Blanton Creque, dubbed “Cold Blooded Creque” by his teammates, will leave the University of Louisville with his name all over the football record books.
Blanton came to Louisville from Martha Layne Collins high school in Shelbyville, KY. He redshirted the 2015 season before having the dubious task of taking over the kicking duties from John Wallace, who hit 97% of his extra points and 78% of his field goals during his college career.
He accepted the task and excelled, becoming a fan favorite along the way.
His career was cut short after suffering an ACL tear from making a tackle in the game against Virginia on a re-kick from a penalty that should have never been called. I’m still upset about that call. The senior would miss the remaining 4 regular season games of his career as well as the Music City Bowl.
While it’s not the way he wanted to end his career, you don’t need to worry about Blanton. I’m quite sure he will be successful in life no matter the path he chooses.
Blanton Creque ends his career holding several spots in the Louisville record book:
1st in FG % (82.3)
1st in points by kicking in a game (18)
1st in FG made in a game (4)
2nd longest FG streak (14)
3rd in scoring (310)
3rd in FGs (51)
3rd in PATs (157)
3rd in PAT % (96.9)— Kelly Dickey (@RealCardGame) October 28, 2019
Here is our interview…
First, I would like to thank you for all your hard work during your time at UofL. I also want to thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions with me. I hope we can bring the fans something special, interesting and informative over the next 15-20 minutes.
CSZ – So, how is the knee? Surgery and rehab went well I assume?
BC – Thanks for asking. Rehab is going really well – I had surgery on December 3rd, so it’s been about ten weeks since then. We have a great training staff that I get to work with five days a week. It’s been a process, but I just try and get a little better each day. ** (Interview took place a few weeks ago)
CSZ – Any bitterness or distain towards the refs for calling a penalty, that never gets called, and making you re-kick the kickoff against Virginia that eventually cause the ACL tear? I can tell you that I was upset with the call before you even re-kicked.
BC – It was definitely an odd situation, but I’m not bitter about it. There’s no reason to be mad because that could have happened on any given play. It’s just a bad deal overall. One thing that I’ll say is that teams should be given the option to add on the penalty yardage to the end of the play rather than be forced to re-kick. Kickoffs are dangerous plays to begin with and eliminating unnecessary reps is a good way to improve player safety.
CSZ – After the Virginia victory, I just happened to be walking off the field right behind you and I saw you decline when someone offered you crutches. Was that you wanting to walk off the field one last time on your own or was that you not knowing how bad the injury was and thinking I’ll be ok?
BC – I knew that it was potentially the last time I was going to walk off that field in pads and I wasn’t going off on crutches – simple as that.
CSZ – On a more positive note, I understand you have a wedding coming up in June. Congrats on that! How special is it to marry your high school sweetheart and having your college teammates in the wedding party?
BC – Thanks man, I out-kicked my coverage 100%. Laikyn and I have been together since freshman year of high school and have done the distance thing for the past five years so I’m excited to finally be together and married. Mason King and Brendan Lowery are two guys that I joined the team with during the summer of 2015 and are two of my best friends. I’m glad they are going to be groomsman!
CSZ – What was more special for you, being named Collins High School male athlete of the year as a senior or being named team captain prior to the season opener of your senior year against Notre Dame?
BC – Well, nothing against high school awards but being named a captain this past season was one of the most memorable moments I’ve ever had. I’ve always done my best to lead by example and be a positive influence on the people around me. Being named a captain showed me that my teammates and coaches respected me not only as a player, but as a leader too.
CSZ – You played golf and baseball in high school. Ever think about playing multiple sports in college?
BC – I grew up playing just about every sport there was to offer but playing college football was my main focus throughout high school. I still play a ton of golf and have gotten to know most of the men’s golf team here at UofL. If I had to choose a different sport to play, it would definitely be golf. It’s similar to kicking.
CSZ – After a miserable 2018, as a team, how special was it to go to the Music City Bowl?
BC – After two wins in 2018, making it to the Music City Bowl in 2019 was one of the best turnarounds I’ve seen in sports. I’m proud of the work we put in as a team to win eight games including the bowl game. Coach Satterfield and his staff did a great job of getting the most out of us players.
CSZ – How different was the locker room after a loss this season compared to last season?
BC – The first thing Coach Satterfield would tell us after a loss is that he loved us, and he was proud of us. He wanted us to know that before he went any further. That said, he ripped into us a few times after losses. He doesn’t yell much, but when he does, people listen. The difference was that this season we had confidence as a team to come back the next week to make adjustments and win.
CSZ – In your opinion, how lucky are the Louisville fans to have Scott Satterfield lead the football program into the future?
BC – Coach Satterfield is building something special here at Louisville. He and his staff do things the right way and they don’t take any shortcuts. We lost over 20 scholarship players before the season started and still won six more games than 2018. That speaks for itself. I’m thankful that I got to call him my head coach, even if it was just for one season.
CSZ – What are your future plans? You going to try NFL or maybe something with your degree? Stay at home dad?
BC – My main goal for a long time has been to kick in the NFL. I know I can make it but I’m focusing on getting healthy first. I graduated in May 2019 with a degree in Computer Information Systems. Right now, I am interning under Josh Heird (Deputy Athletic Director at UofL). Athletics is a passion of mine and I’m learning a lot from him and others in the athletic department. Stay at home dad sounds like a nice gig though.
CSZ – You get one last meal with this some of this current team. There are only 5 seats (besides yours). Who you bringing to dine with you are where are you eating?
BC – Hmmmm. If I had to choose five, I’d take Mason King, Brendan Lowery, Evan Conley, Tyler Haycraft, and Cole Bentley to Roosters. Its fun to watch the big guys throw down some wings.
CSZ – What was your favorite or most memorable moment on the field during your time at Louisville?
BC – I have a few good ones, but the game winning kick at Florida State in 2017 is the most memorable. We really needed that win and it was an awesome place to make a game winner at. There’s nothing better than coming up clutch for your team.
CSZ – Do you have a favorite field or stadium that you like or enjoy to kick in besides Cardinal Stadium?
BC – I do most of my kicking in the Cardinal Stadium or out on the practice fields. I’m a local guy so if I’m at home I’ll just drive down to school if I want to kick. My favorite place I’ve kicked is Lucas Oil Stadium.
CSZ – How difficult was the 43-yard field goal against Indiana State considering the weather?
BC – That game was ridiculous. I’ve never seen so much rain in my life. It was raining pretty hard when we ran onto the field, but Mason and Mitch did a great job and I trusted my technique to hit a clean ball. If you strike the ball well then the elements don’t affect it too much.
CSZ – Do you regret trying to tackle Derrius Guice in the Citrus Bowl? You were credited with the tackle and you did Tweet that you were alive after the game, so I assume you had fun with it?
BC – I figured that was going to be brought up. I’m not really sure what I was thinking on that play, but all I know is that I stopped him from scoring! That’s my job, right? I definitely had fun with it on Twitter. There’s nothing a little self-deprecation can’t fix.
CSZ – Thank you for staying loyal to UofL and we appreciate your hard work and dedication. Would you like to leave one last message to all of Cardnation?
BC – Thank you to everyone who supports Louisville Football and Louisville Athletics! I’m grateful for the time I had here and am thankful for the support I received from people who reached out following the Virginia game. I’ll be a Cardinal for life!
As Always, GO CARDS!
