By Josh Abner

Coach John L. Smith knew it was only a matter of time before the University of Louisville’s early season luck would run out. As his club entered the locker room down 17-10, the self-touted second half Cardinals felt the game was still firmly within their grasp. After outscoring their opponents 62-3 in the second half of their first three games, it seemed as if the Cards had a solid claim to that statement. In the end though, mental mistakes-namely penalties and giving up big plays-finally did in U of L, resulting in a 34-10 loss at the hands of the University of Illinois.

“We felt like we were still in it,” said Coach Smith. “The thing we have to realize is in four ballgames now, three of those ballgames you’re able to overcome the mistakes. If we keep telling them that, ÔIt’s not going to happen’ you are kidding yourselves. We are kidding ourselves. You’re setting yourself up to get your tail kicked.”

“We’ve been able to overcome those mistakes because we haven’t played people as good as these guys. We’ve got to realize that we can’t make those mistakes and be good,” said Smith.

“We made so many mistakes, so many penalties, so many turnovers, and you can’t expect to be in a football game with good football team if you do those things,” Smith said.

Penalties continued to be Louisville’s key nemesis. U of L finished with 13 penalties for 111 yards (with two other penalties declined by Illinois). This was 9th time in the last 15 games that U of L has eclipsed the century-yard mark in penalties, with three of those coming in the last four games.

U of L’s penalty dilemma boggled quarterback Dave Ragone. “If I knew how to stop all of our penalties, I’d be a coach,” he said.

Two penalties in particular disrupted the U of L game plan. With 2:44 left in the second quarter defensive end Michael Josiah jumped offside and proceed to dive for Illinois’ quarterback Kurt Kittner’s feet. A melee ensued as Illinois tackle Tony Pashos blindsided Josiah as he was getting up. Both Josiah and Pashos were ejected from the game. Near the beginning of the third quarter, a 79-yard Deion Branch punt return for a touchdown was called back after a Tiger Jones’ block in the back. U of L never was able to recover the loss of momentum from that point and failed to score in the 2nd half for the first time since being shutout last season at Florida State. U of L second half possessions ended in four punts, two fumbles and an interception.

“That killed us,” Smith said of the called-back punt return. “You come out of the second half and we had a little bit of momentum and (we held them to) three-and-out and then we do something like that.”

Despite the frequent flagging U of L endured, they still had plenty of chances to climb back into the ballgame. However, giving up the big play to Illinois’ offense proved to be the back breaker.

“The big killer was giving up the big plays,” said Smith.

After a six play, 72-yard touchdown drive that put U of L up 7-3 late in the first quarter, keyed by a 70-yard catch-and-run by Deion Branch, the Illinois’ offense took no time getting to work. A three-play, 80-yard drive began when Kittner threw deep to wideout Greg Lewis for 59 yards. The Illinois’ scoring drive took only 20 seconds off the clock to put the Fighting Illini up for good.

After U of L’s Nathan Smith’s field goal in the second quarter, the Cardinals seemed primed for their patented second half surge. U of L had forced Illinois into 4th down and six-yards to go when fullback Carey Davis took the snap 32 yards on the fake punt to the Louisville 17-yard line. Although defensive end Dewayne White would block the coming field goal attempt, the play summed up the Cards’ entire afternoon.

“That was my mistake and boy, wasn’t that a doozy,” Smith said of the fake. “I had block on and they ran the fake and it was a great call on their part. Stupid call on my part.”

U of L prepares for conference play next week against Memphis.

“We’ve got to go to the practice field tomorrow and start working on becoming a better football team and not allowing ourselves to make the mistakes that we are making,” said Smith.