SB Nation - Woodny Turenne

Woodny Turenne, Mark Wetterer done for the year

Mike Rutherford — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:09:07 -0000

It's like being pinched in the stomach when you're trying to take care of a massive head wound.

University of Louisville cornerback Woodny Turenne is out for the remaining two regular-season games with a broken clavicle.

U of L coach Steve Kragthorpe said this afternoon at his weekly media conference that the senior could possibly return next month should the Cardinals (5-5, 1-4 Big East) qualify for a bowl game.

Turenne, a senior, leads the Cards with five interceptions including a pick against Cincinnati in Friday's 28-20 loss.

"Woodny broke his clavicle, ironically, on the play that he intercepted the ball," Kragthorpe said. "…it was a clean one, no surgery or anything like that, so hopefully he'll be back in four or five weeks barring something unforeseen."

Sophomore guard Mark Wetterer, who started six games this season, is also out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

A really tough break for a guy who came in with expectations that were probably too high for him to ever meet, but who, all things considered, had put together a pretty solid senior season. At least he goes out leading the Big East in interceptions.

The good news is that Victor Anderson is reportedly good to go for Saturday. Slow clap it up.

Cincinnati 28, Louisville 20

Mike Rutherford — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 20:39:14 -0000

It's gross outside and I don't have a sporting event to look forward to today, so I'm going to shelve the initial positivity.

With all due respect to Cincinnati - a team that will almost certainly prove itself fully capable of handling Syracuse in two weeks - that was an awful football game. In fact, this has been a season loaded with almost nothing but awful football games. Even in the tight tilts where I've been near completely focused on willing the Cards to victory, there's always been a moment where, "wow, this is pretty bad" has crept into the back of my mind.

Sometimes you need the take of complete outsiders to gain proper perspective, and I found some of that when I read the U of L/UC game thread over at Burnt Orange Nation where a hoard of Texas fans were pulling for the Cards because a Bearcat loss would hurt Oklahoma and help the 'Horns in the computer rankings. I imagine it'd be sort of like us having to pull for UTEP to beat Rice in order to gain a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Have I shared my feelings on college football's postseason before?

Anyway, here are a few of the thoughts of the UT turned U of L fans during the action last night.

This game is dead...

… no excitement.

by Horn Brain on Nov 14, 2008 11:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Louisville finding every possible way to lose a game

This team has no heart

by burnt in ny on Nov 14, 2008 11:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

We are so spoiled... .nt whills

by Horn Brain on Nov 14, 2008 11:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That was horrid

Contract the Big East

--PB--

by PB @ BON on Nov 15, 2008 12:17 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

It feels like Miami was about 15 years ago.

U of L was given every opportunity to seize complete control of the game early in the second half, but the Cards again refused to do so. Cincy kicks the ball out-of-bounds to start the half, U of L gets one first down and punts. Cincy fumbles on its own nine, U of L gains nothing and kicks a field goal. Cincy misses a field goal after a long drive, U of L goes three and out and gives it right back.

The Cards could never find a big offensive play when they needed it. Take two: The Cards could never find a big offensive play that wasn't negated by a holding penalty when they needed it.

There was a lot to be upset about after the game, but what precipitated the 45-yard field goal attempt made the largest negative stamp on me.

Apparently we have so little faith in our kicker with nothing on the line early in the first quarter that we opt to go for it on 4th and 6 instead of attempting a 25-yard field goal. But then, miraculously, we have so much faith in our kicker down one midway through the 4th quarter that we can run a draw play on 3rd and 16 from just outside the 30. You don't need to try and pick up the first down in that situation, but you do need to put the ball in the air and try to pick up nine or ten yards in order to give the kid a chance.

Ryan Payne was thrown to the wolves, and I found that really upsetting.

So apparently Brian Kelly's blowing off Kragthorpe after the game was the product of Krag making a fuss over the Bearcat players praying around midifeld before the game.

That's awesome. You get the feeling sometimes that the guy goes out of his way to invent stuff to get worked up about with the hope that he can minimize the lack of intensity criticism.

Sometimes the impact Ron English has had on this team becomes undeniably apparent.

Cincinnati tried to run the same middle screen it used to score its first touchdown on two more occasions later in the game. The first time the receiver made the catch and was hit immediately after a gain of two yards. The second time the linebackers were all over both receivers and the Bearcats ended up being penalized for having an ineligible receiver downfield.

This defense might not be as good as it could possibly be, but I think it's pretty damn close.

It's ridiculous how much this team needs Scott Long. There's simply no other legitimate deep threat among the corps.

I keep wanting Brohm to give Chris Vaughn a chance to step up and make some plays downfield - and to his credit, Vaughn played more inspired wearing No. 84 than he ever has while wearing No. 9 over the past three seasons - but when you keep your eye on him for an extended period of time, it becomes apparent why he hasn't been utilized any more in Long's absence: the guy doesn't know any of the plays. There were at least four times when the team broke the huddle and Vaughn had to go over to Cantwell and ask a question, and on two of those occasions he promptly went and lined up on the wrong side of the field.

Even on Doug Beaumont's big catch down the middle of the field, Josh Chichester was five yards directly in front of him, meaning one of them (I'm going to go ahead and guess No. 11) ran the wrong route.

Without Long and Guy for so much of the season, guys who weren't anywhere near ready for the spotlight were thrust into it kicking and screaming, and it's been really noticeable from the opening series against Kentucky up until now.

I feel like Troy Pascley goes deep on every play. It seems like every time a play ends you see Pascley jogging back to the huddle from about 30 yards downfield. He's like the super fast soccer-playing kid who had no hands at recess.

Trying to implement the Wildcat offense for the third-to-last game of the season doesn't make much sense to me. Then again, neither does 3rd grade math.

Cincinnati's offense stalled every time they tried to run no huddle. They'd run a draw for seven yards, then sprint to the line of scrimmage and get stuffed or throw an incompletion. I wish we'd seen more of it in the second half.

I think the highlight of the game was definitely the playing of "Shout" after the announcement of the VMI/Kentucky score. It was the most excited and unified the crowd has been since the '07 Murray State game.

There were a couple of Kentucky fans in the bathroom at halftime - apparently showing your team pride at a game featuring your arch-rival and a school you have no connection with is more important than actually watching your team play - both of whom were promptly greeted with VMI chants and then one guy in the area saying, "don't worry about it man, I'm sure VMI would give Gardner-Webb a hell of a game."

Oh, bathroom shenanigans.

The night was summed up by a message from a friend in the third quarter who said, "We're beating a ranked team on national television and I've gotten four text messages and a voice mail about UK losing to VMI."

Get well, Vic. Please, god, get well.

I expected a half-empty stadium once the rain started, but I was really disappointed in the lack of poncho unification. I'm sure they sell red ponchos somewhere, people. Don't settle for green, yellow or blue and think that's OK.

I don't think we've had a holding penalty on a play that's gone for less than 15 yards all season. Even when Josh Chichester tried, the ball went right to Brock Bolen and he rumbled for 30 yards.

It's not cool, but it's kind of amazing.

The Cincinnati fans were very loud and impressive. I suppose playing for a conference championship tends to have that effect.

It would have been nice if the hooligan who played the Tumbleweed game at halftime had had the decency to put his hat on straight.

The lead official must have told some girl he's trying to impress to watch the game, because he was sure jumping on every possible opportunity to get himself on television.

I made the remark when they went to review the Bolen play that I've never seen a spot challenge overturned in college or the NFL. Spotting the ball is about as much of an inexact science as there is, so finding conclusive evidence to overturn a call should be nearly impossible.

I still haven't seen the broadcast, but a number of people have confirmed that we got hosed, which I guess figures since there's only three weeks left in the season and getting inexplicably reemed by an officiating crew at least once a year was part of the agreement when the Big East offered U of L a spot in the conference.

I love Mike Mickens. I said it.

Cory Goettsche has really improved as the season has gone on, and deserves at least a little love. One of you send him a card.

Jon Dempsey made two straight hellacious plays. The first when he stripped Jacob Ramsey and then made the recovery, and the second when he came from the outside and caught John Goebel from behind right around the line of scrimmage. If he can bring that fire consistently next season then he could have a hell of a senior year.

I really don't understand why we had Travis Norton on an island against Dominick Goodman on 3rd and 4 on UC's last scoring drive. I realize that Goodman had gotten the best of Woodny Turenne for most of the game, but No. 9 is still your best option in that situation.

There was a stretch of about six or seven straight series' where we ran the ball for a short gain on first down and then threw it on second and third down. When we finally mixed it up and ran a reverse and a play-action pass on first down, both plays worked. The offense has to become as unpredictable as it was under Petrino if the coaching staff wants it to be anywhere near as effective as it was under Petrino.

How the play action, roll to the right, 11-yard comeback play continues to work after we've run it at least 750 times is anyone's guess.

I miss the keg.

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.

Cardinal football by the numbers

Mike Rutherford — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:00:06 -0000

A bye week coupled with the disappointment of last Friday's loss has left us with nothing productive or particularly interesting to discuss (side note: How do you guys feel about the football team's new head coach? Doing a good job? Doing a bad job? Still too early to tell? We should probably spend the next week and-a-half talking about that because I'm sure it's a dialogue that will result in a unanimous conclusion we all find pleasing).

I'm not in the mood to make up anything appropriately cheeky (read: annoying), and the restrictions I've put in place in order to keep my premature basketballulation from doing more damage to the city than Ike three weeks ago don't allow me to write about the sport extensively yet, so this morning you get numbers. It's like an un-frosted strawberry pop tart (second side note: the pop tart people have been frosting their strawberry product since like '88, if you try to pawn the original off on me in any setting, I will throw shit and make you cry).

National rankings are the numbers in parentheses.

TEAM RANKINGS

Rushing Offense: 212.75 ypg (18)
Passing Offense: 222.5 ypg (52)
Scoring Offense: 28 ppg (61)
Rushing Defense: 70.75 ypg (11)
Pass Efficiency Defense: 109.08 (39)
Total Defense: 252 ypg (13)
Scoring Defense: 23 ppg (60)
Net Punting: 29.64 (113)
Punt Returns: 7.71 ypr (76)
Kickoff Returns: 14.70 ypr (118)
Turnover Margin: -.25 (T-75)
Pass Defense: 181.25 ypg (35)
Passing Efficiency: 119.16 (78)
Sacks: 1.25 pg (81)
Tackles For Loss: 5.5 pg (63)
Sacks Allowed: 1.75 pg (65)

Individual Rankings

Rushing: Victor Anderson - 105.25 ypg (T-20)
Passing Efficiency: Hunter Cantwell - 120.38 (77)
Total Offense: Hunter Cantwell - 207.5 ypg (59)
Receptions Per Game: Doug Beaumont - 7.25 (T-10)
Receptions Per Game: Josh Chichester - 4.25 (T-97)
Receiving Yards Per Game: Doug Beaumont - 96.25 (19)
Interceptions Per Game: Woodny Turenne - .5 (T-24)
Punting: Cory Goettsche - 38.18 ypp (74)
Punt Returns: Doug Beaumont - 8.6 ypr (47)
Scoring: Victor Anderson - 9.0 ppg (T-31)
All-Purpose Runners: Victor Anderson - 121.0 ypg (66)
All-Purpose Runners: Doug Beaumont - 110.0 ypg (T-88)
Sacks Per Game: Maurice Mitchell - .5 (T-74)
Sacks Per Game: Earl Heyman - .5 (T-74)
Tackles For Loss Per Game: L.D. Scott - 1.25 (T-40)

Thoughts

--Wow, we really suck on special teams. Jesus, 118th on kick returns? How many teams are there in D-1, like 175? There's 119? Eat all of that, Kansas.

--Ron English rules.

--Doug Beaumont rules slightly more effectively.

--When do you think was the last time we ranked outside of the top 50 in passing offense? I was gonna say yesterday, but that's only because I'm a smart ass.

--My god we suck on special teams.

Louisville 38, Kansas State 29

Mike Rutherford — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:28:13 -0000

We'll move quickly since this game is already five days old and Larry Taylor Depreciation Week appears to be in full swing.

This is as excited as I've been about Louisville football since the first offensive drive/play of last year's Murray State game. If the last two weeks have proven anything it's that the effort level is going to be there week in and week out, and that there is a decided dedication to improving the execution. After the Kentucky debacle, this is all any of us could have hoped for.

It would still take something resembling a miracle for this team to have a legit crack at the BCS once mid-November rolls around, but honestly, what team in the Big East terrifies you right now? What team in the Big East do you know beyond the shadow of a doubt would have beaten the Cardinals last Wednesday?

If Connecticut is toppled on Friday then we're all allowed to at least entertain crazy thoughts for a couple of weeks, and that's something to get excited about.

I'm not driving it, but I'm officially on the Vic Anderson bandwagon.

All spring and summer we heard about Vic's speed, but what's been amazing to me is how many times we've seen him lower the boom on potential tacklers in the first three games. It's safe to say that the kid can leg press more than I can.

Another fine, fine game from Hunter Cantwell, but now he has to prove he can do it against a 4-3 defense stacked with talented linebackers. Hunter's been able to sit back and pick apart 3-4 sets for the past two weeks, but Lutrus, Wilson and company aren't going to allow him that luxury Friday night. Robert Vaughn and Darius Butler are also two of the better defensive backs the Cards will see from here on out. Overall, this will be a fantastic test of just how far this offense has come since Kentucky.

Doug Beaumont: when this is all over, let's go somewhere warm and sandy together.

Josh Chichester is still very much a work in progress, which means we're going to have to take the good with the bad for the foreseeable future. The great news is that the good has far outshone the bad to this point.

Even though I think the time for the Tim Dougherty placekicking era to commence is upon us, it's pretty obvious that Chris Philpott is still in possession of a stronger leg and I'd like to see him remain the man on kickoffs.

I love deferring after winning the coin toss, and I hope it becomes a trend. Delayed gratification is the shit.

One of the most positive things I saw on Wednesday was Latarrius Thomas and Bobby Buchanan kneeling next to Richard Raglin when he went down with the wrist injury in the second half. It was just one of those little things that last season was so devoid of.

Speaking of Buchanan, I love the way he's stepped up and embraced the leadership role in his senior season. Even though he's had his fair share of bad moments over the course of his college career, and even though he and Thomas were again the main culprits on Kansas State's four biggest offensive plays, it's impossible not to root extra hard for someone who cares about his team and his program as much as No. 34 does.

Major props need to be hurled in the direction of Greg Tomczyk and Josh Byrom, who made it possible for thousands of fans to have no idea that George Bussey and Mark Wetterer were out with injuries.

Whatever wasn't clicking with Woodny Turenne a year ago certainly seems to have been rectified. Good things happen when you're talented and in the place you're supposed to be.

Let's go ahead and up the amount of practice time devoted to special teams by about eight hours this week.

I think it's safe to say that Bilal Powell is still at his best when he's forced to improvise, a fact which is a bit more discouraging than it was when he was a true freshman. Still, I remain bullish on his potential and think he needs to see at least ten touches a game for this team to have the best chance to reach its ceiling.

The crowd was tremendous for the first three quarters of the game, but it was sort of depressing to see so many empty seats as the Cards closed things out. On the other hand, you can't schedule a Wednesday night game and then be upset when people with families and 8-5 jobs choose not to stay at the stadium until 11:45. It's just the way it is.

Even though it came at the expense of my favorite team, it did bring me at least a little bit of pleasure to watch someone three inches shorter and 25 pounds lighter than myself tear it up in a major college football game.

Black jerseys > red jerseys

Zack Stoudt jersey > Art Carmody jersey

Art Carmody > any other football player to ever put on pads

Raise your hand if you wish the fake dive, pitch to Vic had been put in the playbook a month ago.

Being friends with Brock Bolen and Joe Tronzo is basically a free pass to look at or talk to anyone however you want on Saturday nights.

The inconsistent Mo Mitchell of yesteryear appears to have graduated a year early. Mitchell has been playing inspired football since the first snap of the Kentucky game, and has become the force off the edge that the defense lacked in '07.

No one on the team talks more than L.D. Scott. Focusing on him for a couple of plays every game is hilarious.

It was great to see Daniel Covington flying around the field and bringing the lumber on multiple plays, especially since it appears the secondary is going to be without Richard Raglin for at least a couple of games.

Dan - of having his U of L hat thrown on the ground by a girl outside a bar in Charlotte fame - called the Kansas State fake punt and was justified moments after his dad and I ripped the prediction for a solid 15 seconds. For the record, it was an awful call and we should had the up man who took the snap behind the line.

I'm going to go ahead and give the Card Chronicle seal of approval to the Jeff Brohm moving back upstairs decision.

I really, really want to win on Friday just so the seeds of insanely irrational objectivity can be planted.

Larry Taylor sucks.

Governor's Cup Jeopardy: Ten answers for Kentucky vs. Louisville

Truzenzuzex — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:14:05 -0000

Mike at Card Chronicle has produced this outstanding post analyzing the Governor's Cup game this Sunday. I cannot hope to match his much more in-depth knowledge of the pigskin game, and it also hurts that I only got to listen to about the last 30 minutes of the Governor's Cup game last year (but that turned out to be the most important part). But even given those handicaps, I can hopefully come up with some answers a la Jeopardy to the questions many Wildcat fans should be asking.

So with no further ado, let's play Governor's Cup Jeopardy!

Category: Kentucky -- Answer: Randall Cobb

Question: Who is the Kentucky freshman most likely to make an instant impact on the offense?

Cobb is a multi-dimensional talent who can play football. He can throw, he can catch and he can run. He will see the field somewhere, and he will make an impact on Kentucky's offense.

Category: Louisville -- Answer: Bilal Powell

Question: Who is the Louisville player the Kentucky defense will have the most trouble containing?

Powell is a converted defensive back who came into his own last year against Rutgers, with 13 carries for 91 yards. Powell is an extraordinary athlete that can be devastating once he gets past the line of scrimmage. He is inexperienced, but his raw ability is frightening.

Category: Kentucky/Spelling -- Answer: T-R-E-V-A-R-D

Question: How do you spell the first name of the Wildcat most likely to pick off Hunter Cantwell?

We all know that Trevard Lindley has truly developed into one of the best cover corners in the SEC, and against Louisville's relatively green receiving corps, he should be a wolf among sheep. No disrespect to Louisville, but balls thrown in Lindley's direction are not going to result in good things.

Category: Louisville -- Answer: "L" no.

Question: Will the "Red Out" at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium make any difference at all?

No further comment necessary.

Category: Kentucky -- Answer: Micah Johnson

Question: Who will lead the Kentucky defense in tackles on Sunday?

Micah Johnson is one of the most highly-touted recruits to ever don the Blue and White on defense. Johnson was ranked #36 in the Rivals 100 as a recruit, and is a phenomenal athlete who loves to hit opposing players at high speed. Johnson has been brought along gradually at Kentucky, but now he is ready for his coming-out party, and Louisville (who also heavily recruited him) looks like where it will happen.

Category: Louisville -- Answer: One

Question: How many of the Louisville wide receivers likely to play on Sunday have ever caught a pass in a college game?

Forget proven -- Louisville has exactly one wide receiver likely to play on Sunday who has ever caught a pass in college, and that player is Chris Vaughn. Vaughn is a senior who saw his first action last year (a tribute to the depth and skill of Louisville's receiving corps over the past few years) and caught 2 passes for 11 yards last year. Not exactly Harry Douglas or Mario Urrutia.

As a side note, Trent Guy, who is a proven receiver recovering from a gunshot wound to the back this summer, is currently listed 3rd on the depth chart. He could show up in the game, although I think most followers of football from both schools think it best if he wait a game or two longer before getting back into the action.

Category: Kentucky -- Answer: Two

Question: How many of the Kentucky receivers likely to play on Sunday have ever caught a pass in a college game?

Unless DeMoreo Ford plays, only Dicky Lyons Jr. has ever caught a pass in college. But Dicky has caught roughly six times more (128) by himself than the entire Louisville receiving corps including Trent Guy.

Lyons will be the #1 target for Hartline on Sunday without any doubt, so Louisville will be all over him. That will give Kyrus Lanxter (who now looks ready to go), E.J. Adams (a converted DB) and the freshmen, Matt Roark, Eric Adeyemi and Gene McCaskill a chance to shine.

Category: Louisville/Spelling -- Answer: W-O-O-D-N-Y

Question: How do you spell the first name of the Cardinal player most likely to pick off a Kentucky pass?

Woodny Turenne was a Rivals 5*, #1 ranked player out of junior college. Like Micah Johnson, Turenne is a superb athlete with serious size and speed. He will be a tough match up for any of Kentucky's receivers. Turenne is quite possibly the most talented football player on either of the two squads.

Category: Governor's Cup -- Answer: 1997 and 1998

Question: What is the last time Kentucky beat Louisville back-to-back years?

Of course, those were the heyday of Hal Mumme and the "Air Raid" offense led by the mighty Tim Couch. Unfortunately, that turned out to be fool's gold for Kentucky and led to 7 Louisville victories in the last 9 years, with last year's game breaking a streak of 4 in a row by Louisville, the longest such streak enjoyed by either team since the renewal of the annual game.

Category: Governor's Cup -- Answer: Unknown

Question: Who will be the victor in this year's Governor's Cup game?

Who knows? On paper, it looks to me like Kentucky has an advantage on the defensive line, linebackers, wide receivers, running backs and the kicking game. Louisville has an advantage at quarterback and home field, which are two big ones.

The questions surrounding the young UK offense will be answered only in the game. Louisville's defense was much-maligned last year, but should be better at least when it comes to defending the vertical game. Underneath, Louisville has a whole new set of linebackers, but does Kentucky have the pass catchers to exploit that potential weakness?

Much has been made of the fact that the winner of the ground game usually wins the contest. That would seem to favor Kentucky with their 4-deep stable of backs, but as the first scrimmage proved, the offensive line must step up for the backs to be effective. In the final analysis, there are simply too many unknowns, so we'll just have to wait and see.