Another Active Weekend in (and out) in The Ville -- Friday Cardinal Couple

11 EVENTS OVER THE NEXT THREE DAYS

Christopher Guest...the actor who played rocker Nigel Tufnel in the mockumentary 1984 movie This Is Spinal tap would approve. He geared his amplifiers to "11" to get that extra boost and there are 11 activities involving UofL sports and beyond for Cards and non-Cards fans alike taking place on campus, down south, up north, downtown and all-around this weekend. 

in all fairness, we could make it an even 12 pack...if you include Louisville fall softball that will have a double-header Saturday at Ulmer. Hey, why not go to 13...with Louisville Lacrosse hosting a four team tournament at the L.L.S. 

Fill up the gas tank, get a change of clothes or two, load the cooler and toss weird Uncle Nick and Bill the Goat in the back of the pickup. Here we go! 


FRIDAY

Let's start our journey out at the Twin Spires, shall we? It's the second-to-last day of the September meet out at Churchill Downs. 10 challenging races are lined up for fans...beginning at 12:45.

If you see a predominance of green at the track today....don't worry...you haven't missed St. Patricks Day. A lot of Trinity and St. X fans like to do their tailgating for "The World's Biggest High Sshool Football Game" at the most legendary racetrack in the world. Final race is around 5:30...which gives you plenty of time to head east on Central Avenue and hit Papa John's Cardinal Stadium for the 7 p.m. kickoff. Trinity is 6-0 on the season and St Xavier 4-1. There will be 35,000 (or more) out in the Pizza Oven tonight for the annual clash. For some folks, it rates right up there with Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter and Fourth of July. Paulie sees Trinity taking a 28-7 win. It may be the only winner I pick all day. 

Need a mid-afternoon break from the ponies or tailgating. Bring you laptop or tablet...#7 Louisville Field Hockey faces #4 Syracuse at 3:30 p.m. up north in Orangeland. Cards Field Hockey is 9-1 on the season and don't be too surprised if they are 10-1 around 5 p.m. this afternoon. Here's the link to watch on the ACC Network Extra. 

LINK: http://www.espn.com/watchespn/index/_/id/2880518/louisville-vs-syracuse-field-hockey

Finally...Louisville Volleyball heads downtown to the KFC YUM! Center to spike and volley with ACC foe Wake Forest The Cards (5-7) have been a bit on a down-slide lately and would welcome your support. If you can't go...here's a link to watch on-line: 

LINK: http://es.pn/2dgIXsh

Four down...seven (or eight) to go. Let's move to Saturday. 

SATURDAY

We'll kick it off (well, not really kick it, exactly) at Ulmer Stadium where Cards softball plays two...starting with Bellarmine at 10 a.m. and Walters State at noon. Next up...Louisville Cross Country's Greater Louisville Classic meet at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in eastern Jefferson County. It's listed as an all-day event. You might want to follow Cross Country on Twitter....for more specifics. Louisville's Dorcas Wasike was the ACC Freshman Performer last week for her second place finish in the 25-team Commodore Classic at Vandy. 

Worldwide and Paulie will be on the banks of the Ohio River Saturday morning...fishing for catfish. OK, not really...we'll be doing THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR live at Louisville Rowing's Red and Black Regatta. The event begins at 10 a.m. and we'll be on the air starting at 11 a.m. on WCHQ 100.9 FM. Listen to us on the WCHQ app or online at www.crescenthillradio.com. We've got coach Derek Copeland and athletes Gabi Biedenharn and Elizabeth Patrick lined up to chat with us...in addition to our weekly wrap-up and preview of all things UofL women's sports. 

Churchill Downs has the final day of the September meet beginning at 12:45 p.m. and the oval has been a popular place for some to tailgate before Cardinal Football. They'll have plenty of time to do that Saturday...Bobby Petrino's Cards face Clemson in South Carolina around 8:30 (and if you're reading this down there...I am slightly jealous) #3 vs #5. Should be a good one!!

Why not start your Saturday evening at Lynn Stadium to watch Louisville women's soccer play Notre Dame at 7 p.m. The kickin' Cards are 7-2-2 on the season and ranked in the top 20 in the polls. Lynn and the Cards are hosting a pre-game Octoberfest party prior to the match with discounted beverages and food specials. 


You'll have your choice of either Volleyball or Field Hockey at 1 p.m Sunday. Anne Kordes' wide-netters host Duke at the KFC YUM! Center. field Hockey is back in town hosting Iowa. 

As far as Saturday night goes...We don't know if they'll be showing the football game on the big screen at Lynn or not...but soccer should be pretty close to ending as football prepares to kickoff...so why not do both! 



SUNDAY


Sunday...the "Stick Girls" return home to take on nationally ranked Iowa .tVVVvOwo t Vo head to Sunday.
This one will probably have Worldwide downtown and me at on-campus Trager Stadium. A shame they couldn't have spaced these out a bit...so that fans could do both...but whichever one you choose should be fun. Both should also be available on the ACC Network Extra platform. 

There you have it. Plenty to keep you occupied over the next 72 hours. Here's hoping the Cards go 6-0, your favorite high school wins for you at PJCS, all your selections at Churchill do well and you have fun at the regatta and out at the park! 

paulie
xxxxx

Five Questions for...Justine Sowry -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

9-1 CARDS HEAD TO #4 SYRACUSE

COACH HAS A NEW RED WALL IN HER OFFICE! 

Undefeated on the road this year and ranked #7 in the nation...the Louisville Field Hockey team is off to their best start since 1977. We had the chance to catch up with head coach Justine Sowry on Wednesday prior to their departure for Syracuse and took a look at past, present and future for the Trager Stadium dwellers...here's five questions with Justine:



1) TELL US ABOUT THE TRIP TO CAROLINA LAST WEEKEND? 

"It was a great trip, Paulie. In our many conversations about the team, I've been critical about areas we need to improve upon...but playing against Wake Forest was probably our best game of the season so far...and maybe over a few years. I had to watch video to find areas to improve upon because we played fantastic field hockey winning 2-0."

"We followed it up against Appalachian State. It's always hard to come back on a Sunday after a tough contest on the road and they had more energy than us in the first half probably...but we eventually controlled the tempo and went pretty deep into our squad to get the 4-1 victory. To come away with two road trip wins in an environment that wasn't always easy is very pleasing."

2) YOU HEAD TO SYRACUSE FRIDAY FOR MAYBE YOU'RE TOUGHEST GAME OF THE SEASON? THEY WERE #1 AND NOW #4...

WILL Q SHOW UP FOR THE SYRACUSE
VS. LOUISVILLE FIELD HOCKEY GAME?

"This is definitely a challenging stretch for us. Syracuse is a quality program, they're the defending national champions. They attack with numbers. They put a lot of pressure on you defensively. Wake Forest prepared us for that pressure...we just have to tidy up a couple of areas and make sure we're on the same page up there. They're strong in the midfield and it'll be our job to put pressure on their backfield." 



3) AFTER SYRACUSE, YOU RETURN FOR A FIVE GAME HOME STAND. FOUR OF THESE OPPONENTS ARE IN THE TOP 25. A TOUGH CHALLENGE.

" It is really a tough stretch for us. We know our ACC opponents are always going to be tough and the two BIG 10 opponents coming in are tough as well. The BIG 10 is much stronger this year...they go five, six teams deep in the rankings. It is an incredible opportunity for us to see where we're really at." 

4) THE NORTHWESTERN GAME IS ALL-AMERICAN BANNER REVEAL AFTERNOON. WHO ARE THE PLAYERS THAT WILL BE REVEALED ON THE BANNERS? 

" Vic Stratton, who was a excellent defender for us and is currently a volunteer coach for us is one. Her parents will be here from New Zealand for the ceremonies and that's a very exciting thing for her and our team . Ayeshia McFerran became an All-American last year also, as a freshman, which is a first for us. 

Step Dancing is quite difficult...it's trained Ayeshia
well for goalkeeping, we surmise. 

5) I RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT AYESHIA IS SKILLED AT IRISH STEP DANCING AND PLAYING THE FLUTE. ANY CHANCE WE COULD GET HER TO PUT ON A HALFTIME SHOW? 

" I know she'd certainly be up for that challenge and we're well aware of her dancing skills. The flute I wasn't as aware about. I don't want her playing the flute, though...[ laughter ]... 


( Be sure to catch the entire Sowry interview on our Saturday radio show...THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR. This week (weather permitting) we'll be doing the show live from the Ohio River at Louisville Rowing's RED AND BLACK REGATTA. 
The show starts at 11 a.m....on WCHQ 100.9 FM and streams live on the Internet at www.crescenthillradio.com  Take Crescent Hill radio with you wherever you go by downloading the WCHQ app...available at the website.)

paulie
xxxxx 

Dana Evans Commits to Louisville...Welcome To Cardinal Arena...Kylee Shook -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SHOOK SHOOK UP THE RECORD BOOKS IN COLORADO

(This is the sixth in a series of articles about the first-year players on the University of Louisville Women's Basketball team for the 2016-17 season. going in alphabetical order...we look at Kylee Shook today) 

Unlike a lot of high school basketball players, who go through growth spurts as they matriculate late through high school, Kylee Shook arrived on the Mesa Ridge, CO. basketball team as a 6'4" prospect and stayed at that height her entire four years of prep and high school hoops. 

Having four years of high school hoops may have seemed like an eternity to the schools that faced the Colorado Springs based Grizzlies. She holds the state record for blocked shots and rebounds. She averaged 27.3 points per game her senior season and finished her career with 1797 points. 

At 6'4"...you'd think she would have been one of the best centers to play high school hoops in Colorado. Kylee saw a different direction, though. Forward thinking, you might say...developing and improving her game outside of the paint. She possess a soft mid-range jumper and can make opponents pay if they decide to leave her open around the arc. She elaborates: 

" When I was a post player, I didn't really like being down there. My body type isn't really fit to muscle out all those big girls down there. I had to evolve and develop an outside game. I think it will help me in college. I won't be stuck down there with the 6'7" and 200 lb girls." 

With Kylee, it was a bit different when it comes to developing her style. she came in very solid and capable on defense. Offense was a learning transition for her...she took to it enough to score over 700 points her senior season. 

Many schools sought after the McDonald's All-American. In the end, Jeff Walz and staff won out. Kylee explains why: 

" I considered Colorado because it was close to home and the University of Washington...becuase of their coaches and athletics. Louisville, though...they have a generally good team atmosphere and school. They have a lot of fan support. Jeff Walz is great and he will push and drive me to where I want to be...the next level." 

At 6'4" and a huge wing-span, Shook projects to be a defensive stopper and rebounder for the Cards. She's likely to learn the game behind Myisha Hines-Allen, Mariya Moore and Sam Fuehring at first and if the outside shot stays accurate, she could be a great zone buster at 6'4". On a team that has plenty of offensive weapons, it doesn't hurt at all to have someone who can get the ball back to you for an offensive set and play within the team concept. Shook has proven she can do all the above and when you add in her drive and desire to work hard each and every day...we think she'll see significant court-time for the Cards as a freshman. 

Yes, work is needed in the weight room...but Shook has the drive to get that done. Will Shook shake up women's college basketball. 

To paraphrase James Bond...we think the fans will be shaken...AND stirred.


FIVE FUN FACTS ABOUT KYLEE: 

1) ROCKY MOUNTAIN..."HI!" Kylee is the first Cardinal WBB player since Katie Olson played for UofL from 2003-2007. Katie was from Wheat Ridge, CO. Seems like there are a lotta ridges in Colorado...

2) DOIN' THE BLACKJACK!  Kylee will wear #21 for the Cards. That was Bria Smith's number...you'll remember. They probably couldn't use the same tailoring measurements... 

3) A COUPLE OF NETS...Kylee was also an outstanding Volleyball player at Mesa Ridge. At 6'4" and with very, very long arms...we could see her as a middle blocker or outside hitter. She'll spike a few orange balls around and have her share of blocks on the basketball court. The kind of player Anne Kordes could use...

4) PUT ME IN AND LEAVE ME THERE COACH. Kylee didn't start her first game as a varsity player. She did come off the bench, though, and record 12 blocks in the game. She became a starter next time out...

5) RARIFIED AIR. Kylee has patterned her game after Elena Della Donne and Breanna Stewart's style. Yeah, I think Cardinal fans would be OK with that...


/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////


EVANS SAYS YES TO LOUISVILLE

While we're handing out hello's....let's extend a loud "howdy!" and welcome aboard to DANA EVANS...a 5'6" top flight guard out of West Side H.S. in Gary, IN...who announced Tuesday night she would be attending Louisville next fall.

One of the top recruits in the class of 2017 and a major target for the Cards...Evans is a high-profile, scoring machine point guard that averaged over 35 points her senior season. 

" I chose the Cards because of the relationship I built with the coaching staff. They're going to make me a better player." she reports. 

There is always room for improvement...but Evans comes in with a ton of skill sets already. Exceptionally fast, a terror in driving to the hoop, excellent shooting skills and a great knowledge of the game...she was the one I've been hoping would join Lindsey Duvall and Loretta Kakala as 2017 arrivals. Walz, it is reported, is looking for one more for the class of 2017. 

Evans was the #7 prospect in the 2017 class according to ESPN and picked the Cardinals over Purdue and Tennessee. 

You're going to love her style of play...Cardinal fans. So fast, so explosive...scores in waves. A proven floor leader that can get her teammates involved in the action, break down defenders with regularity and virtually impossible to stop off the dribble.

She's been a phenom in the Gary area for years. Valparaiso offered her a scholarship in the fifth grade. Purdue soon followed. In the end, it came down to Purdue, Tennessee and Louisville.  

Walz and company strikes again. If they were bowling, this would be their 300 game...with the Evans verbal. She talks about the process...a situation where only she, her parents (and probably Coach Walz) knew where she was headed prior to her announcement Tuesday evening: 

"It was difficult...at one point I was going to all three schools. I prayed on it Sunday the answer came to me. Louisville. I loved the girls and the coaches at Louisville. It's the best fit for me. Louisville is the up and coming program"

We couldn't agree more and we know the competition can't contain ya, Dana. Welcome to the Ville! 




paulie
xxxxx

Women's Soccer, Field Hockey having 2016 success -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

TWO SPORTS COMBINED 16-3-2 ON SEASON

The fall sports season for UofL women's athletics consists of seven of the 12 squads the Cards are competitive in with the ACC. Field Hockey, Golf, Cross Country, Soccer, Rowing, Volleyball and Tennis make up the events where Cardinals occupy on-campus  and city-wide venues. 

Two of these teams are off to a pretty spectacular start for 2016 and we'll look at them today. In addition, we just got the clearance to do our weekly radio show THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR as a live broadcast this Saturday morning from the Red and Black Rowing Regatta at the G. Garvin Brown Rowing Center on the Ohio River...so we're excited about that and will fill you in on the details later this week. 

FIELD HOCKEY FIRING FULL SPEED

At 9-1 on the season, Louisville Field Hockey is off to their best start since 1977...when the Cards opened 10-1 en route to an 11-3 season under Sandy McLaughlin. The opponent list looked a little different in those days...with Berea, Hanover, Centre and DePauw (not DePaul) on the schedule. 

The 2016 Cards are #7 in the NCAA Coaches Poll (with a new poll coming out later today) and have a #11 RPI ranking. They are out-scoring their opponents 37-7 on the season and have three shutouts on the season. Only Duke, led by former UofL head coach Pam Bustin have scored two goals on this group of stick-swingers...and her evaluation of this year's team indicated that she thought both Duke and Louisville could meet again...in the finals of the ACC Tournament and in the NCAA Championships. 

How is it getting done? Justine Sowry has combined a core of returning veterans with perhaps the best first-year class to ever take the Trager Stadium field. First-year Cardinals account for 19 of Louisville's 37 goals and frosh Minout Mink has nine of those. From Haaksberger, Netherlands...the "Little Dutch Girl" (she stands 5'4") has taken 34 shots this season...twice that of anyone else on the squad...and is one of seven international players on the roster. Sowry has seven freshmen and one graduate student on the roster and their impact has been significant for The Flock this season. 



13 different players have scored for Louisville this season. Hardly one-dimensional...the Cards present a defending nightmare to opposing coaches and opponents. 

Preventing scores also helps you win games and Sowry (a former goalkeeper) has a solid defense contingent in goalie Ayeshia McFerran. From Larne, Northern Ireland...the sophomore stopper is among the nation's best. she's had 25 saves this season. Somedays, she's not very busy back between the pipes...complemented by defenders Abby Grimes, Gianna Perrone, Carter Ayars, Taylor Stone and Lizzie Gittens. 

McFerran is also a student of Irish dancing and plays the flute. Maybe she could do a halftime show at Trager during one of the Cards next blowouts. I wonder if she knows any Jethro Tull?

"Clear my schedule for the next four
weekends! Got some field hockey." 

The road ahead for Field Hockey may not have many blowouts coming up. Next up is a road trip to #1 Syracuse. A five game homestretch after that includes Boston College, Northwestern, North Carolina and the Cards still have to make trips to Virginia and Michigan. Nine games remain before the ACC Championships. Seven of them are against top 25 opponents. Five are at Trager.

We think you should get out there...admission is free and there is a concession stand. There are three Sunday, one Saturday and one Friday night games during the homestretch.

WOMEN'S SOCCER GETTING THEIR KICKS

At 7-2-2 on the season...the University of Louisville women's soccer squad is one win away from equaling last season's win record. With seven ACC games
remaining before the ACC Championships, we like the Kickin' Cards chances of surpassing last year's mark. Four of them are at Lynn Stadium...the finest college soccer facility in the nation. 

This is Karen Ferguson Dayes best start since 2012 and the Cards are 2-0-1 in the ACC...with wins over Pittsburgh and Boston College. Last year the Cards were 4-5-1 in conference play...with the incredible upset over then #1 North Carolina and tie against #3 Duke. 

Some things don't change...Duke and Louisville tied again this year...in the series history they've played four games..all going to double overtime and scoreless. 

How are the girls getting it done? It's almost a duplicate of Field Hockey's successes...a combination of first-year talent combined with returning players and a strong defense that had allowed just nine goals in the 11 matches. Goalie Taylor Bucklin has made some incredible stops this year. Inger Katrine Bjerke and Niamh Nelson headline a defensive back core that make sure much doesn't get to Bucklin. 

There is also an aggressiveness...especially on attack...that wasn't present last season. Consider that Louisville has scored 23 goals in their 11 matches. Last year they had 16 goals in 18 games. Like Field Hockey, they come at you with multiple threats. Freshman Brooklynn Rivers leads the way with four goals. Sophomore Gabrielle Vincent has three. Six Cards have more that two goals and 13 Cards have scored this season. 

Refusing to lose. Sunday against #17 Boston College, Louisville was trailing 2-0 with 25 minutes left to play. The "Win In Lynn" mindset had not left the squad...though and Kaela Dickerman's score to start the second overtime gave the Cards a improbable but thrilling 3-2 win. 

" I hadn't given up. We hadn't given up. We thought we could win. We got it done." Dickerman related after the victory. 

It is the ACC, so the rest of the way won't be easy. Six of the Cards final seven opponents are in the top 25 RPI rankings and Coaches poll. Louisville is unranked and sits at #40 in the RPI.  Florida State and Virginia are in the top three...with new polls coming out later today. Louisville tied #7 Duke, They beat #17 Boston College. We thinks they deserve, at the very least, an "also receiving votes" recognition. 



Challenges. No matter the sports or season...they are continually present in the ACC and in the Fall Sports squads scheduling. At his point of the year, both Sowry and Ferguson-Dayes squads have met them with a great deal of success. The next month will be even greater in challenges. 

We're confident the Cards will meet them and beat them. 

paulie
xxxxx

Monday Cardinal Couple - Field Hockey, Volleyball and Women's Soccer

Field Hockey

After a good conference win against Wake Forest Friday, the Field Hockey team continued their non-conference dominance at an always dangerous Appalachian State with a 4-1 victory.

Paulie and I spoke on the radio show Saturday about how Appalachian State always is a danger in any sport they play, famously upending might power Michigan in Football a few years back.  They've also cause the Cardinal squads some challenges in Volleyball a few times over the years.

With a 9-1 start, the Cards are continuing to have a great season and continue their non-conference win streak the extends back to the end of the 2014 season.

The scoring in this one came from three Americans, a rarity for this Cardinals squad, and an Aussie.  Taylor Stone collected the first goal with assists to Stephanie Byrne and Erin McCrudden about 15 minutes into the game.  The second followed fairly quickly at just over 16 minutes in with an unassisted goal by Bethany Russ.  App State clawed one back just over 18 minutes in, but that would be all for the Mountaineers.  The second half was all Cardinals, with Nicole Woods getting on the board near the beginning of the second half, scoring about 39 minutes in with an assist to Lotta Kahlert.  The last insurance goal for the Cards came at about 50 minutes in by Shannon Sloss, with assists to Abby Grimes and Erin McCrudden.

The Cards started out slow, but gained confidence as the game went on, with Sowry commenting,

 "As the game went on, we were able to gain confidence passing the ball around and creating more opportunities."  After a great game against Wake Forest, where Coach Sowry wasn't able to immediately discern any problems to correct, (we assume she found some rewatching game film), it was clear that she found some flaws in this game, live, to work on, "Overall I was pleased with a tough road trip, but we certainly have identified some areas that we must tidy up."

The Field Hockey squad continues their road trip Friday afternoon at Syracuse with a 3:30pm pass back before returning home Sunday October 2nd for a 1pm tilt version non-conference foe Iowa.

Volleyball

A bit of a rough weekend for the wide-net squad, with one of the craziest conference road trips you can have.  After the visit to the rebuilding, but showing success in the process, Notre Dame squad, the Cardinals charter took them to Tallahassee to take on 15th ranked Florida State.  While the result isn't what Coach Kordes would've wanted, the Cards did show some life in this one.

Florida State takes the match 26-24, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22.  The Cards hit .159 overall, but the brightest spot in this one is the 3rd set that UofL won, where they hit .346.  Service errors are still higher than I would like to see with 10 for the match, but with seven serve receive errors for FSU, it suggests that the Cardinals' aggressive serving is having the desired effect.

Leaders for the Cards in this one are the typical krewe, the freshman phenom, Melanie McHenry had 18 kills, reliable do-everything utility player Janelle Jenkins tallied 15 (and had the highest hitting percentage for the Cards at .204).  Tess Clark is starting to find her form again, with 10 kills and .200 hitting.  Jasmine Bennett put down seven, but the strong FSU blocking took its toll there with six errors dropping her average to .067.  Rock solid Molly Sauer picked up 19 digs, while Kali Eaken is settling back into her role as starting setter with 43 assists.  The seven aces for the Cards go to Sauer and McHenry, with four and three respectively.

FSU is known for good blocking, but UofL only lost that battle at the net by two blocks, picking up eight compared to FSU's 10.

Subjectively, UofL continues to show that they have some amazing talent on this team, with several
runs of points that really showed off how well this team can play, but separated by missed opportunities and missed timing that is the hallmark of a team that hasn't had the opportunity to play together long enough to get their timing and placement down.  Given the disruption to the starting lineup that the team has suffered for essentially all of the season thus far, this is understandable, and progress is visible on this front.

The Kordes Krewe will be back in the friendly confines of the KFC Yum! Center this weekend, with Friday night and Sunday afternoon matches against Wake Forest and Duke.  First serve for Wake will be the typical 7pm Friday night, and Duke gets a 1pm start on Sunday.  Both matches will be available on the ACC Network Extra streaming platform

JMcA


Women's Soccer

Down 2-0 with 15 minutes left in the game...it looked bleak for the UofL women's Soccer team against Boston College yesterday. "Win In Lynn!" didn't look like it was going to happen.

Oops...correct that. The offense found another gear, Inger Katrine Bjerke "got her head" into the game when it was most needed and the Cards got the perfect opportunity in the second overtime to down B.C. 3-2

Jill Vetere connected first on a penalty kick to get Louisville on the board in the 74th. minute and with less than two minutes remaining Niahm Nelson sent a ball into the box that Bjerke tipped into the net with her head to provide the equalizer.

Both teams fired away in the first O.T. but nothing netted. Less than a minute into the second overtime session...freshman Callie McKinney delivered the orb right at Kaela Dickerman's foot right in front of the box and foot found ball to soar into the upper right corner for the winner.

" I saw it, couldn't believe it and just kicked it. It was the perfect pass from Callie."  Dickerman noted.

7-2-2 for this over-acheiving group of Kickin' Cards....who will face Notre Dame Saturday night in Lynn next.

paulie
xxxxx

More On Saturday's Games -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville Takes Care of Marshall; Wins 59-28

In what I would consider an ugly game, Louisville went on the road, took care of business, and got the hell out of Dodge. Yes, the Cards put up 59 points and Lamar Jackson put up his second 7 touchdown game of the season, but there are some things to address. For those counting at home, LJ8 has as many 7 touchdown games as Michael Vick, Robert Griffin III, Vince Young, Marcus Mariota, Tim Tebow, and Johnny Manziel had in 222 combined games (per Joe Giglio). Lamar Jackson has more total touchdowns than every FBS team except for Michigan, who has yet to play a ranked team or a road game. And he’s done it in 11 of 16 possible quarters. The young man is having a magical season and I’m happy to get the chance watch him in person and cheer for him.

The interesting thing about this season is that, with increased performance and recognition, comes increased expectation. We are allowed to nitpick at negative things when the team wins by 30 for the fourth time this season because there is a lot on the line. In a normal Louisville season, some of the things I’m about to harp on might be looked over. We fans might be content with where we sat and a close loss on the road at Clemson might be brushed off with the domination of Florida State still fresh in our minds. But not this year. I truly believe that this iteration of the Louisville Football squad has every tool and the talent to compete with, and beat, every other team in the country. 

That said, here are some of the things I saw that were off about last night’s game. Feel free to sound off in the comments if you disagree. First, the offensive line took a huge step back against Marshall. The announcers (who were terrible) said that this was the blueprint that other teams needed to look at to see how to get pressure on Lamar Jackson, but that’s not true. Marshall didn’t do anything special to try to put more pressure on Lamar, and if you don’t think that FSU was dialing up everything they could to get to him, you’re mistaken. Marshall got in Lamar’s face because of blown assignments and because the O-line was flat out getting beaten. Every replay of a failed run for Lamar showed a tackle or guard getting blown by or just whiffing on a block. The offensive line has played better than that this season and will need to against Clemson to prevent a slow start. Louisville is one of 6 teams in the country that has not trailed this season. I’m not sure how they would react to it, but I’d rather not find out. Fortunately, the Cards were resilient enough last night to turn things around in the second quarter.

The second thing that frustrated me was the amount of mental mistakes the team made. Louisville racked up 145 penalty yards, their most in a game since accruing 147 in 2000. Holds brought back offensive gains, defensive penalties extended drives, and personal fouls gave up free ground. Combined with 3 turnovers—including a muffed fair catch (come on, man)—that is the perfect recipe for a team to shoot itself in the foot enough to give up a game. I’ll also tack on a mental mistake for the coaching staff here. Once Lamar Jackson comes out of the game, unless there is a real chance for the opposing team to come back and win, he should stay out of it. Marshall was headhunting all night, but even more so after being incensed by coaches sending the first team back out. Fortunately, the Cards offense took care of business cleanly and got back off of the field. Sometimes it doesn’t hurt to play it safer.

Lastly, the whole team lacked the crispness we’ve become accustomed to seeing. Lamar missed throws he really shouldn’t have. Receivers ran routes that took them completely out of plays. The defense missed tackles and lost coverage in ways that a better quarterback (like Deshaun Watson or Greg Ward, Jr.) will absolutely take advantage of. The special teams had the aforementioned muffed punt, a missed field goal, an offsides on a kickoff, and allowed a big return. We’ve gotten used to seeing a team clicking on all cylinders. Last night we saw a group with all kinds of misfires. It is encouraging to still come away with a road win while having so much trouble, but I really hope that they can clean things up this week in practice with all focus on what might be the biggest game of the season.

I’ve been particularly negative today, but make no mistake that I’m still in awe of what this team has accomplished so far. We were a Bobby Petrino act of mercy away from scoring 60 for the fourth time this season. They will receive first place votes in tomorrow’s polls just like last week. They’ll be a part of College GameDay for the second time in three weeks. They have a real chance to do things never before done by this program. Today, and last night during the game, I was a picky analyst, but I’m still on the train and just along for the ride. There’s a big game coming up Saturday night. Let’s see what our Cards are made of. Beat Clemson.

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Men’s Soccer Blows Out Virginia, 6-1

The Cardinal XI, who were left out of the preseason rankings, have gone about getting their national attention this season the hard way. Louisville has started the season with a 7-1-1 (3-0-0 ACC) record with the only draw coming on opening night against Butler and the only loss coming against the pesky Wildcats. The Cards have climbed to number 13 (depending on what soccer rankings you look at. Top Drawer has them all the way up to 6), and took care of number 16 Virginia last night in style, piling on 6 goals in a very one sided affair. It appears that Ken Lolla may have more up his sleeve than people previously thought. I, for one, am hoping that they can keep it rolling, and I’m excited to see what they can accomplish for the rest of the season.

Until next time, Go Cards.

-CH-

Another 30+ point win for Louisville Football (ho, hum...) -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Note:  BE sure to check out Case's article as well , which should be posted later today. He's out-of-town...seeing how many Madisons he can find in Madisonville...a new version of Pokeman Go? 


CARDS MAUL MARSHALL 59-28


Another Saturday night, another 30+ point win for Louisville Football. This time the victim was Marshall...who did manage to keep it interesting for the first 15 minutes. 

Lamar Jackson, who threw for five touchdowns and ran for two more, gave himself the grade of "F" for the performance during his post-game interview. We're not sure what he considers an "A"...but it's probably something that mortal man could not accomplish or comprehend and probably takes place in another dimension or time continuum. 

Slow start? Yeah, it was. The Cards were having trouble blocking and that resulted in Lamar having to do a Three Stooges routine early. After that, he became General George Patton and marched through Marshall like Paulie attacks a pizza buffet...

FIVE POINTS TO PONDER

1) ACTION JACKSON - Jackson threw for 417 yards. The Cards had 690 total yards of offense. Marshall had a total of 207 yards. He didn't reach 100 yards rushing...but as Petrino mentioned after the game:

"We wanted him to work on his passing." 

 He got some work in...so did running back Brandon Radcliff..who ran for over 100 yds.

2) WHY, BOBBY, WHY? - After a Cardinal fumble early in the fourth quarter, which led to a Marshall score...the Cards re-inserted the first string offense. At that point, the score was 52-21 Louisville. Why risk an injury to your Heisman candidate and your best running back? Sure, Marshall scored twice in less than a minute...but...(OK, I'll stop here. I make no claims of having even 1/100th of Bobby's knowledge of the game.) 

3) CAN HE KICK, TOO? - Maybe the Cards should try Lamar on field goal attempts also. The Cards place-kicker Blanton Creque missed a "gimme" early on and the battle of mediocrity continues between Creque, and Evan O'Hara. Just sayin'...I hope kicking doesn't come back to haunt the Cards down the road. 

4) WHAT'S UP WITH THAT, MARSHALL? Beer sales are restricted to certain sections of the stadium. Far away from the visitors sections. As one attendee told me...

"We thought of bum-rushing the CSC guards that were keeping us from getting in there. We re-thought it, though...and figured a night in the Huntington jail might not be much fun." 

Join the 21st. century Marshall...




5) " THERE'S A FLAG ON THE PLAY" The Cards had more penalties than the most penalized team in Division I football last night. 12 whistles for 143 yards is too many. A repeat of that at Clemson will result in a Cardinal loss. 

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GOOD WISHES

PAULIE IS ON THE BENCH TODAY. 

Both women's Soccer and Volleyball play today at 1 p.m. The Kickin' Cards are at Lynn hosting Boston College. The wide-netters are at Florida State. Both should be available on the ACC Network Extra if you can't go. Field Hockey is in Boone, NC facing App. State. 

I'll be watching on-line. The knee is preventing me to do steps or drive well...and I missed the charter to Tallahassee (just kidding) so here's hoping we keep the win streak this weekend going. #13 men's Soccer routed Virginia 6-1 last night. 

I hope the guys stashed a couple of goals somewhere in Lynn for the gals today. 

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RADIO? WHY CERTAINLY! 

If you missed yesterday's broadcast of THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR yesterday...no need to blame Bobby, Lamar or Brent Musberger. (Musberger called the UK vs. South Carolina game last night on the SEC Network. Yes, he's still out there, folks). Worldwide and I had a lively discussion about Field Hockey, Volleyball, Soccer, Football and the station dog...Punkin'. And, some revealing audio as well, about how people really feel about stuff. 

The rebroadcast of Saturday's show can be found at the following coordinates: 

LINK: https://soundcloud.com/chradio/cardinal-couple-20160924

paulie
xxxxx

Field Hockey shakes Wake 2-0...Volleyball falls to Irish...Radio today! -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

#7 FIELD HOCKEY SHUTS OUT WFU

Signing "a whole lotta" autographs 

Getting a first half score from Lotta Kahlert and an insurance goal from Lizzie Gittens off a penalty corner...Louisville Field Hockey improved to 8-1 yesterday with an ACC win over the Demon Deaconesses. 

Coach Sowry was pleased: 

"This was easily our best performance of the year. Our coaching staff is so proud of the team with the execution of the game plan and the intensity at which we played." 

The squads battled through 30 scoreless minutes to begin the game before Kahlert knifed through the WFU defense and fired one into the top of the cage to put the Cards up. Louisville dominated action in the first 35 minutes...holding a 10-0 shot advantage. 

The second half saw Wake tighten up a bit more on defense but the Cards took advantage of a penalty corner with about eight minutes left to play. The combination of Erin McCrudden, Marigrace Ragsdale and Gittens on penalty corners has been quite productive for the Cards this year...Gittens tallied her fourth score of the season for the insurance goal. 

It is a bit of revenge for last year...when Wake Forest came to Trager and delivered a 2-1 loss to the Flock. 

Sowry will have to go to the monitor to find teaching points: 

"I usually can find things that we need to work on after a game and tonight I'll have to watch video to find those pieces to improve. Our leadership came to play and they had a very impressive supporting cast for 70 minutes".

Louisville heads to Boone, NC next for a noon start against Appalachian State. 


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VOLLEYBALL FALLS IN 3 TO UND

Louisville Volleyball suffered from a .112 attack average last night in South Bend...falling 25-15, 25-20, 25-14 to the Irish. 

The Cards (5-6) did finally get Kali Eakin, Janelle Jenkins and Jasmine Bennett all in the line-up together for what seems like the first time in months...but nine serving errors and a .276 hitting percentage by Notre Dame proved to be too much to overcome. 

Anne Kordes tried quite a few combinations looking for a spark...playing 13 players in the three sets...but the Cards failed to win their opener in ACC play. Louisville swept the Irish last year at the KFC YUM! Center.

The road doesn't get any easier for the wide-netters...they head to Florida State Sunday.

I'm sure we'll have to drag commentary out of Worldwide today about last night's stumble in South Bend...he seems to be less verbose after losses. 


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RADIO TODAY!

Join us for THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR today at 11 a.m. on WCHQ 100.9 and on-line at Crescent Hill Radio. We'll discuss a variety of topics....including Volleyball, Field Hockey, Women's Soccer, Women's Basketball and even a little football. We'll have audio from Justine Sowry, Pam Bustin, and a couple of fanatical Louisville football fans. We would do the show while jogging down Frankfort Avenue...but my knee hurts, it's too hot and the microphone cords won't stretch that far. 

If you missed the live broadcast..catch the replay at the link below! 

LINK:https://soundcloud.com/chradio/cardinal-couple-20160924


paulie
xxxxx