Blog Archives
Experiences From The Alabama-UofL Game
Sam Basden
The Day Before the Game
First off, I’d like to thank every member of Card Nation that made the trip to Orlando. Whether it was by plane, car, or shuttle bus, thank you. Wherever we went in Orlando there were a few Cards fans; some seemed optimistic about a win, while others were just happy to see the start of the college football season regardless of the opponent.
The Morning/Afternoon of the Game Day
Going out to breakfast that morning was an adventure. Alabama fans appeared to have taken over Orlando. The amount of Louisville fans were few and far between. Perhaps our fans were still recovering from hitting up the bars and clubs the night before.
Finally, we decided to just grab a bite from IHOP. The service was great, but I could’ve done without the numerous amounts of “Roll Tide” chants; that was very annoying.
The Barbour Shop: 10 Things I Hate About You: Alabama
Photo Courtesy of ESPN PUBLIC RELATIONS and the Courier Journal
I have done this before and thought I’d resurrect it. Without further ado…10 Things I Hate About You Alabama.
Photo Courtesy of alabamamaps.ua.edu
10) I hate driving through your long a** state just to get to Panama City. That’s torture under the Geneva Convention. Look it up.
Photo Courtesy of rolltide.com
Everything You Need To Know: Louisville v. Alabama
Spread: Alabama -25
How to Watch / Listen: 8 p.m. Saturday on ABC, WatchESPN
Last Time: The Cardinals and Crimson Tide last met in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl struggled to find teams due to Arizona voters rejecting Martin Luther King Day as a national holiday, resulting in boycotts and teams withdrawing offers from the Fiesta Bowl. That was not the case for #18 Louisville (9-1-1), and #25 Alabama (7-4).
The Cardinals roared to a commanding 25-0 lead after the first quarter, led by heroics from quarterback Browning Nagle and defensive back Ray Buchanan. Nagle threw for a Fiesta Bowl record 451 yards and three touchdowns, while Buchanan scored on a blocked punt with one second left in the first quarter, as the Cardinals rolled to a 34-7 win over the Tide. The win remains one of the biggest in Louisville football’s history.
Alabama leads the all-time series 2-1.
Relive The 1991 Fiesta Bowl: The First Time UofL Shocked The College Football World
Photo: AZCentral.com
With UofL Football set to meet Alabama in the Camping World Kickoff, Cards Sports Zone is taking you back in time to 1991 and the Fiesta Bowl.
UofL, after controversy over Arizona voting not to adopt Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a paid state holiday, was extended an offer to play in the game against blue blood power Alabama. Howard Schnellenberger, after some persuasion, was able to get school officials to accept the bid.
Most everyone in the college football world expected an easy victory for Bama. Coach Schnellenberger had other ideas. He truly believed his team could win and exuded confidence to his team. In fact, he told them to take a stance of “arrogance” against the blue blood Bama.
To be honest, it isn’t much different from the build up to this year’s matchup. Everyone expects a Bama beat down of UofL while Coach Petrino is preaching about the talent of his team and the fact they believe they will win. The team has talked about different advantages they believe they have over the Crimson Tide.
Well, Coach Schnellenberger shocked the college football world when UofL blasted Alabama 34-7 in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl. That game was the first time UofL fans believed, in my opinion, that the program could grow and become a power. It gave everyone the belief UofL could play with the elite.
Ever since that game, UofL climbed the college football ladder, arriving eventually in the ACC and having the school’s first Heisman winner. Now, UofL is looking to fulfill Howard Schnellenberger’s prophecy of a national title for UofL. It starts this Saturday by playing the defending national champs. The only variable, of course, is time.
Check out the full 1991 Fiesta Bowl below. It’s time to get hyped.
Jaylen Smith Hits the Practice Field In Preparation for Alabama
A bit of good news for UofL Football tonight as senior WR Jaylen Smith has returned to practice after having an emergency appendectomy back on August 3rd.
Check out UofL’s press release below for all the details and thoughts from Coach Petrino and Jaylen himself.
Time And TV Channel Announced For UofL VS Alabama
Press release from the University of Louisville athletic department:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville football’s season opener against Alabama in the 2018 Camping World Kickoff Game has been scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET start on ABC, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced on Wednesday morning.
The Cardinals and Crimson Tide are scheduled to face off at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday, Sept. 1 – the first time in school history the Cardinals will open the season against the defending national champions.
Louisville and Alabama will meet for the fourth time in program history, with the Crimson Tide holding a 2-1 advantage in the series. The last pairing came on Jan. 1, 1991 with the Cardinals claiming a 34-7 win in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Ariz. Alabama defeated the Cardinals in consecutive home games – winning 24-3 in 1976 and 55-6 in 1977.
The Cardinals return 15 starters from last season’s 8-5 team, highlighted by wide receiver Jaylen Smith, who led the Cardinals with 60 receptions for 980 yards and seven touchdowns. Defensive end Jonathan Greenard returns on defense after totaling a team-high 15.5 tackles for loss and equaling the team lead with 7.0 sacks.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @UofLFootball on Twitter and Facebook and @UofLFootball on Instagram.
Tickets On Sale For UofL Vs Alabama Season Opener
Press release from the University of Louisville athletic department:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tickets for the University of Louisville’s football season opener versus defending national champion Alabama on Sept. 1 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., are on sale beginning Monday through the UofL Ticket Office.
CFB Survival Guide: Louisville Still Needs Help
Well, what a wild 120Â hours we’ve untangled since Saturday’s plethora of upsets. #2 Michigan, #3 Clemson and #4 Washington all lost, but Louisville still lags behind with a #5 ranking
Opening Thoughts: Why #5?
Personally, I think Louisville should have been ranked fourth behind Alabama, Ohio State and Clemson in that order. But, being ranked fifth with Michigan in front of them basically means they are fourth. At the end of the regular season, someone between Michigan and Ohio State will lose, meaning they will likely eliminate someone from the CFP for good. That will open the door for Louisville, but there will be other teams gunning for that spot with conference championships and bigger games down the road.
A Comprehensive Guide To All CFP Contenders
(Courtesy of @TheRed_Rage Dave)
We are officially halfway through the season, and Louisville has surpassed all expectations and become a legitimate College Football Playoff contender. However, Louisville may – or may not – need some help down the road to complete its first ever playoff bid. And with only four teams entering the playoff, the air is going to get incredibly thin at the mountaintop, so it’ll be of interest to see how the nation plays out for Louisville’s CFP campaign.
Here are some teams to watch in the coming weeks that could challenge Louisville’s run to its first ever CFP bid.
(Click on More below for the breakdown)
Jawon Pass is “not wavering…still committed to Louisville”
Photo: Scout.com
National Signing Day is coming up on Wednesday, February 3rd. So when your big time commits take visits to powerhouse programs like an Alabama, some people get a little nervous. Now obviously, if you listened to Cardinal Sports Zone on 93.9 The Ville this past Saturday morning, you heard me say that a recruiting expert from down south was still believing that Pass was solid to Louisville, and to not make much of his visit to ‘Bama. If you didn’t listen, and you were freaking out, well then maybe it’s lesson learned?
Steve Jones of the Courier Journal spoke to Pass’ mother (Kershena Thomas) about the visit to see Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. Here are a few things that she had to say about the trip and where the recruitment stood with Jawon.
Cardinal Sports Zone radio show: 8/1/15
We have survived the “slow” part of the year and got through June and July! And even then, I think our shows were pretty good. Now we are in August, and that one hour just flies by! Today, we talked a lot about the Alabama game in 2018, the upcoming Auburn game, the fact that Auburn fans are buying our tickets, and much more. Click the soundcloud link below and give it a listen. Oh, and I love our ending music of “Today was a good day” by Ice Cube, but it was different today and it was fantastic.
Louisville vs Alabama to open 2018 football season!
WDRB.com
ESPN’s Brett McMurphy just dropped the big news on us that Tom Jurich hinted to yesterday: Louisville will open the 2018 football season against the Alabama Crimson Tide. The game will take place in Orlando, Florida on September 1, 2018. Go ahead and start planning!
In their last meeting, the Cards beat Alabama 34-7 in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl.
Jawon “Passes” on Alabama and Auburn; Picks Louisville
Photo: bleacherreport.com
Full disclosure: that title was sort of Steve’s idea…
Big-time quarterback recruit Jawon Pass has made his decision, and that is to commit to the Louisville Cardinals. In the end, he chose Louisville over Auburn and a strong, late push from Alabama. I repeat: Louisville beat out Auburn and Alabama for a football recruit from Columbus, Georgia. Weird, huh?
My prediction on where Jawon Pass will decide today
Photo: Justin King/AL.com
Jawon Pass will make his decision today at 4:00 p.m. ET on where he will play his college football. He will be choosing between Louisville, Auburn, and Alabama. Normally when you see a list like that, you are just happy that Louisville is mentioned with the big boys of college football. But this time, the Cards have a legit chance to go down and get a recruit right from their territory.
I have said for a while that Jawon Pass is a name that I would get tired of hearing when it came to his recruitment. Now that it is the day he will announce, I can’t get enough of it. And most of that “me being tired of it” was due to the fact that it seemed like every time there was a new “top 5” or “these two schools are in the lead” with him, the list was different. But it was mainly reporters that were putting these lists out that were constantly changing, not necessarily Jawon himself. So I wasn’t tired of Jawon Pass. I was just tired of hearing about the recruitment.
Latest on Jawon Pass’ recruitment from his mother: Wednesday night
Photo: Wesley Sinor/AL.com
Steve Jones of the Courier-Journal spoke with Jawon Pass’ mother, Kershena Thomas, on Wednesday evening and got some last minute insight into the recruitment of Jawon. The quarterback will announce his decision on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. ET. He will be choosing between Louisville, Auburn, and Alabama.
Here are a few of the question and answers with Steve Jones and Kershena Thomas…
Mother of Jawon Pass gives insight into his recruitment
Photo: 247 Sports
If you follow football recruiting, then by now you know who Jawon Pass is. And you know that he is down to three schools: Louisville, Auburn, and Alabama. Pass is set to announce his decision on July 16.
Steve Jones of the Courier Journal posted a very insightful article on Friday afternoon about Pass and his recruitment. He has quotes from one very important person: Jawon’s mother.
Kershena Thomas seems to think that Louisville could have an advantage already on campus, and that is Jawon’s brother Khane, who is a freshman safety on the football team.
Jawon Pass names his “final” three schools
Photo: Wesley Sinor/AL.com
Take this post with a grain of salt. Jawon Pass, a big-time quarterback recruit and a name that Louisville fans probably know by now, said over the weekend that he has a final three.
From scout.com:
Jawon Pass Announces Top 5
Photo: ajc.com
One of the top quarterbacks in the country for the class of 2016 is Jawon Pass. He just announced his top 5 and it is Louisville, Auburn, Alabama, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech.
4 Star Alabama DE Commit visiting Louisville?
bleacherreport.com
According to his twitter 4 star Alabama DE commit may visit Louisville.
The two Louisville commits mentioned in the tweet (Treveon Samuel and Khane Pass) do not have official visit dates set up just yet but you have to think Miami or FSU will be the games. Brown ranks as high as the #3 WDE (Rivals) and is a teammate of Khane Pass at Carver HS in Georgia. Â Something to keep an eye on for sure. Follow Mekhi Brown on twitter @MekhiBrownn
Alabama Secondary Coach to Louisville?
According to this tweet from Coaching Search:
This would be another excellent hire for Coach Bobby Petrino. Brown was former DC Â at Colorado and have many years in the NFL with the Saints, Falcons, 49ers, Chargers and Oilers. Definitely something to keep an eye on.
