— Slow dancing and no fun, but good to play a team like Miami early. Lots of lessons, maintaining defensive intensity among the most important. Cards prove to themselves they can do it, rewarded with a win.

— Terrence Williams makes fans wonder how Michael Bramos could possibly be averaging more than 24 points a game, not allowing Bramos to take an uncontested breath. Bramos was fortunate to wind up with five points — hitting one three-pointer but not courtesy of T-will.

— Good to see Edgar Sosa starting, hitting the two free throws this time to give the Cards their final three-point margin. Should do wonders for his confidence.

— Earl Clark just won’t be denied when he makes up his mind to block a shot. Just ask Tim Pollitz, not once, not twice but three times on one trip. Same for when he decides to go inside, hitting two straight clutches to put U of L back on top to stay the end.

— Andre McGee can’t afford to get lackadaisical, just can’t.

— Derrick Caracter, always smiling, just enjoys playing basketball. Would be even more fun without the fouling.

— Brian Brohm getting emotional, something he rarely ever does. Running with intensity, shaking his head in disgust early on, shouting to himself, playing with pain. More concerned about winning the game than any thoughts about the pros. Brohms have to be the U of L family of the century. Is it true there may be another Brohm in the pipeline?

— Great to see Harry Douglas, shoulder-to-shoulder with Rutgers defenders again, pulling the ball in on the crucial 46-yard pass play, putting the agony of a frustrating season behind him.

— Lamar Myles, Earl Heyman, Preston Smith, L. D. Scott, Bobby Buchanan stopping Ray Rice time after time when the game was on the line. Shame the guy never fumbles, that would have been the ultimate. Rice: “I’ve never been a part of something like this.”

— Trent Guy swaggering onto the field, like something good was going to happen, as it did when he caught a key pass on that game-winning drive.

— Art-O-Matic Art Carmody warming up for the field goal, waiting for this opportunity a long time, nailing it, being foisted in the air by his teammates.

— Bilal Powell. Is this guy the answer to a prayer or what?

— Brock Bolen, running over people again.

— Crowd of 39,600 for a team with a 5-6 record. Proof that college football fervor has gripped this town. Once you get it, it’s hard to let go. I know, I know, many left early. It was a good lesson for them, they’re sorry and they will be back.

— Sorry for all the profanities seat neighbors. Usually more reserved, couldn’t contain myself the first three quarters.

Believing anything football coaches say is difficult at best, especially after the Petrino years. Steve Kragthorpe says he wants to finish his career at U of L, but that came after he had obviously been talking to officials at SMU.

Kragthorpe was clearly less than forthcoming when he described the SMU talk as “total fiction.” Some informed sources in Dallas knew otherwise, already chalking it down as a fait accompli.

Reports (rumors) this week have ranged from a big announcement Friday about the imminent departure of the entire staff to a dismissing of all the old Petrino assistants. This would include Jeff Brohm and Greg Nord, two of the most loyal assistants ever to serve at U of L.

One wishing to give Kragthorpe the benefit of the doubt would have to believe him when he looks you in the eye and says he’s staying. The skeptic, however, has heard this before and wonders if it just another coach biding his time. I wouldn’t be surprised either way, given the lack of candor and overall lack of communication from the football offices.

The biggest clue will come from the performance on the field. There’s every reason to want to win this game, the departing seniors and the revenge factor above all. If the effort is a poor one, things have turned irretrievably sour, and the coach may no longer have a say in the matter.

One person you can count on being at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium any time the U of L football team lines up is U. S. Senator Mitch McConnell, the Fan of the Week. The four-term Republican leader is a diehard Card fan and rarely misses a game, at home or away.

Sen. McConnell, who attended away games this season at UConn, North Carolina State and South Florida, is looking beyond the team’s current misfortunes. “While this season has been a disappointing one, I look forward to the spring when the Cardinals return to the gridiron and once again begin their quest for the BCS Championship,” he said. “I will enjoy watching the young talent improve as U of L football continues to grow as a force to be reckoned with in college football.”

The former County Judge said he also loves tailgating and taking part in the camaraderie that comes with being a member of the U of L family. “I have enjoyed watching the athletic program grow over the years, going from the Metro Conference to Conference USA to the Big East and rising through the ranks to winning the school’s first Bowl Championship Series game.”

Any other thoughts?

“Go Cards!” he said, emphatically.

Photo: Senator McConnell gets together with U of L football player Daniel Cameron (also a McConnell Scholar) and Daniel’s parents: Von and Sandra Cameron.

Finding it difficult to get fired up for the Thursday night game against Rutgers? Doubt any Louisville player involved in last year’s 28-25 loss has the same problem.

Certainly not Brian Brohm; it had to be the most disappointing loss of his college career. Thirty minutes away from what could have been a perfect season, from moving up to at least the No. 2 spot in the country, from possibly playing in the national championship game. Has he thought about it?

“It’s painful to go back and watch the way things just kind of fell apart,” he said Monday. “A lot of it was the switch in momentum, tough team on the road, guys lost confidence. Things just kind of steamrolled and we couldn’t get things back together. We remember all that; we just want to get back at them.”

Despite what has happened this season, this video will either break your heart or steel it for the upcoming game:

To U of L Football Assistants: Prepare for the Rutgers game as if your coaching career depended on one more win. The win must be convincing, too.

To Anthony Allen: Shave the locks; you were better without them. Then pass the clippers to Scott Kuhn. George Stripling is the designated long hair; one per team.

To Trent Guy: Two arms firmly around the ball.

To JaJuan Spillman: Keep going to class if you’re still in school.

To Fair Weather Fans: Get hand warmers and butt warmers for Thursday.

To Basketball Jumpers: Admit it, football is still more fun.

To Conspiracy Fans: Tom Jurich is not the enemy.

— Obvious lack of depth will hurt the Cards against good teams. No help from the bench when Caracter and Farley get in foul trouble, as they will every game.
— Terrence Williams bottled up, mystery passing, displaying none of the confidence fans take for granted.
— Edgar Sosa out of control first four games.
— Caracter is a natural, uncanny shooting and rebounding skills.
— Earl Clark can make things happen, needs to be more of a focal point.
— Andre McGee, great on defense, no threat on offense against good teams.
— Jerry Smith, was he out there?
— Nobody works harder than Farley.

Get up early, time to go shopping, get some bargains:

For Steve Kragthorpe: New offensive and defensive coordinators, courses in Public & Media Relations and How To Manage Difficult People.

For Rick Pitino: Military-strength knee and ankle protectors for all players, and a resurgence in sales for Success Is A Choice.

For Tom Jurich: Special session of the General Assembly to approve go-ahead for capital construction projects, plus additional funds for all businesses on Floyd Street to renovate and landscape their properties.

For Jim Ramsey: A dismantling of the silos, enabling Belknap Campus to expand eastward with new on-campus dormitories.

For Jeff Walz: Full house at Freedom Hall for U of L Lady Cards against UConn on January 12th.

For Dan McDonnell: Solar heating and expanded seating for when the college baseball season begins in February.

For Disgruntled Football Fans: A new feature on Internet fan message boards that automatically deletes redundant posts.

You have to admire a public figure who refuses to buckle under public pressure, remaining dedicated to the job at hand and doing the right thing. He could very easily have cut and run at the first opportunity. No, not referring to national politics, but to Louisville football coach Steve Kragthorpe.

Coach Kragthorpe describes reports that he has interviewed for the head spot at Southern Methodist University as “absolute fiction.” One could not blame him if he had interviewed with SMU, based on the criticism he has incurred as the result of a disappointing 5-6 season.

U of L fans have heard similar denials before from coaches. Schnellenberger, Smith and Petrino, Petrino, Petrino. Forgive fans if they have problems believing any football coach. The only difference this time is that a vocal group actually wants the coach to be lying.

If Kragthorpe does stick around, he’s a brave soul. You have to admire that in him. And if the rumblings about “off the field” problems are true, you may even thank him some day.