by Tom Stosberg
One of these days the kids on this University of Louisville football team are going to realize how good they really are and they’re going to trounce somebody. I don’t envy the team that wakes them up, either. Could be South Florida, could be Rutgers or maybe it will be a team on next season’s schedule. But it’s highly likely.
All those juniors on the offensive line could all “get it†on the same day. There’s no doubt that we have the running backs who need very little daylight to have a record breaking day. And there are quarterbacks on this team who would compete for starting positiions on any team in the Big East. The receiving corps is loaded.
So what’s the missing ingredient? Could be the internal fire that comes from a combination of desire and confidence. Simply put, someone needs to ignite this team. Light the fuse as it were.
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The same thing is so evident on the defensive side that it’s scary. L.T.Walker and L.D. Scott can play at the same level as anyone in the conference. Chris Campa, Jon Dempsey and Brandon Heath have big time talent and there are plenty more with enough speed who can definitely make up for weaknesses in the pass coverage. As a bonus, Trent Guy can turn a game around in less than 10 seconds with great moves and blinding speed.
There is absolutely no reason that with this much talent U of L shouldn’t be 8-2 or 9-1.
We’ve heard a lot talk about injuries, lack of talent and a bare cupboard almost three years ago. But this season, with these kids, this team could explode at any time. And if they don’t, next year is going to be a golden opportunity for some coach to see the obvious and light a short fuse.
“So what’s the missing ingredient?”
It’s called coaching, Tom.
I agree that Louisville has some talented players but they are 4-6 for a reason. Coaching has something to do with this but is not the entire reason. There is just not enough talent right now to be better than a lower tier BCS school.
We have scored one touchdown in the last two games. Against less than stellar defenses. USF blanked WVU a couple of weeks ago. Rutgers is shutting people down as well. Any vision of this team going 6-6 needs to be accompanied with Robert Goulet singing “To dream the impossible dream”
Thinking that any of our three quarterbacks could compete for the exisiting jobs in the Big East is pure fantasy. They couldn’t even replace Paulus at Syracuse.
I will agree that the UofL defense is a bright spot this year, but graduation will take its toll on these guys for 2010.
Tom, your optimism is noble…and I applaud the “glass half full” philosophy but the fact of the matter is that UofL is the 7th best football team in the Big East with a talent level to match.
Seventh best by the margin of a missed PAT. Wow, what a solid line of demarcation.
While we have some talented players we are an undersized, somewhat slow team led (?) by a disorganized automaton who cannot inspire competence and on the field discipline much less greatness.
cbcard,
Your last paragraph sums up Kragthorpe’s entrie tenure at Louisville.
I absolutely do not mean to defend Kragthorpe but I don’t believe the talent level is as high as you say.
We have no power back who can get that third and one almost everytime (We have 180, 185, and 205 pounders at best). Our QB’s are reasonably talented but each have obvious various flaws and are not competitive with Stull at Pitt or the two headed monster at UC. We have only one deep threat at wide receiver (Long) coupled with a good possession receiver (Beaumont), and a possible threat in Guy. But the latter two are short and shorter. And if I left out Chichester, well let’s say I am not sure he has gotten over his dropsies and climbed the ladder of his potential.
On defense we are lacking a serious pass rush from our linemen. We do definitely have strength at the linebacker spots. But the backfield is, well there are obvious problems there compounded by the lack of a pass rush without blitzing.
Our special teams have been up and down more than an elevator . We haven’t had a steady placekicker in years, out punter looks All-Pro and then on his next three punts becomes a shankapotomus. We have great returns alternating with miscues. We virtually never can get a kickoff into the endzone.
And depth is a killer.
Yes, we have talent far above our record and if everything came together, and I mean EVERYTHING (which would include a quality coach) we could have 6 wins at this point but I just don’t see your 8 or 9.
The reason we don’t have a power back is that krag wouldn’t talk to the one we had that’s now at GT. He also hasn’t recruited another one to take his place.
We both say “Duh…of course.” Kragthorpe just says “Duh?”
Watch what Butch Jones does with these kids.
Kragthorpe has admitted he hasn’t done a good job as offensive coordinator. He’s run off all the previous ones. The answer seems to be pretty obvious. Find a coach that can select and get along with an offensive coordinator.
I sure hope it’s not Steve Kragthorpe who lights the fuse. No fear of that, he’s working with wet matches.