For those of you Cardinal fans who said “to hell with it, I’m going to watch a football game where both teams are actually competing to win,” and stuck with Fresno State/ Boise State after the World Wide Leader switched the “battle” you were watching to ESPN7, the final tally was 54-23, favor of the Orange.

As if that rarely invoked TV coverage slight isn’t enough to confirm the desultory state of Louisville pigskin, as was on display again last evening, there are these two I’ve never really seen anything this bad before observations.

Syracuse coach Dino Babers on the Cards’ ineptitude: “Four turnovers in the first half and someone said they had four turnovers on four straight possessions. I’m not even sure I’ve been part of something like that in 35 years.”

Or TV color man Kelly Stouffer during Louisville’s second quarter meltdown, after the Cards had committed penalties on three consecutive plays, their 8th, 9th and 10th transgressions of the half — there would be another before intermission — who opined, “I’ve never seen anything close to it.”

So, yeah, just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse than surrendering 77 in Death Valley, it has.

It is no longer simply sad or being pissed, it’s way beyond that. It’s like waking up disoriented after an afternoon nap, or the morning after a bender, and wondering where the hell am I, what happened?

Consider the Cards QB situation. Malik Cunningham was hurt during his second scheduled stint on the field. Jordan Travis has already dematriculated. And poor Puma Pass, for whom I feel compassion and sadness — the heralded prep A-A came to U of L thinking he’d get legitimate top drawer coaching — fumbled twice and threw a pick.

Enter mystery signal caller Sean McCormack. Who proceeded to airball an interception on  his first throw.

The game was over at the break to be sure. (Actually it was a fait accompli before kickoff.)

But just so Syracuse would know beyond peradventure that the game was theirs and wouldn’t be contested at any appreciable level the rest of the way, U of L conceded an unimpeded, untouched 68 yard rush up the middle by Moe Neal on the first scrimmage of the 3d. The Orange increased their advantage a couple plays later.

 * * * * *

Tell me if you’ve heard this or uttered this in recent weeks.

Vince Tyra has no choice.

Vince Tyra has no choice.

Vince Tyra has no choice.

“Honey, hit the side of the turntable please, the needle is skipping.”

Which means that Jeff Brohm’s phone is ringing with more than a few calls from the 502.

I, for one, don’t think his triumphant return is as sure a thing as many Cardinal fans.

Chris Mack had let it be known for years he wanted the U of L hoops position. I’m not sure I’ve seen any direct comments from Brohm about desiring to be the head man at his alma mater, and that of his father and brothers, all of whom toiled on the gridiron in Red & Black.

But, if not, there are always young coaches out there, who shall prove to be the cream of the crop. Like, say, Dino Babers, whose work at Eastern Illinois, Bowling Green and now Syracuse has been steadily ascendent. The flip side, of course, are guys like PJ Fleck, who went from 1-11 to 13-1 in four seasons at Western Michigan, but is still floundering in his second season on the Minnesota Golden Gopher sideline. (To be fair, it’s still early in his Big 10 stint.)

It is impossible to comprehend that Bobby Petrino can survive the tsunami of bad football he has fostered in his second stint on the Belknap Campus after Charlie Strong’s talent had moved on.

U of L is suffering 100 year beatdowns Every Single Week.

Enough already.

— Seedy K