SB Nation - Greg Scruggs

Game Day: Louisville vs. Indiana State

Mike Rutherford — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 17:19:11 -0000

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (0-0) vs. INDIANA STATE SYCAMORES (0-0)

Game Time: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium: Louisville, Ky.

Television: WHAS

Announcers: Drew Deener/Doug James

Favorite: No Line

All-Time Series: Louisville leads 5-3-1

Last Meeting: Indiana State won 44-21 in 1984

Excitement Level (1-10): 2.3

This would be higher if I were actually attending the game, but a wedding is going to prevent that. Still, even if I were going to PJCS the level wouldn't be as high as it should for a season opener because of just how bad these guys are. This will, without a doubt, be the worst college team to ever to play in this stadium.

Game Attire: Khaki suit

Predicted Star of the Game: Victor Anderson

The opportunity for stat-stuffing has never been more available, and I'd be surprised if Kragthorpe didn't try and let VA snatch some bottom line numbers.

Obscure and Bold Prediction: Indiana State tries a trick play and it fails miserably.

I'm thinking botched double pass.

Notable and Quotable

--I own a pair of Indiana State shorts that I wear fairly religiously.

--I'm still cheering for Louisville.

--Indiana State coach Trent Miles is 0-13 in his second season.

--"Do I want to play them? No, I definitely don't want to if I don't have to. But we have to, and there's no ifs, ands or buts about it. We need to get the most money we can out of games like this and go out and compete the best way we can and move on to the next." --Trent Miles

--"We’re really excited, to tell you the truth. It’s a huge opportunity to shock the world on a big stage. I don’t know how many people the place holds exactly [42,000], but it would be kind of nice to do it." --Brock Lough

"Walking up to the stadium (Monday) I was just smiling — it's game week. I'm sure that's how plenty of us seniors are. … We're ready to get after Indiana State." --Jon Dempsey

--""I feel like we need to come out and start our season strong. We need to prove to ourselves that we can be good. We won't be overlooking anybody. You always look to improve and that's what we're looking to do this year." --Greg Scruggs

--"Indiana State has already played a game and we had a chance to look at that film. The schemes that they employed last year and this year are a little bit different. I thought they would throw the ball a little bit more than what they did in that game. They only threw it 18 times with (Wyoming transfer Chris Stutzriem). They did have a 75-yard halfback pass for a touchdown and that's something we anticipate."--Steve Kragthorpe

--"I'm so excited for this game. It's been a long time since we lined up against somebody else. The best thing is we have an opportunity to start 1-0. This is going to be a great year for us." --Johnny Patrick

CC Prediction: Louisville 66, Indiana State 0

If U of L has any trouble at all moving the ball then something is seriously wrong. Kragthorpe needs all the positive mojo he can get, and he showed in his first game at Louisville two years ago that he's not afraid to run it up a little bit.

I'd really like to be overly positive about all of this, but aside from newcomers being able to get into the flow of a season, Justin Burke getting a feel for his receivers and things of that nature, this game is essentially meaningless.

GO CARDS.

Louisville 24, South Florida 20

Mike Rutherford — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 06:11:56 -0000

As you roll out of bed this morning and stare the start of yet another work week directly in the face, the Louisville football team sits at 5-2 and directly in the middle of the race for the Big East championship and a spot in a BCS bowl game.

I'm not saying it's time to start laying out plans for another New Years in Miami, but seriously, what game remaining on the schedule scares you? What game remaining on the schedule can the team we saw Saturday afternoon not beat?

Steve Kragthorpe desperately needed to sustain this fan base's attention into November and the start of basketball season, and by notching the biggest win of his Cardinal career to date he's all but ensured that there will be a buzz surrounding the U of L football team post-Halloween.

Anticipation, angst and excitement have all made their way back to Saturdays in the Derby City.

I can't see myself ever watching a game from the 2007 season again, but if I did, my guess is that I would be blown away by the drastic fall off in defensive intensity when juxtaposed with what we've seen week in and week out this year. This unit isn't nearly as talented as the '04 or '06 defenses, and it's probably not as talented as the '07 defense, but these guys play their asses off every single down and it's been an absolute pleasure to watch for the past two months.

Ron English could fart in my dinner tonight...spray fart.

Scott Long. Scott Long. Scott Long. 2008. 2008. 2008.

The curtain finally rises.

I know I bring this up every week, but I don't think the importance of the play of our defensive ends can be overstated. Mitchell, Gnat, Scott and Scruggs were phenomenal on Saturday, and really paved the way for guys like Jon Dempsey, Adrian Grady and Earl Heyman to have big games.

Speaking of Grady, this was the game we've been waiting for him to have for about 14 months.

Johnny Patrick is slowly turning himself into an NFL prospect. If he makes a similar leap in progress this offseason then he could be the recipient of a significant amount of praise once his senior season rolls around.

I really wish we had Woodny Turenne for another season. He's already got the skills you can't teach, and the mental side is finally starting to click.

Hunter Cantwell wasn't exactly stellar, but he was good, and he made a perfect throw when his team needed it the most. The constant locking into one receiver is discouraging, but when you have that kind of arm sometimes it doesn't matter that the guys on the other team know where you're going with the ball. It also helps when the guy you're locking into is a healthy Scott Long.

Do yourself a favor on Saturday and focus only on Eric Wood for three or four plays. No. 77 is far and away the best player on this team.

Major kudos to George Bussy (as well as the double and triple teamers) for stepping up and getting the job done on George Selvie after it looked like he might hit double digits in sacks before halftime.

I'm still extremely uneasy any time toe (or cleat) meets leather.

Life is more exciting when Trent Guy's on the field. Also, I'm really eager to see what Chaz Thompson does once he finally gets his hands on a return.

Seventy-three yards? When is Victor Anderson going to step up and have a positive impact on a game?

It was good to see Bilal Powell get into the open field and make some people miss. It was also good to see Brock Bolen jumping over people.

If Louisville were to somehow reel off seven straight and capture a second BCS bowl victory in three years, don't think for a second that I wouldn't scour the ends of the Earth to discover This Guy's real identity.

Stoudt jersey + appropriate hat = 3-0

I laugh every single time on the Kroger commercial when it cuts from the extended shot of intense Steve Kragthorpe to "Ground Chuck - $1.99."

Jim Leavitt is hilarious.

Dontavia Bogan certainly thinks highly of himself. His antics don't come anywhere near Matt Grothe's 2006 postgame comments in terms of level of annoyance, but, yeah, he was annoying.

I am happy.