Category Archives: Football
UofL Football Kickoff Luncheon
College football is upon us! Yesterday the University of Louisville football team held its annual kickoff luncheon. Check out the highlights below!
Get To Know Pete Nochta
University of Louisville Football’s on campus recruiting director is Pete Nochta. Today, we get to know the former player, turned coach, a little better. Why does he think high school players should consider UofL? What does Petrino mean to him? Listen below to find out the answers to these questions and many more.
Louisville Football Preview: Special Teams
Last Season:Â After losing both their kicker and punter due to graduation, the Louisville special teams needed new faces at those positions. Mason King took over duties as the team’s new starting punter, while Evan O’Hara and Blanton Creque split duties as the starting kicker throughout the season.
King had a solid season as a freshman, finishing in the top 20 in average yards per punt. The St. Xavier alum was the only freshman in the country to be in the top 20 in punting.
Blanton Creque finished 16/19 on the season, with a season-long of 47 yards against LSU in the Citrus Bowl. Creque took over after the Florida State game last year, also hitting 39 of 40 extra-point attempts.
In the return game, Jaire Alexander proved why he is one of the most dangerous returners in college football. The sophomore had a punt return for a touchdown against Florida State last season, and nearly had a second in the same game. Alexander finished in the top 15 in average yards per return in 2016.
Projected Starters: Mitch Hall (long snapper), Blanton Creque (kicker), Mason King (punter), Jaire Alexander (punt returner), Cornelius Sturghill & Traveon Samuel (kick returner)
With Colin Holba going to the NFL, Louisville recruited All-American Mitch Hall to replace him. Hall played in the Army All-American game last January, and was regarded as one of the best long snappers in high school last year. He’ll likely start at long snapper this year, giving the Cardinals a potential four-year starter at the position.
The rest of the starters will likely remain the same. Creque and King will likely retain their roles as starting kicker and punter, respectively. King showed improvement as the season progressed; he averaged 40.23 yards per punt in his first six games, and upped it to 46.11 yards in the final seven games of the season.
Creque took over duties in mid-September and had a decent season, mostly hitting field goals inside of 45 yards. U of L did not allow a kickoff or punt return touchdown in 2016, but the Cardinals were 111th in touchbacks last year (11 total), and did not attempt a field goal of 50+ yards.
Moving to the other side of special teams, Alexander will be the main figure at punt returner. Holding the position since his arrival in 2015, he only has one touchdown so far, but has come close to scoring a couple more and has been Louisville’s best special teams ace since Trent Guy.
Louisville rotated several guys as kick returners last season, but the best options so far have to be wide receiver Traveon Samuel and cornerback Cornelius Sturghill. Samuel is a stark contrast to the taller receivers at 5’7″, but he has great burst and the team has been able to use him in several different ways. He had a kick return for a touchdown in 2015 against Clemson, and has been used as a slot receiver and even running back. Think of Samuel as a player like Dri Archer or Dexter McCluster, one where the coaches try to get him the ball on designed plays to let him get yards in space.
Sturghill is a popular pick as the team’s other kick returner for one reason: speed. Sturghill has regularly been charted as one of the fastest men on Louisville’s roster, but missed last season due to a gunshot wound. Now that he’s back, the redshirt sophomore is a contender to start at cornerback and be in line for a big role on special teams. His speed could add another wrinkle to the return game.
Key Reserves:Â Ryan Betlach (long snapper), Evan O’Hara (kicker), Russ Yeast (returner)
Betlach is a senior from Tates Creek High School, and brings the most experience of any long snapper currently on Louisville’s roster. He’ll add depth to the position, in any event that Hall gets injured this season.
Evan O’Hara is the only other kicker on Louisville’s roster with game experience. O’Hara started Louisville’s first three games, hitting 3-of-6 field goal attempts last season.
Another guy to watch is cornerback Russ Yeast. Yeast was an Under Armour All-American selection, but can play wide receiver and on special teams. The son of former Kentucky standout Craig Yeast, Russ is currently the backup behind Alexander on punts, but his fluid hips and acceleration could get him some reps as a returner this season.
Be sure to check out our other previews:
Louisville Back In The Kickoff Classic In 2021
The Cards last played in the Kickoff Classic In 2015. Although we lost there was still a lot of excitement surrounding the event. We wondered when we would get to return & it looks like we just found out. FBSSchedules.com reports that the Cards & Ole Miss will tangle in 2021. The game is expected to be played in the Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Lamar Jackson And The Disrespect
It is no secret that the football world is once again, sleeping on Lamar Jackson. Leading up to his Junior season, the 2016 Heisman winner has been on very few preseason lists. While Lamar shrugs it off, the fans and his teammates know they will all regret it soon enough. Yahoo!’s Pat Forde sat down with Lamar and company last week and talked about this upcoming season. You will see below why Forde believes Lamar Jackson is the most disrespected Heisman winner of all time.
Fast Facts With Jaylen Smith
Today we sit down with Jaylen Smith and find out more about the Wide Receiver. We get to know where his hometown is, and what it’s known for. Who is his favorite superhero? And most importantly, does he prefer tacos or hamburgers? Here is Fast Facts with Jaylen Smith.
Post Practice Interviews – Galloway, Smith And Dawkins
Lonnie Galloway, Jaylen Smith and Seth Dawkins spoke with the media after today’s practice. The wide receivers know they have a very big role on this team if they want to have a special year.
BirdGang18 Gets Bigger: Jackson Picks Cards Over FSU
Jarett Jackson is the newest member of BirdGang18. Jackson is a Tight End & Defense End from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He is a 3 star player. He had offers from NC State, Florida State, & others. Coach Cort Dennison focused on the recruiting of Jarett.
Here is Highlights from his Sophomore Year
https://www.hudl.com/video/3/5310807/5721c90c19a53e2a18688c66
Lamar Lights Up SportsCenter
Human highlight reel, Lamar Jackson, had a Saturday morning spot on Sports Center this past weekend. Jackson talked about how humbling the whole experience has been, but also mentioned what his head coach, Bobby Petrino has been working with him on this past off-season. Coach Petrino also made an appearance just to touch on what the recruiting has been like since the Heisman has come to Louisville. Take a look below to see the full clip.
Cardinal Football Reveals Captains
The 2017 University of Louisville Cardinal Football team voted on captains this past week. Take a look below to see who they are and let us know what you think.
Petrino And Lamar Scheduled For SportsCenter
Lamar Jackson and Bobby Petrino are set to appear on SportsCenter this Saturday morning!
Louisville Officially Responds To The NCAA Appeals Panel
Photo: Louisville.edu
The University of Louisville filed the paperwork to appeal the ruling from the NCAA committee of infractions. In Jeff Greer’s article below, he says that “The school said it would accept several other penalties, including the NCAA’s docking of four men’s basketball scholarships over the next four years; a $5,000 institutional fine; and a requirement that prospects on unofficial visits stay off-campus.” Louisville also called the COI’s ruling “draconian, ” which is an adjective that means rigorous; unusually severe or cruel. I think we can all agree on that. Greer also states that “The COI had 30 days from Wednesday to respond to U of L’s appeal. After that paperwork is filed, U of L gets another two weeks to send a rebuttal. Then the NCAA’s enforcement staff has 10 days to add its reply before U of L gets 10 more days to counter.
The hearing in front of the appeals committee, a small panel of college and conference administrators and lawyers, will be set after the exchange of documents.”
Read the full article below for much more and some very interesting details that lead me to believe that the banner will stay. Read the rest of this entry
Cards In The NFL
The National Football League (NFL) has become America’s past time. The Superbowl is one of the most watched televised events year after year. The halftime show has become so iconic, that even Queen Bey herself (Beyonce) has paid to perform during it.
At the University of Louisville, we have the opportunity to cheer on a really good team every year. But we do not have a professional team in our backyard. So this gives us the unique chance to (almost) pick who our favorite NFL team is. Some of us have family ties to certain teams, others had a favorite collegiate player that they followed into their professional careers. Whatever the case may be, Louisville has a wide variety of NFL fandom roaming our streets.
The Barbour Shop: The Disrespect Is A Sign Of Respect
Photo: Mark Humphrey/AP
All of us have seen the Top 5 lists that exclude Lamar Jackson. Whether it be Top 5 College Players or Top 5 Quarterbacks. We have also seen the preseason rankings which have UofL as high as 14 and as low as 17. Many of us fans feel the team as a whole. and Lamar in particular, are being disrespected.
There are obvious flaws we saw with the team at the end of last year. An offensive line that regressed badly. A defense that suddenly couldn’t stop the run or the big pass play. Lamar Jackson looking quite human with inaccurate throws, bad decisions on the read option, and bad decisions in general.
Fast Facts With Drew Bailey
What is Senior Drew Bailey’s favorite emoji? Where is his favorite place to hang out at in Louisville? What about his favorite tv show? These questions and more get answers in today’s Fast Facts!
ACC Teams Compared To Cars
Recently, the great people at CJ Pony Parts came up with all the different teams with their comparison car. They had Louisville represented by a Chevy Volt. This was a very interesting. I know if they had to choose a car for Lamar they would have chosen a car with more speed and horsepower.
Source: CJ Pony Parts
S.I. Confidential
Sports Illustrated recently interviewed rival coaches about each of their college football top 25 teams. These coaches remained nameless for confidentially. Their words were very interesting about each of the top 25 teams. I really wonder if Jimbo Fisher made this comment….
Cardinalsâ Defense Learning New Scheme, Ready To Escalate Tempo & Post Practice Interviews
After practice today the media got a chance to talk to coach, L.D. Scott, and redshirt sophomores, Jonathan Greenard and G.G.Robinson. L.D talks about the return of Trevon Young and some of the younger guys. Jonathan talks about the leaders on defense and his redshirt year. G.G. talks about going against the much improved offensive line in practice. Read the rest of this entry
Why Is No One Talking About Lamar?
Here is a short video where Scott Van Pelt and Bob Griese talk about why people are sleeping on the reigning Heisman trophy winner.
Athlon Sports Ranks Top 50 Wide Receiver Groups In College Football
Athlon Sports released its ranking of the top 50 wide receiver groups for this coming college football season. They have Louisville ranked at number 10 and Oklahoma State at number 1. Look below to see where everyone else comes in and let us know what you think!
