Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week IV

Football, ,

Quick recap: Purdue’s defense played like they’d been drinking boilermakers instead of engineering and building them. The Tar Heels came back to earth. Florida State self destructed. Again. Kentucky did what Kentucky has traditionally done. And the University of Louisville Cardinals continue to show improvement, but that they still have a way to go.

Which is to, in an oh so subtle manner, advise that the kid was a perfect 5-0 last weekend.

Not bad for someone who believes the shtick is more important than the predictions.

12-5 for the year rounds out to 70% correctitude. I’ll take it.

No reason then to prattle on verbosely.

Hear me now and believe me later, here are this week’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week IV →

Louisville CardFile: Western Kentucky

Football,

On Friday afternoon at Paul’s Market, I ran into a doc, who was a U of L football team physician for years, until his group from Jewish was replaced by one from Norton’s for reasons having nothing to do with quality of care.

I see him now and again in the ‘hood and he’s always been forthcoming about behind the scenes stuff with the Cardinals. I was hoping to get more perspective on last season’s meltdown, which I really did not, but he made one comment which gave some perspective to yesterday’s victory over the Hilltoppers.

Relying on what he observed at field level during last year’s game, he’s of the opinion that U of L’s talent level is not much different than Western’s.

Frankly, I’m not sure if I agree. But, if so, Scott Satterfield and his staff may be doing an even better job than the hyped up Red & Black Faithful already believe. Louisville kept WKU measured throughout in Saturday’s 38-21 W.

What I do know is they’re at Final Four level when it comes to injury report obfuscation. Saturday at 12:27, U of L advised the media that Jawon Pass would miss the game due to a “lower extremity injury.”

A knee? A foot? A toe? Thigh? Calf?

Whatever, it meant that Malik Cunningham got his first start of the season. Which commenced with the look of just the same as it ever was. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: Western Kentucky →

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week III

Football,

Because of its overtime rules, one team always wins in college football, and one team always loses. It’s the essence of the game. (Don’t get me started on the NFL’s stupid and illogical OT process.)

But there are teams and coaches that not only lose — or every so often prevail — which still have regrettable weekends.

Like Chip Kelly, one time offensive savant, who has gone from Quackus Maximus in Eugene to Bruinius Minimus in Westwood. His offensive prowess has been apparently lost along the way and his punchless UCLA squad fell for the first time in forever to San Diego State.

Like Louisiana Monroe’s placekicker, who shall remain nameless, who missed that conversion in OT that would have kept the Warhawks alive against Florida State. And, for that matter, the peripatetic Willie Taggert — three schools in the last four years — who may very well be on the move yet again if his Seminoles keep blowing big leads. Keep the moving vans on speed dial, dude, your old office at South Florida might be vacant soon.

Like the under-suicide-watch whole sovereign state of Rocky Top, which has turned Felice and Boudleaux Bryant’s bluegrass classic into the most incessant and reviled fight song in sports.

And, like yours truly, whose picks of Texas (So much for turning off the visitor’s locker room AC), and Nebraska (Perhaps Scott Frost should never have claimed that national crown at UCF), and Syracuse (Is Maryland the yang to Tennessee’s yin, or vice versa?), all were ill advised.

(And, to those negatitudinists who contacted me personally for besmirchment — I’m talking about you Badger Billy and Doppelgänger Boris — let’s see how this plays out over the course of the entire season.)

But the locals came through as predicted. 2-3 for the weekend, leaving me on the plus side for the season at 7-5.

This week’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week III →

Louisville CardFile: Eastern Kentucky

Football,

Yes, it was Eastern Kentucky, a school that toils a division down, with a smaller squad in stature and depth, an FCS directional in-state “rival” come to town for the paycheck and experience, with but faint hope to prevail.

All true, and certainly a perspective when considering the mean.

Buuuuuuuuuuuut . . . when a group of players hasn’t celebrated the thrill of victory for a week short of 365, when a gang whose coaches inexplicably gave up on them last year causing them to give up on themselves, when a squad under new tutelage to address both systemic and psychological issues, when that team pulls it together and does what it’s supposed to do, it’s reason for celebration.

Forgive the purple prose, if you can. The first win in a long while can instigate excessive verbiage.

The Louisville Cardinals manhandled EKU as they were supposed to. Never for a moment think that’s a given. (Ask Willie Taggert how it felt yesterday to escape when that poor kid from Louisiana Monroe shanked an extra point in OT?)

U of L 42, Eastern Kentucky 0.

It’s a start. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: Eastern Kentucky →

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week II

Football

I knew I was in trouble with last week’s marquee matchup, when I couldn’t find my replica Oregon Duck jersey to wear during the Quack’s battle with Auburn. Then I remembered I’d donated it along with some other garments to a halfway house in town.

The Ducks were ahead the whole way, but never put it away. Which allowed the War Eagles Next Great Bo to steal the W with :09 on the clock.

Other than that, my picks — Clemson, Memphis State, ND, and UK — did as I surmised they were supposed to.

4-1 for the weekend makes me 5-2 for the young season. 71%. That’s why the awards ought to be flowin’ in.

Another interesting weekend of college football, this.

Here are the winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week II →

A Tip of the Hat to U of L Cards’ Defense

Football,

I have come to praise the Louisville Cardinal defense, and its play in the opener against Notre Dame.

Especially Russ Yeast (7 tackles), Nick Okeke (7), Rodjay Burns (6), Khane Pass (6), C.J. Avery (6), P.J. Mbanasor (4), and Cornelius Sturghill (4). Dorian Etheridge recovered a fumble.

Kudos also to the D coaching staff, Bryan Brown, Cort Dennison, Shadon Brown, Dale Jones, and Mark Ivey.

Yes, against Notre Dame’s Top Ten Fighting Irish, Louisville gave up 35 points, and 423 yards of total offense.

Because perspective is required, those raw numbers don’t tell the whole story.

That same bunch — with a few others who decided to continue their education elsewhere and matriculated at other institutions of higher learning — let us be gentle and say, were somewhat more porous last season. OK, significantly more giving.

In U of L’s final seven games last season, from October until the final insult against UK, the Cards surrendered 66, 38, 56, 77, 54, 52, and 56. Continue reading A Tip of the Hat to U of L Cards’ Defense →

Louisville CardFile: Notre Dame

Football,

“If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we’d all have a Merry Christmas.”

So heartened am I by the University of Louisville Cardinals’ energy and effort against a truly good Notre Dame team, I’m in touch with my inner Don Meredith.

Before contemplating the reality of this opening 35-17 setback, allow me a bit of fantasy.

With just under three minutes to play before halftime, the score is knotted at 14-14, and it is not a fluke. The Cards had taken a hit on the Irish’s opening drive, but fight back and compete toe to toe.

U of L forces another ND three and out, and has the ball on its own 20, with the opportunity to run out the clock and thereby go into halftime even, or be even more emboldened with a score.

Instead, there is that comedic, decimating sequence of fumble, fumble, fumble, resulting in an Irish go ahead TD.

What if U of L heads to the locker room even at 14-14 . . . Continue reading Louisville CardFile: Notre Dame →

MMQB: Finally, It’s Game Day

Football,

On the morning of an autumn day of the week traditionally set aside for looking back at the weekend’s pigskin results and their ramifications, there are still twelve hours and nineteen minutes until my team the Louisville Cardinals kick off.

The Notre Dame Knute Rocknes are in town, and the Ghost of the Gipper hovers.

The Era of Scott Satterfield beckons.

The ACCN’s inside look at U of L football was given short shrift during its first showing Sunday night. It started late because of a soccer game, and those in charge felt compelled to cut off the ending so a replay of Boise State’s comeback against Willie Taggert’s Seminoles could start on time.

The doc, featuring a passionate Good Ol’ Boy pep talk by LB coach Dale Jones, as well as a cameo shot of yours truly at the Media Day presser, is on again today, at, I believe, 1:00 and 7:00. Check the listings to make sure.

To kill at least some of the time until kickoff, let’s consider a few takeaways from Week I. Continue reading MMQB: Finally, It’s Game Day →

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week I

Football, Gaming

But for the hustle of Coach Scott Satterfield’s new favorite football player — Rainbow Warrior DL Manly Williams — Khalil Tate, a former future Heisman hopeful, would have crossed Aloha Stadium’s goal line with zeros on the clock, giving Arizona a chance to beat Hawaii in OT.

And, more than incidentally, give the kid here a shot to go 2-0 with his Week 0 picks. Alas, it was not to be, forcing me to savor only Florida overcoming a serious case of 3d & Grantham on Miami’s final drive to survive.

So, one up, one down. 1-1=0. Which is poetically par for Week 0.

It’s early. Nobody’s in mid season form yet. Except the Ol’ Ball Coach, whose wry, bemused smile when Feleipe Franks threw a 1st Down pick late was the highlight of the weekend.

Enough foolishness. College pigskin kicks it in gear for real this weekend.

This week’s winners: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week I →

Coach Satt’s Game Week Presser This & That

Football

Some scattered observations:

*** It was a significantly less ill at ease Scott Satterfield who met the press Monday in advance of the Louisville Cardinals’ Labor Day opener than the fellow who answered questions at Media Day weeks ago.

Which he sort of addressed when asked during the session when the magnitude of his higher profile ACC gig at U of L hit him? To which he responded with something like “the first time I met all you.”

“It’s not like back in Boone with two reporters.”

*** As at Media Day, the first player Satterfield mentioned by name was Tutu Atwell. It was in response to a query about the position group he felt the best about. Which is the receiving corps. He compared Atwell to T Y Hilton, the Indianapolis Colts wideout he coached at Florida International.

He then mentioned the first team O line. But several times emphasized the Cards’ lack of depth there and elsewhere throughout the lineup. Except at running back. Continue reading Coach Satt’s Game Week Presser This & That →