 Cardinal Countdown
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Kentucky Game Week
The Cardinals will kickoff the 2003 season when they
travel east on I-64 to Lexington to face rival Kentucky at Commonwealth
Stadium on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. The game, which is being televised on
espn2, will introduce Louisville fans to a new coaching staff, led by Head Coach
Bobby Petrino, a new quarterback in Stefan LeFors and a retooled defense, led by
senior captain linebacker Rod Day. However, Petrino is familiar with the
rivalry game, participating in it in 1998 as the Cardinals offensive
coordinator. Petrino will be seeking to become just the seventh coach in
Louisville football history to win his first game as the Cardinals head coach.
Cardinals at Commonwealth
Louisville has done it's best to make Commonwealth Stadium a home away from
home, going 4-2 there during the modern series, which the Cardinals lead 5-4.
In the six contests in Lexington between the Cards and the Cats, Louisville has outscored
Kentucky 177-104. The average scoring output of 29.5 shouldn't come as a
surprise, as the Cardinals have been a dangerous offensive team on the road,
especially over the past four seasons, averaging 33.3 per road game during that
span. Louisville is aiming for its third straight win in Commonwealth
Stadium.
Russell on a Streak
Junior receiver J.R. Russell will enter the Kentucky game having caught a pass
in 11 consecutive games. Last season, as a sophomore, Russell caught a
career-best 24 passes for 287 yards.
Iron Man
Dan Koons, who is ranked as the nation's No. 15 center by The Sporting News, has
started an impressive 20 straight games, which is the longest such Louisville
streak since Dewayne White started 29 contests in a row.
Cardinal Captains
Robert McCune (ITV) |
Five captains were named by Head Coach Bobby Petrino for the 2003 campaign.
In a vote by team members, senior tight end Ronnie Ghent and senior center Dan
Koons were the offensive choices, while senior linebacker Rod Day, senior
cornerback Josh Minkins and junior linebacker Robert McCune were selected for
the defensive side of the ball.
Ronnie Ghent chasing records
Senior tight end Ronnie Ghent is looking to join the Louisville record books
this fall. Ghent is 14 receptions shy of tying former Cardinal receiver
Anthony Cummings with 100 career receptions, 10th most in school history.
He is also 718 yards shy of climbing into the top 10 in career receiving yards.
Already 7th on the career touchdown receptions list with 11, Ghent, a 3-time
Conference USA 1st Team selection, could surpass former Louisville greats Ralph
Dawkins, Zek Parker and Deion Branch with 8 touchdown receptions in 2003.
Reverse the trend
Louisville will need to reserve a few trends if it hopes to improve on last
season's 7-6 team. The team frequently started slow last season, getting
outscored 74-63 in the first quarter. More importantly, Louisville was a
terrible -15 in turnover ratio last year, committing 31 giveaways. The 31
turnovers led to 72 points for the opposition, a statistic that needs to be
reversed in 2003. Turnovers have consistently played a role in the game
against Kentucky, as the team that wins the turnover battle has compiled a 7-2
record. Louisville will also need to reduce it's number of penalties,
which it committed 109 for 908 yards last season, including 12 for 89 yards
against Kentucky.
Card Rock 2003
Join Head Coach Bobby Petrino and the Cardinals, on Friday, August 29 at the
Water Tower on River Road, as they kick off the 2003 season. The
festivities will begin at 5:00 p.m. and will continue until 9:00 p.m. and is
free to the public. There will be food, family fun, live entertainment,
giveaways and there will be performances by the U of L Marching Band,
Cheerleaders and Ladybirds. Show your support at this season-opening pep
rally and help get the Cards ready for the Cats!
Broderick Clark against UK
in 2002 (UofL) |
Clark v. Abney
The Louisville-Kentucky matchup will pit two of the top kickoff return men in
the nation in Louisville's Broderick Clark and Kentucky's Derek Abney.
Clark finished second in the country with an impressive 28.9 kick return
average, while Abney finished 10th with an average of 26.8 yards per kick
return. Both players returned two kickoffs for touchdown's last year,
including Clark's 100-yard touchdown return against Kentucky in the 2002 season
opener.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON (2002 stats)
| |
Louisville |
Kentucky |
| Record |
7-6 |
7-5 |
| Total Offense |
332.3 |
347.4 |
| Points Scored |
28.8 |
32.1 |
| First Downs |
17.9 |
18.0 |
| Rushing Yards |
106.7 |
148.5 |
| Rushing Touchdowns |
16 |
19 |
| Passing Yards |
226.5 |
198.8 |
| Passing Touchdowns |
25 |
24 |
| Time of Possession |
28:17 |
28:59 |
| 3rd Down Conversion |
60/192 (31%) |
63/169 (37%) |
| Points Allowed |
24.5 |
25.1 |
| Total Defense |
319.9 |
401.2 |
| Rushing Yards Allowed |
113.0 |
174.3 |
| Passing Yards Allowed |
206.9 |
226.9 |
| Turnover Margain |
-15 |
+7 |
TOP STATISTICAL RETURNERS