Monthly Archives: September 2013

The Beak Football Breakdown: Cards vs. Colonels

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The first game of the season has set the bar high for the Louisville Football program both from a fan standpoint and a team standpoint. The first home game against Ohio had a very “Big Time” atmosphere and I’m hoping that can be maintained throughout the entire football season. With game one in the books it’s now time to look to the Cardinal’s next opponent the EKU Colonels.

The EKU program is one of the most tradition rich in the state of Kentucky and although they are still working to get back to the level they were when the legendary Roy Kidd walked the sideline they still play some very competitive football in Richmond. The Colonels have had the highest winning percentage in the OVC over the past ten years at .772 and have won 21 titles in that league. They have also won two FCS National Championships. They are currently ranked #21 in the FCS. The Colonels and Cardinals have played each other 26 times from 1927-2010 and Louisville leads the series with a record of 17-8-1. The last time EKU beat Louisville was during the 1985 season and they won that game in Louisville 45 to 21. These two teams last played each other in 2010 with Louisville prevailing in that contest, 23 to 13. Dean Hood is the head man at EKU and has been the Colonels coach since 2008. He was the Defensive Coordinator at Wake Forest prior to coming to EKU and went up against Bobby Petrino’s Louisville offense in the 2007 Orange Bowl.

There are lots of new faces that will fill the Eastern Kentucky depth chart heading into the game on Saturday as 11 starters from the 2012 squad were seniors including three key positions on offense quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Hood is a coach that believes in the run and EKU’s rushing average has improved for four straight years. The Colonels averaged 205.7 yards per game on the ground in 2012, their highest since 2002. Redshirt freshman JJ Jude and redshirt freshman Jared Sanders will get the bulk of the carries. They combined for 103 yards last week. Junior Jared McClain is the man under center for EKU and he had a solid debut last week throwing for 155 yards and two touchdowns. His top targets are senior TE Nathan Watts, senior WR Ike Ariguzo, and sophomore WR Joel Brown. Eight players had at least one reception as this group combined for 194 yards and two touchdowns last week. Again this week the size, speed and agility of the Louisville defense will have no problem taking care of this EKU offensive group. Just not in the same league. They will be having nightmares after seeing Lorenzo Mauldin all day.

The front seven in EKU’s 4-3 defense has the look to be one of the best in Dean Hood’s six years as head coach. Five of the seven are returning starters and three earned All-OVC honors a year ago. Eastern’s defense led the conference in points allowed (21.7 ppg) and rushing defense (108.2 ypg) one year ago. This group limited Robert Morris to 2 of 12 on third-down conversions last week. But we’ll see if the veteran group can pose any sort of a challenge to one of the deepest offensive college football teams in the country. Teddy and company didn’t have any trouble at all with the Ohio defensive group, but to be fair they did replace their entire defensive front. The Colonels group will be more experienced so they might pose more of a challenge.

EKU Coach Dean Hood: “We appreciate the opportunity to play Louisville,” “It’s not too many times you can say you are going to play a top-10 FBS team. We are going to show up and play the game.”

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This is not the same program that was filling Roy Kidd stadium when “The Beak” was on campus in the early 90’s and its definitely not the same Louisville program the Colonels beat back in 1985. This will be the best Louisville team that EKU has seen in the series and the scoreboard will reflect that. The Cardinals are favored by 40 in this one but it could end up much worse. Gonna be a long day for my Alma Mater.

The Beak Prediction:
Louisville 67 EKU 3

New Video: Terry Rozier Is Hungry And Plays With A Chip On His Shoulder

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I discovered a new documentary video from 3rd Coast hoops and NEOHOOPS Called “The Real Cleveland” and it has a great inside look at Terry Rozier. Every Cardinal Fan needs to see this and it will give them an idea of the player we are getting in Rozier. Good Stuff! The Rozier Story starts at around the 17:46 mark.

When we found out that Russ Smith was coming back to school for his senior season the thought shifted to the 13-14 basketball season and the possibility of the Cardinals repeating as National Champions. We have some very solid players coming in to replace the production we lost with Peyton and Gorgui. Chris Jones is an obvious choice to be a key player in a run next year for the Cards. He is the number one juco player in the country and has been touted by many for his playing ability. And yes I think Anton Gill is a very special player in his own right but do think he will be a guy that needs time to develop and adjust into the college game before he makes a real impact. But I think many are overlooking the player that seems to be primed and ready for a break-out freshman year.

6’1 Terry Rozier did a post grad year at Hargrave military academy before heading to Louisville. He made big things happen for himself in his last year of high school and was considered one of the top 3 point guards in the country. Rozier broke his previous scoring record of 56 points by scoring 68 in a game at the HoopFest in Louisville and looked like an offensive machine for most of his high school basketball season. The folks in Lexington seem to have put all their hopes next year in the talents of Andrew Harrison and one ESPN recruiting analyst places Rozier in the same conversation so why couldn’t he come in and be the big X-factor for a Championship run for Louisville next season as well. I am very anxious to see what Rozier will add to this veteran Cards group and I do think he will play a very important role in the upcoming season. This kid is a beast and will be one of the most anticipated recruits since Wayne Blackshear. I can’t wait to see this kid on the floor in a Louisville uniform.

When the final scout rankings came out for 2013 Rozier jumped up to #15 overall moving 68 spots up the rankings. Many consider him among the elite in his position. Dave Telep a senior national recruiting analyst for ESPN.com
scouting service used by more than 225 college teams covering basketball recruiting for 15 years recently shared his opinion about Terry Rozier:
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Ohio Learns That “Big Time” Football Has Arrived ln Louisville

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One of the most anticipated seasons in the history of Louisville football kicked off today. As I was heading down I64 I don’t think I could have imagined just how much the Cardinal Nation was ready to see their football team play. When I got to my parking spot and started to walk around it became pretty clear then. You could feel the excitement in the air. At every tailgate spot I stopped it seemed as though fans had taken their excitement to another level. And I witnessed one of the most passionate Card Marches ever today. Folks lined up early to get their chance to wish the players good luck on their way to battle. From a fan standpoint Cardinal Nation really took a step up today. And at kickoff the second largest Papa Johns crowd ever were in their seats and ready to go. If a college football program is to be considered “Big Time” then the fans have to be “Big Time” and today they were.

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Another thing I noticed today was how many former UofL greats showed up in Louisville to cheer on the football team. I ran into several former Cardinal players as I was making my rounds. This is another sign of a football program making it to “Big Time” status. When you got guys coming back to cheer for the football team it says a lot about what’s going on in my opinion.

When the team came out for their pre game warm-ups they matched the level of intensity and excitement of the fans. I had never been to a regular season game and seen our football team more hyped, and focused. You could tell early on in the pre-game reps that Ohio was in for a long day. When our Cards came running out of that tunnel for game time it was on…

The last time Louisville and Ohio played was 54 years ago and on that day it was the Bobcats who were victorious in a 22 to 15 slobberknocker. But today the guys from Ohio suffered their worst loss ever under their current coach as they ran into a team on a mission. A team that is out to prove that “Big Time” football has arrived in Louisville. The Cards took control early today and never looked back. The defense stepped up big and shut down the Ohio big three of Tettleton, Blankenship, and Donte Foster. Turns out my prediction in my game preview was pretty accurate and losing those three starters on that offensive line really hurt them. A team that had averaged over 30 points a game was held to just 273 total yards and 7 points. Louisville’s James Burgess played a big part of that as he was a tackling machine and even forced a fumble. He was the defensive player of the game.

Ohio Coach Frank Solich: “I don’t think there is any question that they are a Top 10 team. They are the best team we have played since I’ve been at Ohio.”

Ohio QB Tettleton: “Give them a lot of credit. They have a really good defense.”

And the Louisville offense today was just awesome and as near to perfection as they could be in the opening game. Right out of that gate Teddy Ballgame was 9 for 9 on his first two drives for 122 yards, and hooked up with Damian Copeland for two 2 touchdowns. The onslaught would continue as Teddy would throw for four touchdowns in the first half. He would finish with five on the day.The key was his ability to connect on 3rd downs as he was 8 for 8 with 7 first downs and two touchdowns on third down. Again just as I had predicted in my game preview it was toss and catch all day long with Copeland, Parker, Clark, De La Cruz, and Christian against the Ohio D. Teddy said he felt “like a kid in a candy store” with all the weapons. “I just have to pick the flavor.” I was also happy to see Michaelee Harris get a catch. Hope it’s a sign that he could be a contributed later in the season. Our offensive line deserves a lot of credit as they controlled the line of scrimmage all day long. It appeared that losing six defensive starters was too much to overcome for the Bobcats. They replaced their entire defensive front this spring. The Louisville five headed monster of running backs also played their role in this big win. Dyer scored his first ever touchdown with he and Perry leading the way. Brown, Lamb, and Radcliff also got snaps. It’s just crazy to see this much depth at that positions. This is the deepest offense in the country. Was good to see Will Gardner come in to get the clean-up touchdown. The cards turned in the best offensive performance ever for Coach Strong with over 600 yards. There were a few penalties but most of those could be contributed to early season mistakes and Coach Strong didn’t seem too concerned about them after the game.

Coach Strong: “We felt like if we played well we could dominate that opponent. We have some things we can clean up.”

It was a great day in the history of the Cardinal football program. I’m just glad that I was there and could be a part of it. I do think it was a significant moment and one that I would summarize as “Big Time” football has arrived in Louisville. We will all look back on September 1st 2013 as a day when it all came together. Great fan support, great facilities, great atmosphere, and great execution by a great team. Go Cards!

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