|
QB
Brian Brohm |
|
|
2005
Statistics |
Coach:
Bobby Petrino
29-8,
3 years |
2005
Record: 9-3 |
|
at
Kentucky |
WON
31-24 |
OREGON
STATE |
WON
63-27 |
at
South Florida |
LOST
14-45 |
FLORIDA
ATLANTIC |
WON
61-10 |
NORTH
CAROLINA |
WON
69-14 |
at
West Virginia |
LOST
44-46 (3OT) |
at
Cincinnati |
WON
46-22 |
PITTSBURGH |
WON
42-20 |
RUTGERS |
WON
56-5 |
SYRACUSE |
WON
41-17 |
at
Connecticut |
WON
30-20 |
GATOR
BOWL |
vs.
Virginia Tech |
LOST
24-35 |
|
2005 Final Rankings
AP-19, Coaches-20, BCS-19
|
2006
Outlook |
The
annual “will Bobby Petrino leave”
drama has played itself out for another
season. Despite continued uncertainty
about how long he will stay at Louisville,
Petrino continues to attract the type
of talent needed to be successful
in the Big East and on the national
scene as well. Moreover, Petrino seems
to be one of those coaching magicians
who is capable of getting the most
out of players who may not seem outstanding.
The results are a superior team approach
that, when “on”, can catapult
UL to the highest of college football
echelons. Most thought they would
leave the rest of their new conference
in the dust with so much momentum
coming in from ’04, but C-USA
seemingly wasn’t the same level
of competition. Petrino now knows
what is needed.
The
Cardinals are a fun team to watch
and are generating a lot of enthusiasm
about college football in a basketball
hotbed. This is a program on the cusp
of something big, firmly planted in
the second tier of teams just short
of BCS bowl level. They won’t
slip from that perch this year, but
they won’t advance beyond it
either. Louisville will contend with
West Virginia for the Big East championship,
in part due to a very favorable schedule.
But with USF almost making the “elite
eight”, this wide open conference
will again surprise. In other words,
Louisville again has no lock on anything.
Having to reform both lines, the Cardinal
caught a huge break with their schedule
difficulty being back-loaded. The
only difficult game they have prior
to November is a visit from Miami.
By the time they reach their first
difficult conference matchup, a Thursday
night visit by West Virginia on November
2, both lines should have come together
and Louisville should be hitting on
all cylinders. They should be in position
to duplicate their 9-3 record of last
season, perhaps even move to 10-2
if everything falls in place, and
receive another high-level bowl bid.
Projected
2006 record: 10-2
|
|
LOUISVILLE
*POWER RATINGS |
Offense |
Defense |
QB
- 5 |
DL
- 2 |
RB
- 5 |
LB
- 3.5 |
WR
- 3 |
DB
- 3.5 |
OL
- 2.5 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS |
Passing:
Brian Brohm, 301-207-5, 2883 yds.,
19 TD
Rushing: Michael Bush, 205
att., 1143 yds., 23 TD
Receiving: Mario Urrutia, 37
rec., 797 yds., 7 TD
Scoring: Michael Bush, 24 TD,
144 pts.
Punting: Todd Flannery, 34
punts, 40.9 avg.
Kicking: Arthur Carmody, 14-16
FG, 63-65 PAT, 105 pts.
Tackles: Nate Harris, 66 tot.,
37 solo
Sacks: Nate Harris, 7 sacks
Interceptions: Jon Russell, 2
for 32 yds.
Kickoff Returns: Harry Douglas,
7 ret., 20.3 avg., 0 TD
Punt Returns: Elijah Daniel,
2 ret., 5.0 avg., 0 TD
|
|
K
Arthur Carmody
|
|
|
|
|
|
LOUISVILLE
|
|
|
OFFENSE
- 6 |
----RETURNING
STARTERS---- |
DEFENSE
- 6 |
|
KEY
LOSSES |
OFFENSE:
Montrell Jones-WR, Joshua Tinch-WR,
Travis Leffew-OT, Jason Spitz-OG, Jeremy
Darveau-OT |
DEFENSE:
Chad
Rimpsey-DE, Montavious Stanley-DT, Elvis
Dumervil-DE, Brandon Johnson-WLB, Antoine
Sharp-SS |
|
|
2006
OFFENSE |
Quarterback
The
Cardinals are led by one of the best quarterbacks
in the nation, the 2005 Big East Offensive
Player of the Year, junior Brian Brohm.
He suffered a torn ACL in the next-to-last
regular season game but is expected to be
ready for preseason camp in August. Brohm
was second in the nation in passing efficiency,
completing 68.8% of his passes and throwing
only five interceptions vs. 19 touchdowns.
Standing 6’4”, 224 pounds, he
is a perfect pocket fit for coach Bobby
Petrino’s pro-style offense. He delivers
the ball quickly and makes good decisions.
If he is not back at full speed for the
start of the season, sophomore Hunter Cantwell
is more than an adequate replacement. The
last time we saw Cantwell, he was getting
the snot (and blood) literally knocked out
of him by Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl.
He showed toughness and courage beyond what
you would expect most freshmen to have.
With the opportunity to run the first team
offense in the spring, Cantwell should we
bell prepared to contribute if needed.
Running
Back
There
is a RB named Bush returning to college
football this season who will again put
up outrageous numbers, but it’s not
Reggie. Michael Bush decided to return to
Louisville for his senior campaign and will
light up the scoreboard for the Cardinals
once more. Reggie may have won the Heisman,
but Michael put up some amazing numbers
of his own. He led the nation in points
per game with 14.40, scoring 24 touchdowns
in only 10 games. His 12 yards per reception
on 21 catches are a respectable number for
a running back. Most of all, Bush is 6’3”
250 pounds and has outstanding speed, enabling
him to go through or around defenders. Opposing
defenses and NFL offenses will be sorry
he stayed in school. Sophomore George Stripling
and senior George Smith will also get some
substantial carries without allowing for
much drop off in production. Stripling averaged
7.9 yards per carry and combined with Smith
to gain 1,144 yards and score 13 touchdowns.
Senior Deriontae Taylor, a converted linebacker,
will return at fullback and concentrate
on clearing room for the other runners.
Receiver
Louisville
loses their top two wide receivers, but
sophomore Mario Urrutia and junior Harry
Douglas are ready to take on bigger roles.
Urrutia is a deep threat despite not having
blazing speed. He averaged 21.5 yards per
catch (most for any WR in the nation with
more than 35 total grabs) and scored seven
touchdowns. His 6’6” 220 pound
frame makes him very difficult to handle
one-on-one in the red zone. Douglas is no
slouch, averaging 16.9 yards. Urrutia and
Douglas are the only two receivers who had
as many as 10 catches last season, so the
Cardinals will need at least one of the
younger players to step up in camp and show
they are ready to fill role in three and
four-wideout packages. Red shirted sophomore
Elijah Daniel has the inside track, but
the other WR spots are not even close to
being decided.
Offensive
Line
Louisville’s
offensive line, a powerhouse in 2005, will
have several holes to fill. Only two starters
return, center Eric Wood and guard Kurt
Quarterman. Wood was a pleasant surprise
last year as a redshirt freshman, winning
the job in summer camp and allowing Jason
Spitz to mover over to guard (where he won
all-Big East honors). He’s got quick
footwork to go with modest size and should
be a strong anchor. Quarterman, a mountain
at 6’5”, 341 pounds, actually
appeared in the Cardinals’ backfield
and scored a touchdown on a one-yard run,
so imagine how much they trust his foot
speed. His presence will make it difficult
to pressure Brohm coming up the middle,
and he is agile enough to be an effective
pulling guard on runs. After these two,
it gets dicey for Louisville. Senior Renardo
Foster is in line for the right tackle spot,
but the left side of the line will have
very little game experience regardless.
Marcel Benson is ready for full time work,
and this former-CC all-American should help
immensely. This will bear watching since
they will need to protect quarterback Brohm’s
blind side. More information to come after
spring ball.
Tight
End
Junior
Gary Barnidge enters his second year as
starting tight end. Louisville doesn’t
throw to their tight ends much, but Barnidge
did catch 17 passes for 240 yards last year.
He is 6’6” 230 pounds and has
developed into a solid blocker. Junior Scott
Kuhn will see action as an extra blocker
in two tight end sets.
OFFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
Louisville
finished third in the nation in scoring
last season (43.4 points per game) and ninth
in total offense (482 yards per game). Those
numbers were inflated somewhat by two outbursts
(61 points vs. Florida Atlantic, 69 vs.
North Carolina) but are still very impressive.
This offense struggled against the better
Ds it faced, and the sour taste of Virginia
Tech holding them to 24 points has to be
washed away before this Redbird squad can
be considered solidly back as one of the
nation’s most feared teams. They will
slip a bit this season, especially if quarterback
Brian Brohm is slow recovering from his
ACL injury. The Cardinals’ talent
at the skill positions rivals any team in
the nation, at least for the first string,
but the inexperience in the offensive line
could again be a hindrance. Players like
a healthy Brohm and running back Michael
Bush are good enough to make plays even
without a lot of time in the pocket or very
big holes to run through, respectively,
but it will be more of a struggle until
such time as the line comes together. When
that happens, the Louisville offense will
again be explosive.
|
|
RB
Michael Bush
|
|
|
LOUISVILLE
2006 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
OFFENSE |
QB |
Brian
Brohm-Jr (6-4, 224) |
Hunter
Cantwell-So (6-4, 223) |
FB |
Deriontae
Taylor-Sr (5-8, 244) |
Joe
Tronzo-Fr (5-10, 245) |
RB |
Michael
Bush-Sr (6-3, 250) |
Kolby
Smith-Sr (5-11, 215)
George Stripling-So (6-0, 190) |
WR |
Mario
Urrutia-So (6-6, 228) |
Scott
Long-Fr (6-2, 210) |
WR |
Harry
Douglas-Jr (5-11, 170) |
Chris
Vaughn-So (6-3, 220) |
WR |
Jimmy
Riley-Sr (6-1, 212) |
Patrick
Carter-Jr (6-3, 215) |
TE |
Gary
Barnidge-Jr (6-6, 236) |
Scott
Kuhn-Jr (6-5, 251) |
OT |
Marcel
Benson-Jr (6-6, 318) |
Breno
Giacomini-Jr (6-7, 290) |
OG |
Danny
Barlowe-Jr (6-5, 290) |
George
Bussey-So (6-4, 280) |
C |
Eric
Wood-So (6-4, 296) |
Michael
Sturgeon-Sr (6-4, 298) |
OG |
Kurt
Quarterman-Sr (6-5, 336) |
Devon
May-Jr (6-4, 292) |
OT |
Renardo
Foster-Sr (6-7, 322) |
Marcus
Gordon-Jr (6-6, 317) |
K |
Arthur
Carmody-Jr (5-8, 181) |
Todd
Flannery-Jr (6-0, 170) |
|
|
2006
DEFENSE |
Defensive
Line
The
Cardinals have to replace three starters,
and senior Amobi Okoye is the veteran of
this unit despite being only 19 years old.
He tested into the 9th grade as a12 year
old when his family moved from Nigeria,
so his upside is just being realized in
many ways. His physical stature 6’1”,
317 pounds, belies his youth. His contributions
don’t show up in his modest numbers
(23 tackles) because the role of interior
linemen in the Louisville defense is primarily
that of space eater. Okoye does this well,
freeing up the linebackers to make plays
as he occupies two hats on most plays, or
else. Sophomores Adrian Grady and Earl Heyman
will compete for the other tackle spot.
Heyman, only 244 pounds, is better suited
to play end, for his quickness is more of
an asset than his strength. Both have proven
their worth along the line, so either/both
is/are a strength. Senior Zach Anderson,
a former junior college star, is ready to
put pressure on opposing quarterbacks from
one end position. Junior Brandon Cox could
man the other end position. He hasn’t
earned much playing time so far in his career,
but he is a very fluid athlete who seems
to have excellent physical tools. The line
won’t be nearly as good last year
(Dumervil), and the rushing defense was
21st in the nation, but it has potential
to be solid.
Linebacker
Middle
linebacker Nate Harris, the leading returning
tackler, will be the leader of Louisville’s
linebacking corps. Harris was second on
the team behind Dumervil with 11.5 tackles
for loss and 7 sacks. Another junior college
transfer, Harris will be ready to step into
a bigger playmaking role this season. Junior
Preston Smith will inherit the weak-side
linebacker position. He needs to add to
his 219 pound frame, but he has the speed
to cover ground. Senior Abe Brown and junior
Malik Jackson will compete for the strong-side
spot. Brown, hindered last year by a sprained
MCL, should hold onto the starting role.
He is strong in both pass coverage and stopping
the run. Sophomore Lamar Myles, a special
teams force from last season, is a strong
run stopper who will also see action. This
is a good (not great) group that will suffer
if the line is unable to continue bottling
up offensive linemen.
Defensive
Back
The
Cardinals’ secondary was nothing to
brag about last season, but should be this
year. In 2005, Louisville had to break in
three new starters, but now the entire starting
unit is back. Senior William Gay is the
best cover man of the group. He was bothered
by injuries last season but will become
Louisville’s lockdown corner. On the
other side, sophomore Rod Council will give
the secondary good balance. Council was
second on the team with 40 solo tackles
and will continue to see more traffic come
his way as foes work away from Gay. Senior
Brandon Sharp will return at free safety
and junior John Russell will be the strong
safety. Both players have a good nose for
the ball, but they are both small for safeties,
a problem when providing run support. The
primary backups, junior Bobby Buchanan and
senior Garin Smart, give the Cardinals one
of the most experienced secondaries in the
nation. Experience for a group that ranked
46th in pass defense has to equal a better
result for UL to progress, a stat that should
reveal much as the season plays out.
DEFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
In
2005, the Louisville defense held fast at
the line of scrimmage but was susceptible
to big plays. That trend could flip-flop
this season. The DL put solid pressure on
quarterbacks and slowed down opponents’
running games, but they won’t be as
effective doing that this season sans Dumervil.
The linebacking corps is a good one, but
they will be asked to make more plays. They
will make some, but the Cardinals will be
easier to run against, period. If the line
can muster any kind of pass rush, and they
should, the secondary will be markedly better.
They have an outstanding pair of cornerbacks,
and the safeties are also very strong in
pass coverage. Still, they’ll continue
to struggle in run support, further weakening
the entire defensive scheme. Louisville
was able to control the tempo of games last
year in part because the defense did not
give up a lot of long, time-consuming drives.
That will be different this year and poses
a further challenge for the offense.
|
|
LB
Nate Harris
|
|
|
LOUISVILLE
2006 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
DEFENSE |
DE |
Zach
Anderson-Sr (6-4, 268) |
Maurice
Mitchell-So (6-3, 277) |
DT |
Adrian
Grady-So (6-2, 292) |
Willie
Williams-Jr (6-4, 310) |
DT |
Amobi
Okoye-Sr (6-1, 312) |
Earl
Heyman-So (6-3, 282) |
DE |
Brandon
Cox-Jr (6-4, 253) |
Jonathan
Holston-Fr (6-6, 239) |
SLB |
Malik
Jackson-Jr (6-2, 231) |
Terrance
Butler-Jr (6-3, 222) |
MLB |
Nate
Harris-Sr (6-1, 236) |
Lamar
Myles-So (6-0, 216) |
WLB |
Abe
Brown-Sr (6-4, 230) |
Preston
Smith-Jr (6-1, 220) |
CB |
Rod
Council-So (5-11, 189) |
Gavin
Smart-Sr (5-9, 192) |
CB |
William
Gay-Sr (5-11, 184) |
Bobby
Buchanan-So (5-11, 188) |
SS |
Jon
Russell-Jr (5-10, 194) |
Deon
Palmer-Fr (5-109, 200) |
FS |
Brandon
Sharp-Sr (5-11, 195) |
Richard
Raglin-So (6-2, 185) |
P |
Todd
Flannery-Jr (6-0, 170) |
Gabe
Mullane-Fr (6-1, 171) |
|
|
|
2006
SPECIAL TEAMS |
Kicker
Efficiency
is a constant theme when Louisville has the ball,
and that extends to their placekicker, Art Carmody.
The junior returns with career numbers of 6-for-6
beyond 40 yards. He holds the NCAA single-season
record for consecutive PAT’s with 77. Todd
Flannery handles the kickoffs but only had seven
touchbacks in 63 kicks. The Cardinals need a lot
better percentage than that. The Cardinals were
84th in the nation in kickoff coverage, another
field position concern.
Punter
Junior
Todd Flannery will enter his second year as the
Cardinals punter. It’s hardly a full-time
job with this team, and Flannery did not kick
often enough (34 times in 12 games) to qualify
for the official NCAA stats. He had a solid 40.9
average and only 14 of his punts were returnable,
an excellent ratio. Net results show a need to
step up coverage, and field position battles will
mean much with an iffy defensive front seven.
Return
Game
Seniors Harry Douglas and Sergio Spencer will
compete for the kickoff return job following the
departure of Montrell Jones. Both had some good
returns last season in limited opportunities.
Spencer even ran one back 61 yards. The punt return
job is wide open since Jones handled that also.
Louisville will need to improve their kick coverage.
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