Update: Papa John’s Stadium Expansion

The last we checked in with the Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium expansion, the facility was blanketed in snow, the field resembling a frozen pond. The upper level appears to be ready for seats but that will probably wait a while, protecting them from the sun and fading as long as possible. The walkway is progressing nicely, and concrete should be added soon. In time for the University of Louisville’s spring football game? A definite maybe. The video is from last weekend:

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What Do Louisville Fans Have To Lose?

By Tom Stosberg

Could you tell me once again just exactly what University of Louisville football fans have to lose in this coming Saturday’s game? And please, no whining.

As I see it, the U of L faithful win whether the football team wins or not. If the Cardinals win the game everything is obvious giddiness.  But if the team loses the fans still win because chances are they can look forward to getting a new powerhouse, wonderful, spectacular, incredible football coach in December.

Now did I say if he can’t beat Kentucky, he can’t win in the Big East? Or did you just get ahead of me there?

First, let’s cover the winning-the-game giddiness. You see any coach who can beat a rival can probably beat anyone else on the schedule. Not because the rival is that good but simply because it’s a pressure game. Pressure games cause some coaches to get conservative, play scared, try to run the ball up the middle too much, play not to lose, call really dumb plays, uh … kind of like USC 18, Ohio State 15 (plus the last 10 times OSU played top five teams).

Anyway, once the rivalry game is won and the pressure is off the coach can get back to happy football … like with long passes, wide open offenses, jail break blitzes. You know, fun stuff.

So if Coach K is loosey-goosey and let’s the kids do what they really do know how to do, he could actually win it. Note the loosey-goosey part. Trust me, UK will play tense.

On the other hand, if Krag gets scared and plays not to lose, acts like he’s in the Big Ten or something (ooops, did I say that?) then he’ll be wise to get at least three quotes … Mayflower, United, Allied, North American Van Lines, American, Bekins, National…

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Mike Rocco Likes Louisville Football

With the opening of practice just around the corner, coach Steve Kragthorpe appears to hitting his stride on the recruiting trail.

Another quarterback commitment for the University of Louisville football team, the latest one coming from Mike Rocco, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound pro-style signal caller from Liberty  Christian Academy in Virginia.

Football bloodlines are fertile in the Rocco family. His father Frarnk Rocco, Jr. is a former Penn State quarterback. His brother Danny Rocco has been head coach at Liberty University for three years.

He had a passing completion percentage of 73.4% as a junior, completing 130 of 177 attempts, chalking up 28 touchdowns.

Smart, too, with a perfect 4.0 grade point average as he enters his senior year of high school.

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Blast From The Past

This scene from the Orange Bowl on January 3, 2007 should bring back some hallowed memories for University of Louisville football fans:

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Louisville Football: How About Some Reality

By Sonja Sykes

Any fan who doesn’t think Tom Jurich is painfully aware of the slip, slide and fall of University of Louisville football over the last two seasons is not giving him enough credit for realizing there is a problem.

The point is…what good would firing Kragthorpe right now accomplish? What recruits we do have coming in would bail faster than a Justin Marks fastball.

The old adage … give someone enough rope and they’ll eventually hang themselves comes to mind here.  One more season of declining football and Tom will most likely make the proper move. But, if for some reason, we do improve…say a 7-5 or 8-4 season (I know…sounds impossible, but play along with me here) then it’s a scenario where he just might be headed in the right direction.

Bottom line is this: We gave Ron Cooper three years, it took Howard Schnellenberger three years to get things righted and Krags will get his third year. My guess is that if we go 3-9 or 4-8, Krags will resign. Even a 5-7 or 6-6 may get him out of here. But, don’t look for it to happen until the season is over.

In the meantime, cheer for the players. It’s not like they want to be .500 or worse.

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