Louisville CardFile: Florida State

Football,

Don’t be expecting any in depth analysis here.

It’s late. I’m tired. My eyes are bloodshot from 24 hours of football. It’s well past my bedtime. My stomach hurts because I ate way too much popcorn out of nervousness.

I have no desire to have to wake up in the morning and write about this thing.

And, I’m bummed.

Because the Louisville Cardinals lost their second game in a row in one of the least exciting exhibitions of football I’ve ever seen. Even Joe Tessitore couldn’t muster his usual faux exuberance, though he tried.

Louisville 6, Florida State 16.

 * * * * *

One guy’s take, mine:

Jack Plummer’s pick in the endzone on a drive that started at the Florida State 12 after the Cards smothered the Seminole punter was Not the biggest play of the game. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: Florida State →

Louisville CardFile: Bellarmine

Basketball,

You’ve got to pick up every must/ You’ve got to pick up every must/ You’ve got to pick up every must/ ‘Cause it’s the Season of the Cusp

Apologies to Donovan.

Every reasonable person I spoke with before this Crosstown Rivalry game was of the like mind.

It was one Kenny Payne had to win.

He did.

At 4-3, Louisville has matched its victory total of last year.

It remains a Season on the Cusp.

 * * * * *

It was simply another odd game. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: Bellarmine →

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Championships

Football, Gaming

During Rivalry Week (minus West Point vs. Annapolis), the last weekend of the “regular” season, this happened as it pertains to what goes on in this space.

Louisville lost.

.

.

.

Excuse me, I needed to go wretch one more time.

Ohio State lost.

Washington won, but their QB couldn’t watch.

The lock of the weekend, NC State wrote and printed out Mack Brown’s resignation letter. Though who knows if he’ll sign it or not?

U of L lost.

James Madison won. And, later thanks to a loophole in NC2A regs, shall go bowling. Fun is Bowling, don’t ya know. (The most jealous man in the land: Scotty Davenport.)

UConn could. UMess remains in need of HazMat cleanup.

(Breaking News): We break into our regularly scheduled tomfoolery to report that one Robert Petrino has been rehired at the University of Arkansas. Neck braces for all. He’s the new OC, and all matters considered, Coach In Waiting. It has not been reported whether his duties will include hiring of graduate assistants. Tis a holiday gift that surely will keep on giving, proof that the Oh So Great & Glorious Greek God of College Pigskin Bronconagurskius exists and still rules the gridiron.) 

Did I mention my Cardinals fell to . . . that other school?

Anyhow 4-2 lifts me to 47-24 on the year.

Here are some are some conference champions: Continue reading Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Championships →

Louisville CardFile: New Mexico State

Basketball,

There is simply no way to make sense of what transpired at the Yum! Sunday afternoon.

An eventual 90-84 Louisville escape.

Against New Mexico State, Ken Pomeroy 250th best team in the land playing without its star, the Louisville Cardinals did not make a field goal in its first nine attempts, until JJ Traynor finally put in a follow with 12:48 left in the 1st.

It cut the Cards disadvantage to 5-9.

U of L never led before intermission, behind several times by 10, but cut the deficit to a deuce at the break.

Louisville took a lead for the first time scoring first after the break.

The Aggies immediately answered.

Cards again went ahead. Another immediate answer by State.

It happened twice again, where U of L only led until the end of the next NMS possession.

The visitors kept U of L measured the rest of way. Most of it anyway.

With 1:18 to play, after a shot clock Aggie layup, the Cards were down 8, 65-73.

In my notes, I jotted, “Worst home loss of my lifetime?” Would have been. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: New Mexico State →

U of L CardFile: Kentucky

Football, ,

On the opening play of Louisville’s defeat to arch rival UK, a Cardinal special teamer committed an unsportsmanlike act. He reacted to a Wildcat’s woofing with a swing at the fellow’s head.

The Cardinal player’s name does not matter. He was far from the only one who who was amped up to the point where it affected focus and winning judgement.

That Kentucky did not score that possession really does not matter either.

The miscue did foretell what would be the significant play of the 31-38 defeat.

A lack of intention by the kickoff teams to prioritize the task at hand.

Louisville, up an obviously wobbly 10-7, received the opening kickoff after intermission.

The Cards had two returners back. Neither, as best I recall, signaled for a fair catch as the ball landed in the end zone. Instead of immediately going to down it, there by protecting the possession, it bounced around the end zone, until one finally beat a Wildcat to the ball.

Focus. Or, lack thereof. Continue reading U of L CardFile: Kentucky →

Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications: Week XIII

Football

Among the many theories I have about nearly everything, there is one pertaining to college football at specifically this time of year which I stand by stalwartly.

To wit: There are always schools with high expectations coming into the season, underperform, then. . . .

. . . spit out the bit.

The players have busted their hump in spring practice, endured workouts over the summer in the heat and weight room under the menacing eyes barbell obsessive traiuners. Then fall practice, then the rigors of game weeks, while also studying Nuclear Molecular History of Physical Nuancing (They are student athletes don’t you know!), while staying in touch with their NIL agents, watching game film, hangin’ out at their fave sorority houses, and playing in their Madden NFL game league.

When underperformance and losses start piling up, when the Commentariat at their schools’ chatrooms sharpens their teeth. The boolah boolah ebbs.

And they start to mail it in instead of competing.

This year’s runaway winner: Trojans of Southern Cal, come on down, enter your name in the transfer portal.

(Yoo hoo, Zachariah Branch come on over to the Belknap Campus. The Brothers Brohm will get you the ball in open space.)

The dudes from Cali with their Heisman QB, started out 6-0, and have already finished their regular campaign at 7-5.

That syndrome describe above is why, to my dismay, they were throttled in their rivalry game by the Bruins from Westwood. USC looked like they’d been whupped with an ugly stick.

I shoulda seen it comin’. But didn’t.

The rest of my weekly predictionary recap is way less as sad.

The Dabos won. The team from the Little Apple won. The Gamecocks took care of the Cats.

Of course, the honeymoon continues for the Louisville Cardinals.

So,  Arch Nemesis Bookstore Billy, feast on this: 4-1. Yet again. Like for the sixth time this year. Ho Hum.

43-22 on the year.

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

Louisville CardFile: Indiana

Basketball, ,

There were no expectations in this corner that U of L could or would win a game at MSG this weekend.

And, frankly, there were no expectations from here that they’d be legitimately competitive against Texas, UConn or IU.

And so I sit here after two tough losses in winnable games, doing something I never expected to be doing.

Replaying moments or interludes when the tilts might have turned.

Dealing with that gnawing disappointment that comes with coulda woulda shoulda defeats.

Hoping that a little dinner will remove that pit in my stomach.

Frankly, as an old fart with a faint heart and too many miles on the odometer, it’s often easier when circumstances are such, you can say, “Well, it just ain’t happenin’.”

So much for that.

Though U of L followed up its last second heartbreaker to Texas with a meltdown late against IU, the improvements were manifest. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: Indiana →

U of L CardFile: Texas

Basketball,

The kid just made the shot.

Guarded closely, falling backward, falling sideways out of balance, he found the net.

It happens.

Skyy Clark could not have guarded Max Abmas any better than he did. The Longhorn didn’t get by him to the rim. The Longhorn didn’t draw a foul. The Longhorn had to go MIchael Jordan to net the game winner.

It happens, damn it.

Texas 81, Louisville 80.

 * * * * *

I would never have thought for a moment that I’d be writing this Sunday evening about “but for” moments.

Not before tipoff.

Not when Texas ran out to a 16-7 lead.

Not after the Cardinals turned it over thrice in the last 1:38 of the opening half. Each resulting in a Texas tally, and three point intermission deficit. Continue reading U of L CardFile: Texas →

U of L CardFile: Miami

Football,

The victorious ACC Title Game-bound Louisville Cardinals started the second half in a 20-21 hole, no thanks to a missed PAT after a key score with :08 to play before the break.

But they moved the pigskin steadily — more or less — down the field after receiving the kickoff.

Isaac Guerendo, once again providing way way way more than adequate back up to the obviously still injured Jawhar Jordan, had the big play, a 26 buster on a 2d &9 to the Miami 30.

Jack Plummer, iffy all afternoon it seemed (more on that later) completed a couple to Chris Bell and Joey Gatewood. The Cardinals had survived a couple of miscue plays, one a TFL, the other a bad pass on a bad Jeff Brohm play call on 3d & 2 at the Hurricanes’ 22.

4th & 2 at the U 22.

Given the bad juju of what should have been a tied score at intermission, it was imperative that Louisville add to its total. Chasing that point the rest of the way would have manifoldly increased the pressure. Continue reading U of L CardFile: Miami →

Louisville CardFile: Coppin State

Basketball,

Final Score: Louisville (2-1) 61, Coppin State (0-4) 41.

At halftime, the Cardinals led 32-21.

At 9:56 U of L fashioned its biggest lead of the season, 17-11.

The Cards led by double digits even though they were -2 on turnovers, outscored in the paint 6-14, outscored on 2d chances 2-6, and outscored off the bench 5-10.

At halftime, Mike James had 10, Tre White 9, and Curtis Williams 5 though he was only on the court for 5:37. Continue reading Louisville CardFile: Coppin State →