Hey West Virginia fans

[HarveyGlass]

Don't be shy. Welcome to CardinalEmpire. The bird may have teeth, but we don't bite.

Any predictions? Any news from Morgantown? Questions about the cards? This is gonna be a loooong week.

EDIT: The poll is open to anyone.

[nmcardsfan]

slugfest...cards win a nailbiter, finishing what we should have last year at morgantown.

[Die Hard Cards]

I did something blasphemous. I voted for WVU. I think it will be tight. With a healthy Michael Bush and Brian Brohm, we win by 3 TD's. However, thats not the situation. A somewhat rusty Brohm and no Bush. Our running game has been hit and miss, and as stated on another thread Brohm doesn't throw the deep ball. I hope Petrino has been holding back and the team has it in them to pull it out, but I fear they don't. Cards-21 Mountaineers-24. PROVE ME WRONG CARDINALS!!!!

[wkuCardinal]

I say Cards in a decisive win. WVU is a talented team but the Cardinals really ARE due.

[cardfan]

I've heard some say if UL can't stop WV's running game, its over. I'm thinking opposite. If UL can't get Smith and Stripling going, its over. Yeah, i know, i'm beating this to death. LOL

UL's D has been the constant this year though. I'm not worried about it. Just be aggressive and stop the run..pressure the qb.

Keys for UL for me would be to eliminate the silly turnovers. One is ok, but can't have 3-4. Establish the run (run more on first down..doesn't have to every time, just more often) and give the offense some time on the field. Would like to see Brohm go deep more often, but then again, if they can control the ball with the passing they're doing now, i don't have a problem. Play a total game.

Home field is a huge advantage. UL will be up for this game as it's the one they should've had circled all year. I think UL wins by a couple of TD's if they can get off to a good start and not appear sluggish early like they did against Miami and last week.

[Junkman]

I agree, I think this will be a decisive win for UofL. I'm not going to say it will be easy, but decisive.

[AACardFan]

Originally Posted by cardfan

UL's D has been the constant this year though. I'm not worried about it. Just be aggressive and stop the run..pressure the qb.

I agree with some of your keys to the game. The two biggest are that the offense needs to move the chains early and stop the turnovers.

Against West Virginia I would be worried about our defense. The success UofL defense has had against the run this year is an illusion...and for two reasons. (1) The offense jumps to an early lead, causing our opponents to abandon the run. We failed to do that against Cincinnati and the Bearcats marched up and down the field all game. (2) Louisville's opponents to date ranked near the bottom in DI-A scoring.

[dcoffey09]

The obvious key to the game, in my opinion, is to make pat white throw the ball. You do that he is bound to make a couple stupid decisions. He reminds me of troy smith of a year ago, force the pass and turnovers will follow

[AACardFan]

Originally Posted by dcoffey09

The obvious key to the game, in my opinion, is to make pat white throw the ball. You do that he is bound to make a couple stupid decisions. He reminds me of troy smith of a year ago, force the pass and turnovers will follow

He doesn't throw the ball much, but here are his stats vs. (Brohm):

Completion % = 68.8% (61%)
Efficiency rating = 153.6 (144.7)
TD passes = 6 (4)
Ints = 5 (3)

With the ability this guy has to run, it is difficult to pressure him into throwing a bad pass. He is far more likely to run and that is when he is most dangerous.

[the red worm]

I'm more scared of Pat White in that spread offense. Look at what Cinci's QB did to us at home and he wasn't that quick.