The University of Louisville Football team continued to struggle on Friday night as they dropped their third straight game 35-10 to the Pittsburgh Panthers.  After most losses, I usually get angry. I Feel like the team could of played better and look for answers.  On Friday night as I sat in my PJCS seat and glanced at the final score, this feeling never came.  I think I finally figured out why Louisville is struggling so much.  The answer is talent and Louisville has none.  They play hard and fight their ass off, but in the end they just aren’t any good.  For me, I can’t get angry at that.  I just have to accept that fact that this program has taken a nose dive and we aren’t the 2007 Cardinals.  I have come to expect greatness from the Louisville Football program, but I have realized that it will never come during the Kragthorpe era.  I accept that our team plays hard and am proud of that, but with no talent the losses will continue to pile up.  This is exactly what happened on Friday night.  If you missed it, here is how it went down:

Recap

Things started off great for Louisville in the first quarter.  On Pittsburgh’s first possession, they looked as if they were going to drive right down the field and take an early lead.  However, the Louisville defense stood up to the challenge and stopped Pitt on fourth down at the Louisville 25 yard line.  The offense then went to work.

Louisville took the ensuing possession 73 yards capped off by a Joe Tronzo 1-yard TD plunge.  The big play on this drive came off a reverse pass in which wide receiver Douglas Beaumont completed a 38 yard pass to Josh Chichester to help get the offense rolling. 

Pitt would answer back going 58 yards in eight plays for a touchdown.  The drive ended in a little luck for the Panthers as the scoring play was a five yard touchdown pass from Bill Stull that was deflected by a Louisville defender right into the arms of wide receiver Dorin Dickerson.  The touchdown tied the game at seven. 

The two teams battled the rest of the half with no scoring until Louisville broke through on their final possession.  The Cards started the drive on their own 17 yard line with 3:39 left before the break.  They drove it straight down the field to the Pittsburgh 14 and Ryan Payne booted a 32-yard field goal as the train whistle blew, giving Louisville a 10-7 halftime lead. 

The Cards fought hard in the first half and things were looking good.  There was a feeling that Louisville can actually win the game.  Well, that couldn’t be any further from the truth.  Pittsburgh took their opening possession of the second half and marched 75 yards in eight plays for the go ahead touchdown.  Pittsburgh never looked back as they racked off 28 unanswered points on four touchdowns in earning the 35-10 victory.  It was a truly dominating performance in the second half by Pitt, and Louisville was just no match. 

Froman was the Cardinal’s leading passer going 18/30 for 166 yards.  He did not throw a touchdown or a pick.  Stull lead the Panthers in passing completing 16/23 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns.  He also did not throw a pick.

Victor Anderson led the Cards in rushing with 12 carries for 51 yards.  Bilal Powell carried the ball 5 times for 27 yards.  The Panthers had a duel threat in their backfield as Dion Lewis led the way with 21 carries for 87 yards.  Ray Graham touched the ball 12 times for 75 yards and a touchdown. 

On the receiving end of things, Josh Chichester led the Cardinals with three catches for 55 yards.  Scott Long also had three receptions for a total of 46 yards.  For Pitt, Jonathan Baldwin led the way with  four catches for 105 yards and a touchdown.  Dickerson finished the game with three receptions for 50 yards and two touchdowns. 

The Panthers finished the game with 404 yards of total offense compared to Louisville’s 305.  It is the second time in as many games that the Louisville defense has given up more than 400 yards in  total offense.   Each team had one turnover by way of a fumble.    

My Thoughts

1) I was very happy to see Adam Froman under center leading this Louisville team.  Froman got the start at quarterback replacing Justin Burke who was out with a “bruised sternum”.  I think Kragthorpe listened to the Pinkie and finally got the memo that Burke is no good.  I was very impressed with Froman.  He looked confident and made some great throws.  I thought he was much more accurate than Burke and is quicker on his feet which led to some nice rushing yards.  I think that Froman is definitely the answer and gives Louisville the best chance to compete. 

2) The offensive line is terrible.  Froman was pressured most of the night as the Pittsburgh defensive front line just dominated.  The strong part of the Louisville offense, the running game, couldn’t get anything on the ground because the offensive line couldn’t block.  They were being pushed off the ball as the Pitt defenders penetrated into the backfield and stop Louisville running backs in their tracks.  With Froman on his back most of the night and Anderson having three guys in his face as soon as he touches the ball, the Louisville offense never got it going and couldn’t put enough points on the board.  Once again, it all comes down to talent and it is absent in the offensive linemen.

3) The Louisville defense is a fraud.  For the first three games of the season the Louisville defense looked as if it was actually good.  The Pitt Panthers quickly showed that this is a lie.  The Cardinal secondary looked completely lost and the front seven just did not have the speed to chase down Pittsburgh running backs.  A few specific examples include Richard Raglin getting burned down the field on several occasions and getting turned around.  Once such instance resulted in a 71 yard touchdown bomb from Stull to Baldwin.  There were also several instances when Pittsburgh running backs would use their speed advantage, get around the edge, and turn up field for big gains.  The Louisville defenders could not make tackles and could not run down the ball carrier until 10-15 yards down the field.  It’s another case of no talent. 

4) I liked the all black uniforms that the team wore for the “Blackout” except for one thing.  Whoever decided to put “The Ville” on the front of the jersey needs to be beaten.  We are not “The Ville”.  We are the University of Louisville.  Have some pride in your university and put Louisville across your chest.  Could anybody imagine Kentucky putting “Lex Vegas” across their jersey?  What a stupid idea to put a nickname across your uniform on national television.  It was embarassing and hopefully will never happen again.     

What Lies Ahead

The Cards will take the field again next Saturday October 10th against former Conference USA foe Southern Mississippi at PJCS.  Luckily, Southern Miss also lacks good talent so this is an opportunity for Louisville to earn a win.  Cardinal fans, I ask you to stick with this team and continue to support them.  These kids fight hard and want to win, but the opponents are just better.  There is nothing we or the team can do about a lack of talent.  It comes with coaching and recruiting.  As long as Coach Krags is still on the sidelines, we will struggle.  Just stick with it, and realize that better days lie ahead.