By Paul Sykes
About 2,500 fans showed up in ideal weather to watch the University of Louisville football team’s final open practice. Although it’s hard to tell too much about players without pads, several things caught the eye:
- Add another potential big play receiver to the mix. Cameron Graham, getting a lot of snaps at tight end in the seven on seven and eleven on eleven drills. Didn’t matter who was delivering the pigskin, he catches and looks more like a wide receiver than a tight end. Pete Noctha may have some serious competition here from the freshman.
- Although Justin Burke and Adam Froman got more snaps, Zach Stoudt has a cannon arm and is very accurate with it. Hooked up with some very nice bombs to Scott Long, Josh Chichester, Doug Beaumont and Trent Guy. Here’s hoping Coach Kragthorpe will include him in the final two competition he’s talked about as fall practice continues.
- Maybe the biggest applause of the evening went to kicker Chris Philpott, who punched one deep in the end zone during kickoff drills. Keep it up, Chris. Much better to have opponents start on the 20-yard line.
- Didn’t like seeing Scott Long on the sidelines during the end of practice with the knee wrapped in ice. Hopefully just a precautionary thing for the Cards best wideout.
- Joe Tronzo stopped by the tailgating area after practice to thank fans for coming out and to pose for a few photos. This is one guy I would feel safe with walking down any alley in any town. Look up solid in the directory. I bet the definition is Joe Tronzo.
Now that the first two practices are in the books, the guys start going in earnest for the season opener against Indiana State. If enthusiasm and desire are any indicators of future performance, they’ll roll over the Sycamores and hopefully ride the wave to Lexington.
Self-assured and confident, they aren’t accepting the media and Internet “woe is me” scenario. They’re ready to play and feel good about what they can bring to the field. Let’s make it a reality, Cards.
Yeah, I think Stoudt is our QB of the future. The kid looks great in the pocket, and delivers bullets on ropes. Let’s hope Kragthorpe can keep him around, and gives him some playing time. With the reciever core we have, anybody could become a star at QB, I hope it is Stoudt. Just look him up on youtube. Looks great hitting the net from 75 yds out in Cardinal red.
I agree with you about Zach Stoudt. He’s got a great arm, and seemed to deliver the ball accurately. I was also very impressed with Trent Guy. He can fly!