By Paul Sykes
A wakeup call for University of Louisville fans.
ESPN columnist Pat Forde has picked Murray State to upset U of L in the season football opener Thursday. Before rushing out and having Forde put on a 48-hour behavioral watch, consider these facts:
- Forde has never been a great football prognosticator. However:
- The Cards have no experienced defensive cornerbacks. Murray State is a team that returns a passing game filled with players which threw for over 360 yards per game last year.
- Louisvile offensive line anchor Mario Benevides will miss the contest at center because of an ankle injury. He was the only returning offensive lineman starter from last year. Not good sign for QB Will Stein.
- Murray State is being picked by more than a few analysts to win the Ohio Valley Conference and won five out of its final six games to close out 2010.
U of L will pull this one out…but fans expecting a 30-40 point blow-out may be watching nervously in the fourth quarter of a game that could be far from decided.
Shudder the thought, CBCard.
The game may be close until late but the only way we lose to Murray is if Kragthorpe makes a return as head coach.
This is a coach who will NOT lose to Murray State without first getting the maximum effort out of every player in uniform. And we have enough skills on the field to get by this early test–though I wouldn’t rule out a scare. And it only gets better from here, unlike when we were saddled with HWMNBN.
Not necessarily, Wilkie. Just means Murray State could be better than a lot of people give them credit for. OVC schools. Gotta watch ’em. Flash back to March 2010 and Morehead State, a supposed pushover for…well, you get the idea.
Then all the great recruiting articles about Louisville and the progress we are making, has been pure BS, if we struggle with Murray State.