Few style points to be gained for going through the motions.
This past week members of the University of Louisville coaching staff had the unenviable task of getting their team ready to play Missouri State. They were breathing a collective sigh of relief after UofL’s 35-7 win Saturday.
Coach Charlie Strong admitted as much after the game, indicating that his team was playing down to the level of the competition, using bad judgement at times, making mistakes leading to penalties.
The coach even found a way to criticize quarterback Teddy Bridgewater who had just completed 30 of 39 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns. Claims he was leaving the pocket too often, suggesting Bridgewater was lacking patience and freelancing at times.
Fewer holes in the offensive line for Jeremy Wright and Senorise Perry this week after each of them chalked up 100-plus yards against Kentucky, the offense managing only 144 yards rushing, Wright with 43, Perry with 73.
While Bridgewater’s numbers were impressive, there was an overall sense that UofL was playing less than inspired football, counting on the defense to keep the opponent contained. And it did, allowing Missouri State only 99 yards on the ground and 150 by air.
Hard to match the intensity of the first week and a letdown was inevitable after the rivalry game. A 28-point win over anybody is not to be taken lightly and could be an indication of the growing maturity of this UofL team, given some recent history.
Maybe less than inspiring, but nobody said it would be fun. Two wins, no losses, keeping the train on track. There will be no going through the motions against North Carolina.
This season’s version of Card March is a winner. The location/route has been altered and cheerleaders take part, with Cardinal Bird leading the way. The band warms up the crowd in anticipation. Although the players may have looked bored, I prefer to think they just had their game faces on. Best of all, a huge turnout for the tradition! Go Cards!
UNC fell to Wake Forest yesterday 28-27. They’ll come in looking for a win and pretty much shut down Louisville last year in Chapel Hill. No intensity lapses are needed.
How did the crowd look?
Strange thing about the official attendance, which was announced as 47,553. I personally estimated 52,600. We’ve had crowds that looked much smaller exceeding 50,000 on two occasions — Eastern Kentucky years ago and Marshall last season. Different methods or people doing the counting?