SB Nation User Blog: CardsFan922

Better Know A Cardinal: Meet Your New Defensive Tackles

CardsFan922 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:30:10 -0000

The staff of Card Chronicle has ~~been commanded by Mike~~ put our collective heads together and decided that a good way to pass the days until the first practice on August 6th would be to get to know the newest members of the Louisville football Cardinals, especially since many of them will likely be logging significant minutes this season. We'll start our journey with the new Defensive Tackles, JUCOs all.

Peni Fiu'angaihetau

And who better to start with than our only 4-star recruit according to Scout.com, the Ari-Wolfe-Is-Never-Going-To-Pronounce-My-Name-Right-Award-Winning Peni Fiu'angaietau. Sound it out, Ari. Anyway, Peni comes to us from Phoenix CC and will have two years of eligibility. At 6-2, 270, Peni would seem to need to bulk up a bit to be effective in the middle, but because LT Walker can't play every down and be useful in the 4th Quarter and because the only other DT I'd heard of before starting this project is Tyler Jessen, I imagine we'll hear announcers valiantly trying to prounounce Peni's name a lot next year. With reported offers from Cal, Oregon and Utah, I believe Peni is also the most-sought-after recruit to commit to us, so beating out those schools is somewhat of a coup for Krag & Co.

via www.pc.maricopa.edu

Peni's stats are somewhat impressive, as he was third on the team in total tackles and second in sacks. He was tied for 2nd on forced fumbles....with 6 other dudes...with 1 each. For what it is worth, the leading tackler on the team signed with BYU and is also a two-star. There are no videos of Peni available at press time.

All in all, our highest rated recruit happens to be at our thinnest position, which is good. Also, my goodness, look at that hair! Peni, we who are about to blog about you, salute you!

UPDATED:

Thanks to the alert readers in the comments, there is some question of whether or not Peni will actually make it to campus. According to Rivals, he is "Committed/Unsigned". I guess we'll just have to wait and see. On the bright side, Rivals lists one of the OL recruits as our only 4-star, so we at least have one 4-star who has signed. Oy.

Joseph Townsend #94

At the other end of the Scout.com rankings of our commits is Joseph "Joe" Townsend, a 6'3'', 285 pounder who was originally signed out of high school at Washington State for the 2006 season, then went the JUCO route and was signed by Butch Davis at UNC (impressive!) before last season and Nebraska (also impressive!) before the 2007 season. Grades and no doubt some bad luck prevented him from enrolling at any of those previous locales. I have no idea if his nickname is Joe but that would certainly make sense. Anyway, he seems to have worked hard and put his academic struggles behind him and also apparently has bulked up and grown an inch, since the official roster at uoflsports.com lists him at 6'4'' and 303 lbs.

I'm glad ~~Mike cracked the whip~~ we decided to do this little project because I am mildly excited about this guy now. Nebraska and UNC under Davis both get quality recruits, and if his size is somewhere between what Scout and Kenny Klein say then he at least starts out big enough, even if he's not huge. He comes from a solid football pedigree, as his older brother played DT for Nebraska on their MNC teams in 1994 and 1995 and made it to the NFL wth the New Orleans Saints. To the optimist in me, it sounds like he just needed a little bit of time to get his head on straight, and the coaches saw enough in his talent to make the effort to help get him there.

via media.scout.com

I can't seem to find any stats or specific proof of his abilities but according to his Scout.com profile he was first-team all league his senior year of high school and has bulked up since then. Again, DT is our thinnest position (not literally even if we are on the small side) and there might be some "diamond in the rough" potential with Mr. Townsend.

Tim High #97

Rounding out the round mounds in the middle is JUCO DT Tim High who checks in at a mountainous 6'2'', 310 lbs. His stats certainly look the part, even if he doesn't in this padless picture:

via media.scout.com

According to Demling, High took an unusual route, spending two years at UNLV before frustration wth playing time led him to El Camino Community College. There, he recorded 24 tackles, including 3 for a loss, good for 11th on the team but 2nd among DTs (and also a few behind linebacker Terrance Williams!), and the other DT was just ahead of him, so maybe they faced a lot of spread offenses or something.

Anyway, High should provide a breather for whoever provides a breather for LT, or, if we finally switch to the 3-3-5, be able to learn the system for a year. And hope that whoever replaces the current regime has a place for him.

Wow, 6'2'', 310 pounds. You can't teach size!

So those are the new DTs. The defensive line will need all the help it can get. Peni had some BCS offers, and Townsend clearly has talent and could have a WWI-type career here if he gets his grades in order. And Tim High sure is big. Just get pressure on that QB, fellas, and play hard. Welcome aboard!

(Author's Note: I am going to try to avoid writing anything critical about individual UofL players, especially ones who have never played a down, mainly because these guys are college kids who are just living their dream and who deserve nothing but our support unless they heinous commit crimes. That said, let's be honest, the recruiting is not where it needs to be and that falls on one guy and one guy only whose days are numbered, I hope.)

Open Thread: T-Will and Earl Livin' The Dream

CardsFan922 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 22:40:41 -0000

Congrats to T-Will and Earl, you've worked hard, you've earned it. Everyone, feel free to share thoughts, running commentary, jokes about outfits, reaction, etc., when the draft starts at 7:30.

Apparently Pitino will be in the Green Room with T-Will. I imagine Pitino will still be the best dressed in there.

Some Draft Day Links

CardsFan922 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:46:29 -0000

DraftExpress: Mock Draft
T-Will 12th, Earl 14th in last Mock Draft

2009 Mock Draft | NBADraft.net
T-Will 12th, Earl slips to 24th in last mock draft

Terrence Williams (TheRealTWill) on Twitter
T-Will is clearly (and deservedly) excited about today. Good luck tonight!

DraftExpress: NBA Draft Media Day Interview With T-Will
NBA Draft Media Day interview with T-Will. Seems like the secret of T-Will's draft lies with Charlotte.

Crawford: UofL Sports Shining Bright Across Spectrum

CardsFan922 — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:40:56 -0000

Crawford: UofL Sports Shining Bright Across Spectrum

A great look at the current mind-blowingly successful state of UofL sports, obscured by one big money sport's struggles. Here is my favorite quote:

"In the past five years, only two NCAA schools have participated in a Bowl Championship Series game, Final Fours in men's and women's basketball and a College World Series: LSU and UofL."

Bay Area Cards: Marks, C-Dom Taken In Third Round

CardsFan922 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:57:41 -0000

Louisville stand-outs Chris Dominguez and Justin Marks were both taken in the 3rd round of the MLB draft last night. Dominguez went 86th to the San Francisco Giants and Marks went 92nd to the Oakland A's.

C. L. Brown's Blog has some thought on where in the respective farm systems they will end up this year.

Thanks for the memories, fellas. Congrats on getting picked, and I look forward to clipping your baseball card to the wheel of my bike in 2-4 years so it sounds like a motorcycle.

Link-O-Rama: T-Will's Draft Process

CardsFan922 — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:15:19 -0000

T-Will has been an avid Twitterer (a member of the Twitterati? A fast-twitch fast-Twit? Just T-Witt?) updating his draft status in a very unique style. At any rate, here are some of the links he has provided in the last few days, along with some other info about his draft status and the draft process as we move day-by-day closer to T-Will becoming T-Willionaire.

WARRIORS: 2009 Draft Interviews - Terrence Williams
Following Session 3 of the Warriors multi-team pre-draft workout, Louisville forward Terrence Williams was interviewed by warriors.com after being chosen by the fans in an online poll.

Terrence Williams on Being a Point-Forward and the Airplane Market -- NBA FanHouse
FanHouse's Matt Steinmetz attended the big NBA draft work-out in Oakland, Calif., on Monday and Tuesday. Louisville guard prospect Terrence Williams

T-Will's Nike Haul

T-Will's Upcoming Schedule
"Talk about hectic"

Terrence Williams’ Twitter-ish transcript: "I would love to be here" | Talking Points

YouTube - Terrence Williams Draft Combine Interview

The Woelfel World of Sports | Bucks Redd makes big impression on draft prospect
The last word goes to Louisville Terrance Williams who, when asked what his natural position was, said: "I think like a point guard, but I have the size like a 3. So I guess I'm a 2.''

I'm going to miss that guy. I guess at this point I hope he goes to the Bulls so we'll get a chance to see him. Have you ever seen a Golden State Warriors or Sac Kings game on TV? I haven't, at least since the Jason Williams / Chris Webber Kings captured America's hearts in 2000.

Best of luck to you, T-Will!

CJ: Clark, Meeks have different approach to draft

CardsFan922 — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:39:57 -0000

CJ: Clark, Meeks have different approach to draft

I love this quote from Earl:

"t makes you smile," Clark said. "You're thinking, 'I'm a grown man. If they can go that hard, why can't I?'"

Comeback Cards: 3-2 Over MTSU

CardsFan922 — Sun, 31 May 2009 05:06:38 -0000

The Cardinal Nine is safely and squarely ensconced in the driver's seat of the Regional after a thrilling comeback win over a pesky MTSU Blue Raiders team tonight at Jim Patterson Stadium, 3-2.

The recap at UofL sports describes the winning run:

Louisville's Jeff Arnold scored from third base on a throwing error by Middle Tennessee catcher Drew Robertson in the top of the ninth inning to lift the 12th-ranked Cardinals to a dramatic 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Blue Raiders in Saturday night's NCAA Regional game at Jim Patterson Stadium.

Freshman Derek Self pitched a perfect 3 innings, holding MTSU's bats silent to allow for the comeback.

The Cards now await the winner of MTSU-Vandy in the finals Sunday. Pitching has been the story so far, but look for the Cards' bats to really come to life Sunday to propel them into the Super Regionals and one step closer to Omaha.

T-Will Hearts Chicago

CardsFan922 — Fri, 29 May 2009 22:03:49 -0000

T-Will Hearts Chicago

T-Will wants to play for Chicago, according to an ESPN interview.

Gameday Links

CardsFan922 — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:24:22 -0000

With the first pitch at approximately 7:03 tonight, the Cardinal Nine (44-15) begin their quest for a second Omaha trip in three years against Crean's Creeps (32-25, that's unfair, they probably aren't as creepy as Tom Crean) at beautiful Jim Patterson Stadium.

Here are some links from around the internets with information about your Cardinals, these other pretenders in town, parking, Indiana's top starters and more:

CJ: Dominguez, Cards take aim at Omaha

CJ: At A Glance

Indiana Daily Student: Hoosiers to face Louisville in NCAA regional

CJ: 2 Cards are baseball All-Americans

Ft. Wayne Journal-Gazette: Ex-local player again to face IU

($5 Schrute Bucks to anyone who can name the player without clicking on the link and without looking at the UofLSports.com roster)

Indy Star: Happy Hoosiers are headed to Louisville

Happy Reading. Go Cards!