the air."

This much is known: Kragthorpe is not sitting still. He fired his defensive staff after the season and brought in a ton of experience in Ron English and Bill Miller. He believes he has eliminated the problem players and is ready to build a new foundation. Yet, he knows the clock is ticking, hence the JUCO infusion.

Stay tuned.

QUARTERBACKS
Kragthorpe received a big assist last season when Brian Brohm announced he would return to the Cardinals for his senior season despite a likely first-round draft selection had he elected to depart early. The team's problems on and off the field had nothing to do with the star, who kept his head together through it all and completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 4,024 yards and 30 touchdowns with only 12 interceptions. Now Brohm is in Green Bay, leaving a substantial void behind him.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, senior Hunter Cantwell (6-5, 236) resisted the urge to transfer while serving for years as Brohm's understudy and should be under center when the season opens.
"It is certainly going to be tough to replace a talent like Brian," Kragthorpe said. "Hunter started a few games for us when Brian was banged up and was productive. It's nice to have a guy come in and do those things for you. I thought he did some good things in the spring. He is more comfortable with his rhythm and timing."

Cantwell will enter preseason camp with four career starts. The former walk on has passed for 1,419 yards and 10 touchdowns with seven interceptions, although most of the production came before last season, when Brohm was healthy throughout and Cantwell attempted only 14 passes. The battle in preseason camp appears to be for the No. 2 job. Sophomore Tyler Wolfe (6-5, 216) and redshirt freshman Matt Simms (6-3, 210) waged a spirited competition throughout spring ball, and it will probably continue well into fall camp. Neither has thrown a pass in college.

Wolfe is a Louisiana native who was second-team all-state as a high school senior, and Simms is the son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms and brother of current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Chris Simms, although he did not come out of high school with his brother's can't-miss label.

"They're both working hard," Kragthorpe said. "We'll see how it goes when they get back into camp."


RUNNING BACKS

Anthony Allen, a bruising 6-1, 230-pound power back, burst onto the scene as a sophomore last season with a 35-carry, 275-yard performance on national television in the second game, a 58-42 rout of Middle Tennessee. By the second half of the season his carries had diminished substantially as he was part of a four-back rotation. When it was over, Allen and his team-leading 696 yards were reportedly headed to Georgia Tech.
George Stripling is another story. Although he found himself buried in Petrino's doghouse after a promising freshman campaign in which he gained 621 yards and averaged nearly eight yards a pop, he was functional for Kragthorpe last season, gaining 258 yards (4.2 per carry) and catching 20 passes for 227 more (11.4 per catch). He was Louisville's second-leading returning receiver, "was" being the operative word. After being suspended by Kragthorpe for the entire spring season, Stripling was asked to leave.

The two unexpected losses aside, the Cardinals should be fine at this position in 2008. Senior Brock Bolen (6-0, 238) came on as the season progressed and added a measure of toughness to the backfield in gaining 456 yards (5.2 per carry) and scoring seven touchdowns, tied with Allen for the team lead despite 58 fewer carries. He also caught 14 passes out of the backfield for 121 yards (8.6 per reception) and a touchdown.

Sophomore Bilal Powell (6-0, 208) began to get touches toward the end of the season and produced 187 yards (7.8 per carry) and two touchdowns. Redshirt freshman Victor Anderson (5-9, 182) turned heads during spring ball and is making a strong bid to see playing time. Senior Sergio Spencer (5-10, 185) and redshirt freshman Dale Martin (6-0, 208) are also in the mix.

Although Kragthorpe probably will not need him this season, he also got a blue-chip prospect in Cincinnati schoolboy star Darius Ashley (5-9, 182), a first-team all-state selection from a state that produces a ton of Bowl Subdivision talent. The focus going in, though, is on Bolen, Powell and Anderson.

"All three have ability," Kragthorpe said. "It's up to them to make the most of it."

]

[Empire Lindy]

Continued...

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS

The Cardinals took four huge hits here after the season. Harry Douglas caught 173 passes for 2,924 yards and 15 touchdowns in his career, No. 5 on the school's career list in receptions and No. 2 in receiving yards. He also was a valuable kick returner. Gary Barnidge caught 53 passes for 655 yards from his tight end position and tied Douglas for the team lead with seven touchdown passes. Each player was chosen first-team all-conference.
Mario Urrutia was an imposing 6-6 target for Brohm, although his production dropped (35 receptions for 501 yards and three touchdowns) during a rocky junior season. Patrick Carter was another big target (6-3), and he caught 26 passes for 396 yards (15.2 per catch) and five touchdowns.

The combination of losing a star quarterback, his top three targets and four of his top five has left Kragthorpe with huge holes in the team's offensive bread-and-butter heading into 2008. While it will be impossible to replace Brohm with a player of equal talent, Cantwell has displayed enough grit and skill in his limited exposure to provide hope at that make-it, break-it position.

Receiver is another question altogether and one of the biggest facing Kragthorpe and his staff in the offseason.

"Everything is up in the air," he said, echoing a phrase repeated often during two interviews seeking information about the prospects team-wide.

Juniors Scott Long (6-2, 211), JaJuan Spillman (5-10, 151) and Trent Guy (5-9, 165) will be counted on heavily to help plug the gaping hole. All three played last season and contributed some, Long (27 receptions for 358 yards, 13.3 per reception) the most. Of the 30 touchdown receptions made by Cardinals last season, only three belonged to players still on the roster, and Guy (11 receptions for 177 yards, 16.1 per catch) has two of them.

Sophomore Doug Beaumont (5-9, 176), redshirt freshman Josh Chichester (6-8, 224) and senior Chris Vaughn (6-3, 220) are in the mix, and Chichester's size is intriguing.

That noted, Kragthorpe was sufficiently concerned about the position to go the junior-college route and sign Maurice Clark (6-3, 220), an all-conference wideout at Saddleback Community College in California who caught 43 passes for 628 yards (14.6 per catch) and eight touchdowns last season.

Kragthorpe and his staff also signed a JUCO tight end, a position in worse shape than wideout, as Barnidge and backup Scott Kuhn are gone. Rock Keys (6-5, 235) was used mainly as a blocker at Jones (Miss.) Community College last season, catching only 11 passes. Yet, Keys will get a hard look in preseason camp, along with sophomores Michael Fennerty (6-4, 229) and Pete Nochta (6-5, 246), senior Johnnie Burns (6-3, 245) -- a converted defensive end -- and redshirt freshman Zack Meagher (6-4, 239).

Don't be surprised to see freshmen Nate Nord (6-5, 230) and Stephon Ball (6-4, 215) pushed into the competition upon their arrival in August, too.


OFFENSIVE LINE

That Breno Giacomini was good enough to be drafted by the Packers but had to stand behind a couple of teammates when the 2007 all-conference teams were announced is evidence of just how good the Cards' line was last season. It paved the way for 488 yards of offense by setting up a formidable wall in front of Brohm, allowing only two sacks per game -- superb considering the Cards threw it 41 times a game.
There is good news and bad news here this season ... and that is better than most news surrounding the team in general. The good news: The two players honored ahead of Giacomini on the all-conference teams are back. The bad news: They don't have much company.

Senior center Eric Wood (6-4, 309) has started 37 consecutive games, earning freshman All-America honors, second-team all-conference recognition the following season and first-team all-conference status last season. Chosen to the preseason Outland Trophy watch list, he is a lock to be an early round draft choice.

Senior tackle George Bussey (6-4, 306) -- a former walk on -- is nearly as accomplished, making 25 consecutive starts, earning second-team all-conference accolades and joining Wood on the preseason Outland watch list.

Junior Brian Roche (6-4, 303) started the final four games last season at right guard. His backup in those games, junior Abdul Kuyatch (6-2, 296), made one start at the same position. That's it for starting experience returning up front for the Cardinals.

Kragthorpe will look to sophomores Mark Wetterer (6-5, 315) and Josh Byrum (6-5, 289) to replace Giacomini at tackle, but a strong challenge could come from freshman Mario Benavides (6-4, 285), a former Ole Miss commitment who enrolled in January and participated in spring ball. This is another position Kragthorpe was sufficiently worried about to go the JUCO route for help, signing C.J. Millenbah (6-5, 305) out of California and Byron Stingily (6-6, 295). Another sophomore, Greg Tomczyk (6-6, 297), will likely be Bussey's backup but could move over and join the crowd on the other side if the need be.

Overall, there are two solid anchors to build around and three positions Kragthorpe said -- you guessed it -- are still wide open heading into preseason camp.

"I like the talent level," he said, "but we are young."


KICKERS

Art Carmody was a four-year fixture of excellence in the Cardinals' lineup, making 60-of-73 field-goal attempts (82.2 percent) and missing only two point-after kicks in 255 tries. That kind of production and consistency earned him the Lou Groza Award, given to the nation's top kicker, in his junior season.
Following the trend at several other positions, Carmody is gone and leaves a substantial void in his wake, graduating as the NCAA's career scoring leader (433 points).

Sophomore Tim Dougherty (5-10, 180), a Louisville native who originally attended Purdue, has the inside track on the job. Freshman Chris Philpott (6-0, 185) from Atlanta should provide competition. He made a 51-yarder as a high school senior last season


DEFENSIVE LINE

Finally, some good news for the Cards. Despite the loss of starters Willie Williams (31 tackles and two sacks) at tackle and Peanut Whitehead (25 tackles, two sacks in 10 games) -- whose career was ended late in his sophomore season by spinal stenosis -- at end, Louisville has depth and production returning up front.
"We have some guys coming back," said Kragthorpe, measuring his words carefully, "but we need others to step up and fill the roles vacated by Williams and Whitehead. In Peanut's case, his loss was really indicative of what we went through last season."

Kragthorpe was so disappointed with the team's performance on the defensive side of the ball he released his entire defensive staff after the season. Coaching the line this season will be Ken Delgado, a 20-year veteran of coaching the position whose last coaching stop was at Cal. Delgado has a nice nucleus to work with in the middle, as senior tackle Earl Heyman (6-3, 285) returns after recording 40 tackles, seven for loss, and a team-high four sacks last season. Senior Adrian Grady (6-2, 305) saw action in seven games last season and will probably replace Williams in the starting lineup.

Also in the mix are junior L.T. Walker (6-4, 302) and sophomore Aundre Henderson (6-4, 284), who played sparingly in four games. Adding some beef will be junior Tyler Jessen (6-2, 300), another JUCO addition. The former all-state player from Kansas recorded 88 tackles for Butler (Kansas) Community College last season while splitting time between tackle and end, although tackle is his natural position.

The loss of Whitehead hurts, but senior Maurice Mitchell (6-3, 272) is a solid end who led the team last season with nine tackles for loss and recorded two sacks. Junior L.D. Scott (6-2, 268), who moved into the starting lineup last season when Whitehead retired, will need to build on his 20-tackle performance if he wants to nail down the other starting spot at end.

Sophomore Rodney Gnat (6-3, 243) played in 10 games last season and recorded four tackles for loss and a sack. He should be in the rotation and may even earn a starting berth by the time the season opens.

The staff also has high hopes for redshirt freshman Zach Kiernan (6-6, 281), but a knee injury shelved him for spring ball and could affect his status for the fall.

All in all, Delgado has more to work with than many of his fellow assistants as the Cards prepare for the season.

[Empire Lindy]

And to wrap it up...

LINEBACKERS

There are several questions that must be answered in a hurry if the Cardinals hope to compete for the Big East title this season. The biggest of them all is at linebacker, where all three starters from last season and the top reserve must be replaced.
The curious decision of Lamar Myles to enter the draft after the season exacerbated an already tough situation. Myles, who led the team with 128 tackles and was one of the few bright spots on that side of the ball, went undrafted and is trying to make the Jacksonville Jaguars as a free agent. His departure, combined with the graduation of starters Malik Jackson and Preston Smith and top reserve Terrance Butler, makes linebacker the most unsettled position on a team full of them.

"We're very, very thin there," Kragthorpe said. "We need players there. We have guys coming in from junior college who will need to jump into those spots. Somebody needs to, anyway."

Kragthorpe hired 31-year coaching veteran Bill Miller to undertake the overhaul. The former defensive coordinator at Western Michigan, Arizona State, Michigan State, Miami and Oklahoma spent most of spring practice using words such as "raw," "unknown entity" and "shows promise" to describe the situation.

Miller hopes senior James Bryant (6-3, 257), who sat out last season after transferring from Miami, can step in and replace Myles, although the Hurricanes believed Bryant was better suited to play fullback and told him there was no room for him in their defense, which makes his potential impact suspect. Senior Mozell Axson (6-1, 243) could push Bryant for time.

Junior Stephen Garr (6-1, 223) and redshirt freshman Patrick Grant (6-4, 218) are pushing to replace Jackson on the strong side, and Kragthorpe moved sophomore safety Brandon Heath (6-1, 225) down to linebacker in the offseason to compete with junior Darius Mann (5-11, 213) on the other side.

The situation was so fluid in spring ball that junior Josh McDonald (6-1, 220), who arrived three years ago as a walk on receiver, was playing as a first-team outside linebacker at one point. Another sure sign of a position in desperate need occurred in April with the late signing of junior-college linebacker Antwon Canady (6-1, 236), a Georgia native who made 106 tackles last season at Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College. He led the Jayhawk Conference with 11.8 tackles per game.

"He has the ability to come in and provide us with immediate depth and at the same time have three years of eligibility remaining," Kragthorpe said.

Canady will compete for time with fellow JUCO products Jon Dempsey (6-0, 233), an All-American out of California who made 109 tackles last season, and Chris Campa (6-2, 215), an Orlando product who enrolled in January and participated in spring ball.

Sophomore Eugene Sowell (6-0, 205) is in the picture, and Miller said incoming freshmen Keith Baker (6-3, 230) and Dexter Heyman (6-3, 225) will get a look when they arrive in August.

Overall, the outlook is hazy at this critical position.


DEFENSIVE BACKS

The arrest and subsequent dismissal of Rod Council leaves a secondary that was already torched too many times a season ago without its most experienced cornerback. Strong safety Deon Palmer graduated, leaving new defensive coordinator Ron English and cornerbacks coach Eric Lewis to replace half of the starting secondary.
Considering the performance of the unit last season, that may not be a bad thing. The Cards allowed 250 passing yards per game last season (No. 87 in the nation) and 25 touchdown passes. They were No. 115 in the nation in pass efficiency defense. In the aftermath Kragthorpe mined the JUCO ranks for players and brought in English to simplify the team's overall approach to defense.

Joining the team from junior college are safeties Justin Matthews (6-2, 205), a preseason All-American whose season was ended six games into it when he suffered a broken leg, and Josh Wiley (6-1, 200), rated the second-best JUCO defensive back in the nation after the season.

The Cards already return senior Bobby Buchanan (5-11, 199), who started at free safety and was second on the team with 54 tackles. He will move to strong safety this season, where he will compete with Wiley for the starting job. Senior Richard Raglin (6-2, 198), who played in all 12 games last season and made 38 tackles, and sophomore Latarrius Thomas (6-2, 206) are battling at free safety.

Even without Council the Cards have decent experience at cornerback. Senior Woodny Turenne (6-1, 182) stepped from the JUCO ranks into the starting lineup last season and made 40 tackles while playing in 11 of 12 games. Sophomore Johnny Patrick (6-0, 184) played in nine games last season and intercepted a pass, and senior Travis Norton (6-1, 196) played in five. Junior Chaz Thompson (6-1, 199) will also bid for time.

The main focus of this group will be to eliminate the big plays that led to early season losses to Kentucky and Syracuse and set the tone for a rocky season.


PUNTERS

Junior Cory Goettsche (6-1, 219) was a serviceable if not great punter for the Cardinals last season, averaging 38.9 yards on his 42 kicks without getting one blocked. He did have 11 of his punts downed inside the 20, which hints of an ability to place the ball where he wants it, but overall he ranked seventh in the eight-team Big East in punting average.
Goettsche also had a punt returned 74 yards for a touchdown, although to his credit that was a play in which Connecticut's Larry Taylor called for a fair catch and then took off with the ball and went all the way, sparking a late comeback and another disheartening Louisville defeat.

Afterward, the officials admitted they blew the call by missing Taylor's ploy.

In any event, as there are no other punters listed on the team's spring roster and he now has a year of experience, Goettsche should be the man when the season starts.


SPECIAL TEAMS

Junior Trent Guy (5-9, 165) proved to be a dangerous kick and punt returner for the Cards last season, returning a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdowns -- seventh in the conference at 21.6 yards per return -- and taking back a punt 54 yards for a score. He will be the team's punt returner this season and will share the kick return duties with junior JaJuan Spillman (5-10, 151), senior Corey Thompson (6-0, 185) and junior Bilal Powell (6-0, 208). Louisville's coverage teams also allowed one punt return and one kickoff return for a touchdown and will have to do a better job this season. Senior long-snapper Dane Mattingly (6-0, 200) is a good one and will give a measure of comfort to the team's punter and kicker. The sure-handed Douglas served as Carmody's holder last season and will have to be replaced. Reserve quarterback Bill Ashburn (6-2, 207), a senior, was the backup last season and will likely inherit the role.
A more pressing concern will be replacing kickoff man Todd Flannery. Sophomore Tim Dougherty (5-10, 180) and freshman Chris Philpott (6-0, 185) are the likely candidates.


BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS
Grading the Cardinals
Unit Grade
Offense C
Special teams B
Defense D
Intangibles D

Let's be honest: The Cardinals have a steep hill to climb if they are to even approach, let alone surpass, last season's disappointing .500 record. Kragthorpe was disturbed by the lack of depth and ambushed by the character issues that greeted him upon his arrival. Still, with all the offensive assets he inherited, the team should have done better than 6-6.
Now, with the fans already having a bad taste in their mouths, Kragthorpe's real challenge begins. A startling amount of last season's offensive and defensive production is gone thanks to graduation departures, defections and dismissals. So is half the coaching staff. With very few exceptions there is little Bowl Subdivision game experience waiting to step in. Kragthorpe had no choice but to go the junior-college route looking for answers, and while he signed 10 JUCO prospects, none possesses "can't miss" credentials.

There are significant holes at linebacker, wide receiver and tight end and questions at virtually every unit on the team. In a normal transition from one season to the next, replacing a superstar quarterback would be the main topic of conversation in the offseason. At Louisville, it is way down on the list of pressing concerns.

That is reality. In the short term it is harsh. Yet, Kragthorpe deserves time to implement his system. It is true he inherited a ton of talent from his predecessor, but he also inherited a ton of problems, from career-ending injuries to felony arrests to underclassmen unwisely testing the NFL draft early to ... well, you get the picture.

None involved players Kragthorpe recruited. He must be given an opportunity to bring in his players and the chance to recreate the success he enjoyed at Tulsa. That potential long-term gain, though, will probably come through more short-term pain. The demand is simply too great and the talent supply too sparse at the present time to see it differently.

[nmcardsfan]

Seems fair enough..thanks for sharing

[wkuCardinal]

pretty fair assessment... go cards

[HarveyGlass]

"Everything is up in the air." Weeeeee!


I'm still confused and suspicious about the whole SMU thing(which I and apparently everybody else forgot about). If there was any truth at all in him looking into that job he loses big points from me. I can forgive a wandering eye towards an Auburn or LSU when the Cards were still in CUSA, but to even consider stepping waaay down to SMU from the Ville in 2008 says "I can't handle it! Get me out of here!".

[wkuCardinal]

He never interviewed for the SMU job.

[Empire Lindy]

Originally Posted by wkuCardinal

He never interviewed for the SMU job.

If that really is true, how on God's green Earth did the SID for football make a huge mistake, claim he did, and still maintain his job?

[HarveyGlass]

It doesn't matter if he went so far as to interview. If he did, he'd probably not be at UofL right now if it were my program, one way or the other.

If he even had a phone conversation longer than "I'm flattered but no thanks", he should be viewed a little suspiciously, IMO. SMU???

But who knows what really happened. There was enough smoke there to suggest options were explored but maybe the SMU(???) AD made it up to drum up pub for his horseys.