So the University of Louisville football team enters the Syracuse game Saturday without quarterback Adam Froman and running back Bilal Powell. The game manager, the star running back, both gone.
A recipe for defeat, a further unraveling of what Charlie Strong had accomplished before the loss at Pittsburgh, with an offensive showing woefully reminiscent of the past three seasons. Is it all down hill from here?
Flash back to spring practice and the summer camp. A new attitude around the program, with players and fans amping up their expectations. New demands on the players, tough love, no nonsense coaching. Welcome signs of change.
On offense, Froman and Powell displaying previously unseen abilities in their first seven games. Doug Beaumont finally making a touchdown reception, returning a punt for another. Josh Chichester catching passes. Andrell Smith, Josh Bellamy and Cameron Graham showing promise. Hints of what may come from Jeremy Wright and Blaine Donnell. Two shutouts, among them a Big East team
Still, with the accumulation of youth, inexperience and lack of depth, a Pittsburgh-type loss was probably inevitable for this program. But despite the offensive drought, UofL was behind only 14-3 going into the fourth quarter.
The attitude of the UofL defense is what gives one hope as the season winds down. While giving up a couple of big plays, the unit was just as committed in the final 15 minutes as during the first quarter, equally effective, not quitting, refusing to concede.
No one in their right mind expected UofL to win more than four or five games. Not satisfied with keeping it close, Charlie Strong is upset with anything less than winning.
What fans wanted to see were signs of improvement, and Strong has more than delivered on that end. Now his challenge is to pull off a couple of bowl-qualifying wins in the next four games.
I like the pun JustCards, i got it the first time.
I meant: He will have the Wright people in place, Justin time, on Saturday…pun intended.
Thought it needed correcting.
I love the football focus of Coach Strong. Unlike, the…uh…former coaching staff…cough…cough…I am confident that we, the Cardinal fanbase, are in safe hands with CCS (that’s Coach Charlie Strong, for the newby amongst us).
He will have the Wright people in place on Saturday…pun intended.
Go Cards!
Even without Bilal and Froman i still believe we have a good shot at beating Syracuse,it will be tougher without those two starters but we definitely can win.Syracuse has a good team this year,but three of their six wins have come against Akron,which hasn’t won a game all season,Maine, and Colgate who both play in D-1AA.Guys will just have to step up,take up the slack, and earn their scholarship money.GO CARDS.
Spot on Charlie….Go Cards!