By Zach Kenitzer
Despite all the military aircraft roaring overhead for Thunder Over Louisville, most Cardinal fans were focused on the football field. In a pre-Thunder warm-up, the U of L football team had its annual intrasquad scrimmage, where the red team crushed the white team 59-7.
Sophomore quarterback Hunter Cantwell led the air assault, throwing for 321 yards and three touchdowns while completing 20 of 30 passes. Receivers sophomore Mario Urrutia and junior Harry Douglas dropped passes early on but recovered to make catches that added to the red team’s dominating lead. Urrutia had five catches for 143 yards and Douglas had three catches for 81 yards.
"I think most of the credit goes to the guys catching the balls,” Cantwell said. “There are a lot of weapons on this team. I think people saw that if they watched tonight. As quarterback, you’ve just got to keep getting the ball into the right hands."
Cantwell filled the shoes of sidelined junior Brian Brohm, who is still out recovering from a knee injury he suffered late last season. Cantwell has stepped into the position and played well while Brohm watched from the sidelines. Cantwell shot bullets and dropped bombs on the white team while handing it off to senior tailbacks Michael Bush and Kolby Smith, who led ground attack.
Bush and Smith started slow but “shook off the rust,” Head Coach Bobby Petrino said in a post-game interview. Bush plowed through the white defensive line to gain 72 yards in 11 runs, most of which were down the middle. Smith took alternate routes and gained 48 yards in 10 runs, including two 1-yard touchdown runs.
The defense, trying to prove it could survive the loss of senior defensive end Elvis Dumervil, had a solid game.
"Everybody talked about Elvis, but we just want to come out and prove that he wasn’t the only show on our defense,” safety Nate Harris said. “We got better as the spring went on, and tonight we did our thing – just run fast to the ball and make plays.”
Brandon Cox led the defense making six tackles and four sacks for a loss of 26 yards. Other notable defensive players include William Gay, who made four tackles, and junior safety Terrance Butler, who had three tackles but assisted on four.
While the red team had the highlights of the day, the white team also had a few notable athletes. Sergio Spencer played both ways, running the ball 17 times, netting 71 yards for the day and picking up three tackles for the defense. Mozell Axson also had four tackles.
Following the game, more than 500 students lined up to get their season tickets for Ticket Tailgating.
While there is already talk in Morgantown, W.V., about hopes for a National Title, the Cards will enter next season hoping to prove they can be the top team in the Big East.
The Cards open their season on Sept. 2 against Kentucky at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium.
