By Game Notes By Benjamin Lampkin
Coming up empty in bowl games the last three seasons has left a bad taste in the mouths of the University of Louisville football program. Therefore, the only thing on the minds of the players and coaches Monday evening was getting a victory any way possible against Brigham Young University. The Cardinals put together one of their most consistent and balanced games of the season, combining a suffocating defense with an opportunistic offense as well as playing excellent on special teams.
“We knew they (BYU) didn’t have all their weapons here,” said U of L head coach John L. Smith, “but we felt we had to prepare for them, and our defense played extremely well.”
After last year’s disappointing Liberty Bowl loss to Colorado State, the Cards got Smith his first ever bowl victory in a game that many thought would be high scoring showdown between quarterbacks Dave Ragone and Brandon Doman. “It wasn’t one of those high scoring affairs that everyone thought it would be, but it worked to our benefit,” said Smith.
Another major accomplishment the Cardinals can stick under their belts is, perhaps, “Best U of L team ever.” The Cardinals finish the season with an 11-2 record, which breaks the mark of 10 wins by the 1990 squad that went 10-1-1.
Cards’ defense once again the star
BYU, the nation’s #1 ranked offense, struggled for 10 points against the Cardinals, their lowest output since a 10-7 win over UNLV on September 23, 2000, a span of 21 games. The Cougars averaged 542.8 yards per game and 46.8 points per game, both averages leading the nation. The Cougars only managed 276 yards of total offense, including only 192 passing yards from Doman, who came in seventh in the nation at 307.5 passing yards per game. “As a defense, we were determined,” said safety Curry Burns. “We told each other that we won’t lost this game.”
Without the nation’s third leading rusher in Luke Staley (out with a broken leg), the Cougars sputtered to 84 net yards rushing, down from their average of 217.9 per game (13th in the nation). Backup running back Paul Peterson had 73 yards on 15 carries.
The Cards’ defensive efforts have been steady if not spectacular this season.
They rank 35th in the nation in total defense, giving up 338 yards per game. However, they sit at 10th in the nation in scoring defense, only allowing 17.75 points per game. This was the defense’s fourth best day of the season in scoring (they’d up 2 points, 7 points twice, and 10 points one other time).
Senior Branch leaves U of L a winner
A transfer from Jones County College two years ago, Deion Branch emerged as the Cardinals leading receiver last season. He surpassed his numbers from last season by making 72 catches for 1,188 yards and 9 touchdowns this season. On Monday, Branch was named the U of L Most Valuable Offensive Player, grabbing 6 receptions for 80 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter to give the Cards their largest lead of the game at that point, 21-10.
“I just ran the route, something I’ve been running all year,” said Branch, in reference to his touchdown catch. “My whole intention was to send the seniors out as winners, and to get coach Smith a win. He deserved to have a bowl win.”
Fans once again brave cold weather
58,968 tickets were sold for Monday’s game, and although many fans chose not to attend and deal with the cold temperatures (33 degrees at kickoff with 27 degree wind chill), the far eastern stands were filled with frenzied and chilled U of L fans. Many fans were expecting the same icy temperatures and high winds from last year, but (somewhat) pleasantly there was sunshine throughout the day and winds under 5 mph.
This marked the 6th time during the 2001 season that the Cardinals have played on national television. The game was shown on ESPN at 4 PM EST.
