Cincinnati at
(7) Louisville
November 27, 2004 | 2:30 p.m.
Louisville, KY | Papa John's Cardinal Stadium
840 WHAS | espn2
QUOTES
Louisville Head Coach Bobby Petrino
On the Cincinnati defense: Cincinnati looks
really good on video. Defensively they're very fast. They probably have the best
two defensive ends in the conference. Both of them are really good
players...they're very quick and very active. They get off the ball really well.
They're playing really good defense...and they don't make many mistakes. We're
going to have to be able to move the ball and run it at them...we have to be
able to protect long enough were we can get the ball off down the field to make
some plays.
On the Cincinnati offense:
Offensively, they run the ball very well. They're offensive front is playing
extremely well. The whole offense and defense are just about all
seniors...they're doing a real good job of coaching them. They know exactly what
they want to do. It should be a real hard fought, tough, physical contest.
Cincinnati Head Coach Mark Dantanio
On
Louisville: Louisville has a tremendous football team. They’re number
one in almost every category offensively. With everything they are doing
offensively, they are at the top of their game.
On facing Louisville: We’re expecting to win.
It will be a challenge for us. Players are going to have to rise up and play
above their abilities. Coaches are going to have to coach better than they’ve
coached. We’re going to have to prepare and get ready to go. Our guys are
excited. This is a rivalry game. This is what college football is all about.
We’re going down there with every intention of winning.
NOTES
GAME NOTES
This will be the 45th meeting in the series, which dates
back to 1922.The Bearcats hold the overall series lead with a 26-17-1
record.Louisville won a thriller last season 43-40 at Nippert Stadium in
Cincinnati.
Louisville has won five of the last six meetings between the two schools.
The Cardinals can win the C-USA Title outright with a win over UC.Cincinnati
won the last meeting in Louisville 24-14 in 2002.LOUISVILLE
-
This year, the Cardinals are averaging 47.5 points per game,
which is third in the country and are on pace to score 523 points, which would
shatter the school record of 450.
-
With a 6-0 league record, Louisville is dominating every
statistical category in Conference USA. The Cards are first in nine
different categories: rushing offense, passing offense, scoring offense, total
offense, rushing defense, total defense, scoring defense, turnover margain and
passing efficiency.
-
Stefan LeFors became just the sixth quarterback in U of L
history to throw for more than 5,000 yards in his career. LeFors 5,334
yards is sixth all-time. He's on pace to finish his career with the fourth
best total, surpassing Jeff Brohm and Ed Rubbert.
-
Senior wide receiver J.R. Russell is next in a long line of outstanding wide receivers at the University of Louisville. After
nine games, Russell leads the team in receptions with 56 for 758 yards and five
touchdowns. Russell has caught a pass in 34 straight games, the fourth longest
streak in school history.
- The Cardinals receiving corp has become one of the best in the country,
averaging 14.1 yards per reception, which is 11th best in the nation.
Junior Broderick Clark leads the team with a 17.3 per catch average.
- In two seasons under Petrino, the Cardinals have compiled a 9-1 record and
are 4-0 this season. U of L is outscoring it's opponents by an average
margin of 35.2 at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium this season.
Cincinnati
-
Cincinnati is tied with UAB for second place
in Conference USA. Both teams sport 5-2 league ledgers. Louisville has already
clinched a share of the C-USA championship and the worst UC could finish is in a
tie for third place. The Bearcats have finished in the top two of C-USA play in
three of the previous four seasons, winning a co-championship in 2002.
-
Cincinnati has topped the 40-point mark four
times this season. This feat was last accomplished in 1953 when the Sid
Gillman-coached Bearcats topped 40 points five times. UC’s 305 points scored
this season is the fifth-highest single season total in school history.
-
Gino Guidugli is playing some of the best
football of his four-year career. During the Bearcats’ four-game win streak,
Guidugli has completed 71 percent of his passes for 1,022 yards with 12
touchdowns and no INTs. He has a passing efficiency rating of 189.09 during this
span to raise his season efficiency to 148.03.
-
Andre Frazier and Trent Cole are competing
for positions in the Cincinnati career rankings for sacks and tackles for loss.
Frazier is second in career sacks with 21.5, trailing only former teammate
Antwan Peek, now with the Houston Texans, who recorded 27 sacks between 1998-02.
Frazier is fifth in tackles for loss with 40.5. Cole is third in tackles for
loss with 45.0 and fifth in sacks with 17.5.
-
Daven Holly moved into a six-way tie for
fourth place in career interceptions. He recorded the ninth INT of his career in
the Oct. 30 win over TCU. Last season, Holly tied the UC single season record
with six interceptions.
-
Gino Guidugli, the first Bearcat to top the
10,000-yard marks in career passing and total offense yardage, is second
nationally, among active players, in passing yards and third in total offense
yards.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
| |
Louisville |
Cincinnati |
| Rushing Offense |
233.7 |
188.0 |
| Passing Offense |
309.8 |
240.2 |
| Total Offense |
543.4 |
428.2 |
| Scoring Offense |
47.6 |
30.5 |
| Rushing Defense |
112.7 |
141.2 |
| Passing Defense |
224.7 |
205.9 |
| Total Defense |
337.3 |
347.1 |
| Scoring Defense |
20.2 |
23.6 |
| Net Punting |
33.16 |
35.89 |
| Turnover Margain |
+9 |
-2 |
ITV
PREDICTION
Miami, Memphis and Cincinnati. These three games will be remembered as
the toughest challenges for the 2004 Cardinals.
With a very balanced attack, the Bearcats are very dangerous on offense, which
will force the Cardinals defense to play a lot of man coverage. Expect
Cincinnati to come out running the ball in an attempt to pull the linebackers
out of pass coverage. Louisville's offense should continue it's impressive
play. The Cardinals will likely use a number of quick slant routes to
offset the quick rushing defensive ends of the Bearcats.
Stefan LeFors, J.R. Russell, Michael Bush and Eric Shelton have solid outings
for the Cardinals offense, while the defense is led by the solid play of Brandon Johnson and William Gay.
Louisville claims the school's third Conference USA title.
Cardinals 37 Bearcats 33
"Get Used To It!" - Bobby Petrino