Cards’ Luck Improves, Sparks 35-28 Win
It wasn’t long ago the Cardinals – and especially their special teams – couldn’t buy a lucky break. The football gods returned them all in one night. Louisville took advantage of several lucky bounces, bobbles, and blocks, getting a pair of special teams touchdowns and a defensive score to lead a 35-28 win over the host Memphis Tigers.
It was a mirror image of their game two weeks earlier, where the Cards had all the breaks go against them and threw a late interception to turn a dominating statistical performance into a head-scratching loss. Memphis outgained the Cards 481-299 Friday night, but couldn’t overcome misfortune against Louisville.
Arkelon Hall led Memphis (3-4), throwing for 350 yards and accounting for all four Memphis touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing, 1 receiving) while Hunter Cantwell tossed a pair of scores in the first half. Trent Guy and Johnny Patrick were the heroes for Louisville (3-2), with Guy scoring on a 95-yard kickoff return and a 43-yard scoring reception while Patrick blocked the field goal that Brandon Heath returned for a score and returned the Arkelon fumble for the game-winner.
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* It’s a win, but don’t you feel a little dirty celebrating it? This is a sub-.500 Memphis team that just took the Big East Cardinals to the brink. Don’t let the 3-3 record fool you, two of those wins are over I-AA teams (I don’t care what it says about Arkansas State… it’s a typo). If not for a smorgasbord of lucky breaks, Louisville gets run out of the building by a gimmicky C-USA offense. We’re 3-2 headed back home to meet Middle Tennessee State, but I believe the same rules apply about our three victories.
* It was a good run while it lasted, Mr. Powell. After such a promising showing against UConn two weeks earlier, Bilal Powell was back to his soul searching ways against Memphis Friday night. The talented sophomore was personally responsible for Hunter Cantwell’s 1st-quarter interception, completely whiffing on his blocking assignment to allow DL Jada Brown to put a big hand on Cantwell’s throwing elbow. He spent his next two touches dancing around like a ballerina, accounting for seven yards, and earning a lot of quality time on special teams and the bench the rest of the evening.
* With his 81 yards rushing, Victor Anderson was the leading Cardinal rusher for the fourth time in 5 games this season. It was just the second time this year he failed to crack the century mark or the goal line (Kentucky).
* Cantwell’s 133 yards passing were the fewest by a Cardinal starting quarterback since Stefan LeFors threw for 79 yards in a 70-7 victory over visiting Cincinnati in 2004. Louisville racked up 357 yards rushing in that game, which was 42-0 at the half in the midst of a cold, steady rain the Saturday following Thanksgiving.
That game was also the last time that the Cards scored 3 non-offensive touchdowns, getting a pair of blocked punts for scores (Brandon Johnson, Tiger Jones) and a 72-yard punt return from Montrell Jones.
* The 43 yards receiving by Trent Guy are the fewest for a leading Cardinal receiver since Michael Bush led the Cardinal passing attack by grabbing just two passes for 41 yards in the 2004 season opener against Kentucky. Louisville won that game 28-0 behind a stifling defensive performance and 261 team yards rushing. Maybe there’s something to be said for offensive ineptitude? Wait, is that redundant?
* A couple of running diary entries from tonight’s notes.
8:30PM: Misdirection is killing us.
9:15PM: MISDIRECTION IS KILLING US! (A. Hall, 1 yd pass from M Jones)
10:37PM: How many times can the delayed screen and a WR sweep and reverse pass to the QB work in one game? Misdirection… SERENITY NOW!!
9:08PM: Lots of drops by Doug Beaumont this evening.
9:39PM: Do we have a weather check on the Memphis humidity this evening? Drops coming from everyone.
10:22PM: Another WR drop, this one for a Woodny Turenne interception. Break out the stick ‘em!
10:35PM: See, humidity works like sunlight. It is drawn to dark colors. That’s why Memphis looks so slippery right now. Honest, I saw it on Bill Nye the Science Guy.
10:45PM: Looks like the humidity has claimed the official penalty flags. Yet another yellow hankie on the field and no penalty.
* So just to clear this up… Coach Kragthorpe knows that timeouts carry over into the 2nd/4th quarter, right? Two more wasted TO’s were served up this evening, the first coming late in the first quarter after a “questionable” spot left the Cards with a very short 3rd & 1. Instead of just lining up and shoving our offensive line down Memphis’ throat, Krag feels the need to take a break to verbally undress the nearest whistle zebra. THEN we go ahead and run the sneak for two yards. Then, early in the third quarter, Krag feels the need to take a TO in order to set up… a screen to Doug Beaumont for no gain. Well played.
Just to give credit where credit is due, nice move to have Rodney Gnat fake the injury later in the second half. It’s like getting a free timeout… which Krag promptly used just to be safe.
* Hey Memphis, can we work on the referee PA system? My ears are still bleeding. And while we’re making requests to the Tigers, I got a call from the Village People. Will Hudgens, they want their moustache back.
* Can we all just agree to a motion banning any pass attempt that is not directed squarely between Pete Nochta’s numbers? The guy is great at cradling the ball in between his 8 and his 2 (see his post-up catch, pivot, and 23-yard TD run), but extension grabs just aren’t part of the Nochta repertoire.
* More random diary entries…
10:25PM: Anyone have an extra time machine lying around? I think we need to recruit a brave fan to go back and stop the presses on that whole Cantwell frog gigging article. We’re Kentuckians… isn’t the hill to climb already tall enough?
10:38PM: Which is worse: the fact that Arkelon Hall is shredding our Big East secondary? Or the Doppelganger flashbacks of Byron Leftwich doing the same to our ’02 GMAC Bowl team? Can we check Hall’s ID just to be sure Leftwich didn’t sneak back into college?
10:54PM: Most effective Cardinal play call of 2008? Fake toss right, pitch left to Victor Anderson. At this point I believe it ranks 3rd behind jump ball Tom Brady to Randy Moss and anything called for “Tecmo Bo” Jackson.
* Finally, get well soon Woodny Turenne (cramps?). The UofL family – and Danny Covington’s abused DB play – miss you.
