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Thank Bobby Petrino. Send him a note or email him one of those cheesy interactive thank you cards or give him a round of applause in public. It isn’t for the tremendous talent he has brought to the ‘Ville or the masterful play calling he exhibits every week. It is not for finally getting this program over the hump with this weekend’s win or dealing with the countless injuries this team has had to deal with. Show him appreciation for what he has instilled in his players. This is no longer a football program that’s known for its two former Heisman hopefuls. This is a team.”A personal message to Lee Corso: I’ll take our 22 rejects any day,” said senior defensive tackle Amobi Okoye. Okoye could’ve taken a cheap shot at the former Cards coach for the saying U of L’s 22 starters are Miami rejects.Nate Harris shot his mouth off forcing Petrino to ground him from the media, but Harris had reason to. He knew what the Cards were capable of and they proved it on Saturday against the University of Miami. Not only did Harris back it up with a great game, but the entire defense made a statement to the nation that this program is no longer just about slinging the ball downfield all game. This is a team complete on both sides of the ball.There was something different about the Cardinals on Saturday both on and off field. They had a swagger and confidence about them. They were not overly arrogant like most fans see from a team like Miami. Their attitude and demeanor was that of a superior program. A team that knows how good they are and will let their play do the talking.”We trust our teammates,” said junior wide out Harry Douglas. The Cardinals have overcome the mental shortcomings hampering them the past two years. With a team motto of “finish” bashed into their heads day in and day out since last December it seems that this group of athletes has finally gotten it.Junior quarterback Brian Brohm went out in the third quarter and it seemed the Cardinals stepped it up a notch. The defense went on to lock down the Hurricane offense on the very next drive. As if there was no concern at all with losing their second Heisman candidate, Petrino and the team had the confidence to let Hunter Cantwell loose to throw a perfect strike to Harry Douglas down the middle on his first play of the game. “After tonight the Miami game is over. We gotta look to the next opponent,” said Douglas. Louisville, no doubt, had this game in the back of their minds since the end of last year, but it did not cloud their mindset. “We knew it ourselves that we could beat them. We just had to go out and show the nation,” said an ecstatic Brian Brohm who, despite having to weather through another injury, could not get a smile off of his face throughout his time in front of the media.Petrino and company have built this team into a well oiled machine and they realize if they do not take one game at a time, a big win against The U is meaningless unless they back it up against every other team on the schedule. And when a group this talented has the right mindset they will be tough to stop.
Andrew Krumme is a senior majoring in Finance. E-mail him at?akrumme@louisvillecardinal.com.
