CardinalSports.com - Game Day: Cards look for win against ASU

October 31, 2009

Matt Willinger
CardinalSports.com Staff Writer

Arkansas State at Louisville
Saturday, Oct. 31
3:30 p.m. ET
Papa John's Cardinal Stadium (42,000)
Louisville, KY
TV: WHAS-TV
Radio: WKRD 790 AM

Setting the Stage
The University of Louisville football team returns home for the first time since Oct. 10 when the Cardinals host Sun Belt foe Arkansas State on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 3:30 p.m. at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. WHAS TV in Louisville will broadcast the game. The Cardinals are coming off their second straight conference loss after a 41-10 loss at fifth-ranked Cincinnati last Saturday at Nippert Stadium.

The Bearcats scored on three of their first four possessions to take a 21-7 lead at the half. The Bearcats received a one-yard run from Isaiah Pead and then a 24-yard pass from Zach Collaros to Armon Binns. Collaros was impressive after taking over for the injured Tony Pike. Collaros was 15-of-17 for 253 yards and three touchdowns. Cincinnati, who punted just twice in the game, rolled up 468 yards of total offense and averaged a healthy 8.2 yards per play.

The Cardinals scored their lone touchdown of the game when Adam Froman hit Josh Chichester from four yards out. Louisville took the third quarter kickoff and drove 61 yards for a 36-yard field goal from Ryan Payne. However, the Bearcats put the game away with 20 consecutive points to win going away. The Louisville offense was held to just 275 yards of total offense, including a season-low 145 yards through the air, Louisville lost both Froman and Justin Burke to injuries. Red-shirt freshman Will Stein came in and was 6-for-9 for 98 yards.

The Cardinals also lost leading rusher Victor Anderson to an injury after he ran 12 times for 56 yards. Red-shirt freshman Darius Ashley came to the rescue and rushed 13 times for a career-high 67 yards in the loss. Tight end Cameron Graham caught three passes for 35 yards and wide receiver Doug Beaumont recorded three receptions for 29 yards to pace the Cardinals on the receiving end. Louisville, who is 2-1 at home this season, will face Arkansas State for the fi rst time in school history. Th e Red Wolves are 2-4 on the season overall and 1-2 in the Sun Belt Conference.

Series History
The Cardinals and Red Wolves will meet for the first time in school history. This will be the first meeting against a Sun Belt team since a 42-23 win over Middle Tennessee last season. The Cardinals return the trip to face Arkansas State next season in Jonesboro, Ark.

Louisville-Arkansas State Connections
Th e Cardinals have one player on their roster from the state of Arkansas. Senior defensive tackle L.T. Walker hails from Wynne, Ark. Cornerback Karldell Dunning and Byron Blake attended Glades Central High School in Florida. Arkansas State's Bryan Hall hails from Paducah, Ky.

Cardinals vs. Sun Belt
The University of Louisville has a long history of playing teams from the Sun Belt Conference. The Cardinals are 30-22 all-time against current teams from the Sun Belt Conference. While the Cardinals and Red Wolves are meeting for the fi rst time, Louisville is 19-12 all-time against Western Kentucky and 7-10 versus North Texas. Louisville is a perfect 3-0 versus Middle Tennessee and 1-0 against Florida Atlantic.

Kragthorpe vs. Sun Belt
Louisville head coach Steve Kragthorpe is 5-0 alltime versus teams from the Sun Belt Conference. Kragthorpe is 1-0 from his days at Tulsa and 2-0 against North Texas. While at Louisville, Kragthorpe is 2-0 versus Middle Tennessee with wins in 2007 and 2008.

Cardinals Hope to Avoid Back-to-Back Losing Campaigns
Th e University of Louisville football has enjoyed unprecendented success over the last few seasons. Coming off a 5-7 season - their first losing campaign since 1997, the Cardinals are trying to avoid their first back-to-back losing seasons since Louisville went 5-6 in 1996 and 1-10 in 1997. Last season's 5-7 mark snapped the Cardinals' 10-year run of consecutive
winning seasons.

Turnovers Tell the Tale
A big reason for the Cardinals' struggles in the last three years has been turnovers. Over the last three seasons, the Cardinals are 1-14 when they turn the football over more than the opposition, including 1-3 this season. The Cardinals are ranked 96th in the country in turnover margin at -0.71. Louisville turned the football over two more times in the loss to
Cincinnati on Saturday.

Trinity Walk-ons Make Plays in Loss to Bearcats
Red-shirt freshmen Scott Radcliff and Will Stein, a pair of walk-ons from Trinity High School, performed well in the loss to Cincinnati last Saturday. After both quarterbacks went down with injuries, Stein stepped in and moved the team. He went 6-of-9 for 98 yards. In the last drive of the game, Stein drove the team 63 yards on nine plays, including a career-long 35-yard completion. Th at long completion was to Radcliff , his former teammate at Trinity. It was Radcliff 's fi rst career reception. Radcliff did catch a crucial two-point conversion in a win over Southern Mississippi on Oct. 2.

Cardinals Hope Home-Cooking Can Be Answer
Th e Cardinals hope a return to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium this week can turn around their fortunes. Louisville is 2-1 at home this season and are coming off an exciting 25-23 win over Southern Mississippi on Oct. 10. In three home games this season, the Cardinals are averaging 21.7 points per game, including 152.3 yards on the ground and 235.3 yards through the air. Th e Cardinals have played pretty well on defense, yielding 22.7 points per game, but just 305.0 yards of total off ense.

Cardinals Near Bottom Again in Turnover Margin
If the Cardinals are going to end their two-year streak of not going to a bowl game, they have to cut down on turning the football over, and in 2009, they aren't off to a good start. Th e Cardinals ranked 110th in the nation in turnovers last season with a -1.00 average per game and our currently ranked 96th in the same category at -.71 per game. Th rough seven games, the Cardinals have already turned the football over 15 times, including two last Saturday versus Cincinnati. Th e Cardinals 15 turnovers have cost them 61 points this season.

Non-Conference Hope
The Cardinals are 0-3 in BIG EAST play this year, so hopefully a visit by nonconference
foe Arkansas State will be the answer for the Cardinals this week. Louisville is 2-2 against non-conference opposition this year and have played fairly well on both sides of the football. Louisville is averaging 24.0 points per game and 232.0 yards through the air. On defense, Louisville is yielding just 23.5 points per game and yielding just 318.2 yards of total offense.

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