By David Hamrick
After two weeks of constant chatter about a lackluster 7-point win over arch rival Kentucky, the Cards came out Saturday and lambasted Oregon State 63-27. The University of Louisville, led by sophomore quarterback Brian Brohm’s 368 yards passing and five touchdowns, racked up 553 yards. U of L cruised to an easy win over the Pac-10 school that won a bowl game last year over Notre Dame. But things didn’t start out so easy for the Cards.
The Cardinals started out the game in what looked like a daze. Senior Broderick Clark was injured on the opening kick off and didn’t return. During the Cards first two possessions, the offense sputtered and managed only 32 yards in eight plays, while the defense allowed the Oregon State attack to jump out to a 10-0 lead late in the first quarter.
This was surely not how Head Coach Bobby Petrino had expected to start the game against the Beavers. “We script our first series of plays each game. It’s something we are proud of, [but] this game we just didn’t do a good job,” Petrino said. “We got away from running the ball because OSU put nine guys up to defend the run. Once we got back to throwing, the game seemed to open up.”
And open up it did. Brohms’ shovel pass to senior Joshua Tinch on the opening play of the ensuing drive set the tone as U of L marched to the end zone, bringing the score to 10-7 by the end of the first quarter.
From then on, the U of L defense set the mood for the rest of the game. Senior Elvis Dumervil anchored the defense with three sacks. Combined with his school-record six sacks against UK, Dumervil set an NCAA record for most sacks in consecutive games (9) and finished the OSU game with 2 forced fumbles.
“I thought [Dumervil] should have gotten four sacks today,” Petrino said of the 6-foot, 250-pound defensive end. “His energy on the sideline was contagious. When we were down early, he helped pick up the team with his attitude.”
The Louisville offense then began to find the end zone in a display that closely resembled the 2004 Cards team that led the nation in scoring. U of L scored at will in the second quarter and carried a 35-10 lead into half time.
The stadium seemed to hold its collective breath as the third quarter got under way.
Fans were waiting to see if there would be another second half collapse like the one at Kentucky in which UK battled back from a 28-7 deficit to come within seven.
It never happened. Dumervil sacked OSU’s quarterback Matt Moore, causing a fumble on which U of L senior defensive tackle Montavious Stanley fell.
Louisville fans also witnessed the birth of star in red shirt freshman Mario Urrutia who started the Kentucky game as a wide out but he didn’t catch a single ball in the game. The OSU game was his coming-out party as he caught seven passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns. The 6-foot-6 Urrutia is a match up problem for pretty much any cornerback in football and he used every bit of his frame to snag all the balls thrown his way. When asked why it is so difficult to guard Urrutia, Petrino simply said, “He’s tall.”
Cards versus Bulls
The Cards improve to 2-0 for the season. The U of L community will finally get to witness a much anticipated first ever Big East competition. They are slated to play the University of South Florida Bulls (2-1) at 6:45 p.m. The game will be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa where the Cardinals have never won. Their only visit was in 2003 were the Bulls pulled off the upset in a triple overtime thriller. The Cards retaliated last year in Louisville with a 41-9 beating. The game will be televised on ESPNU.
Both U of L and USF come off impressive wins last week. While the Cards pounded OSU, the Bulls beat Central Florida 31-14.
Running Game
Both teams rely on a powerful running game. Louisville continues to utilize the ability of junior running backs Michael Bush and Kolby Smith while USF looks to senior running back Andre Hall. Hall began this season as the leading rusher in the Big East and hasn’t slowed since. In his first three times out, he rushed for an impressive 385 yards and four touchdowns. Like Bush, he is considered the Bulls work horse, and will continue to see the ball a lot against the Cards.
The Cards will have to have linebacker help behind Dumervil so he can continue to freely rush the passer. If the Cards can force Hall inside the tackles on his runs they will be able to contain him.
Receivers
After the Louisville performance against OSU last Saturday, critics can no longer question the lack of offensive variety by Petrino. Both Urrutia and sophomore Harry Douglas stepped up and shined with the Beavers heavily covering the Card’s running game and senior Broderick Clark out.
Urrutia caught seven passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns while Douglas caught three balls for 91 yards and one touchdown. These key options give Brohm more options and Bush more room to operate.
The Key to Victory
Overall, the Cards will need to come out strong in both halves of the ball game. In the past two games, Louisville has not started one of the half’s as strong as the other.
In the Kentucky game the Cards came out flying in the first half but were flat in the second.
In the Oregon State game it took U of L nearly 10 minutes to get focused.
The worst thing that could happen for the Cards is to come out slow and the home team gain confidence and stay in the game. Focus will be important for the Cards to conitune their success.
