What looked like a promising season at the end of October, has
been washed away the first three weeks of November.
The University of Louisville lost its third straight football
game Friday night, falling 28-20 to Cincinnati in front of
37,822 fans at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
The 22nd-ranked Bearcats outscored the Cardinals 14-3 in a
steady rain in the second half.
"I want everybody to know I'm proud to be the coach of this
team," UofL coach Steve Kragthorpe said to start off his post-
game press conference. "Our guys showed a lot of heart and a lot
of character.
"We're not winning games right now and that's on me. I get paid
to win games and I'm not getting it done...don't blame the
players, blame me."
Cincinnati (8-2, 4-1) claimed the Keg of Nails with the win, as
well as first place in the Big East Conference. Meanwhile the
loss dropped Louisville (5-5, 1-4), which was 5-2 after its
upset of 14th-ranked South Florida on Oct. 25, into the Big East
basement along with Syracuse.
"Penalties hurt us, miscues here and there, it wasn't anything
behind the scenes it was all out front," said UofL quarterback
Hunter Cantwell, who completed 19 of 35 passes for 204 yards
with one touchdown and one interception.
The second half was the story of the game for the Cards. They
mustered only 116 yards of offense, while being whistled for 46
yards worth of penalties.
UC outgained UofL for the game 405-324, including 186-116 after
halftime. Bearcat quarterback Tony Pike completed 19 of 33
passes for 250 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. John
Goebel and Jacob Ramsey each ran for scores for Cincy, while
Dominick Goodman and Mardy Gilyard each had TD catches.
Vic Anderson led Louisville with 60 rushing yards and a
touchdown, while Doug Beaumont had four catches for 61 yards.
"You can't win games when you make that many mistakes and
turnovers," said senior running back Brock Bolen, whose team had
three fumbles and lost one.
Cincinnati didn't waste much time getting on the scoreboard
first. The Bearcats scored on their first possession.
On second-and-13 from the UofL 48 Pike hit Gilyard on a crossing
pattern and the junior wideout did the rest. The reigning Big
East Special Teams Player of the Week broke up the middle, then
spun away from two would-be UofL tacklers on his way to the end
zone.
The Cards tied the game at 7 late in the first quarter thanks to
a little help from their defense, and Cincinnati.
First UofL's D stuffed Pike for a 1-yard loss on a fourth-and-1
try from the UC 29. Then two Bearcat penalties (pass interference
and holding) helped set up Louisville with a first-and-goal at
the 6. The Cards scored on Cantwell's 2-yard toss to senior
fullback James Bryant.
UofL added a field goal on its next possession to take a 10-7
lead. The Cards drove 71 yards in 10 plays - the biggest a 38-
yard completion from Cantwell to Beaumont - and Ryan Payne
capped the march with a 23-yard kick.
Each team had a long TD drive, mostly via the run, in the second
quarter. The Bearcats retook the lead on Ramsey's 1-yard TD run
with 4:46 to play in the half. Ramsey rushed five times for 36
yards, highlighted by runs of 18 and 13 yards, on the 64-yard
drive.
Anderson answered on UofL's ensuing possession. He broke off a
big 37-yard run that later led to his 3-yard TD run to make it
17-14 Cards.
The crowd at Papa John's had two reasons to cheer late in the
second quarter when first, the Virginia Military Institute-
Kentucky men's basketball score was announced (VMI 111, UK 103),
then UC's Jake Rogers missed a 34-yard field goal attempt at the
horn.
UofL got a big boost from its defense, again, early in the
second half when linebacker Jon Dempsey stripped Ramsey of the
ball and recovered it at the UC 9. The turnover resulted in
another 23-yard field goal by Payne to give the Cards a 20-14
lead.
Cincinnati could've closed to within three a few minutes later,
but Rogers' 39-yard field goal try bounced off the right
upright.
But the Bearcats made good the next time they had the ball. UC
pinned the Cards deep in their own territory, then got an 18-
yard punt return by DeAngelo Smith to have a first down at the
UofL 32.
It took Cincy just two plays to score. The second was a perfect
strike by Pike to a diving Goodman just beyond the reach of
cornerback Woodny Turenne. Rogers' PAT gave UC a 21-20 lead.
The Cards had a chance to take the lead early in the fourth
quarter, but Payne was short on a 45-yard field goal try - which
was 11 yards longer than his career best.
The Bearcats pulled a rabbit out of their hat on their next
possession, putting Dustin Grutza at quarterback. Grutza started
the first two games of the season for UC before breaking his
right fibula at Oklahoma. He quickly guided the Bearcats
downfield and Goebel ran in from a 6-yard TD. The PAT made it
28-20 UC with 6:29 to play.
The biggest play on the drive was a 37-yard run by Goebel.
"We were still running around trying to get guys lined up,"
defensive tackle Adrian Grady said of that play. "There's a lot
of times we shot ourselves in the foot."
UofL had two more possessions, but got nothing out of them. On
the first Cantwell was stuffed on a fourth-and-1 from his own
35.
Then after Rogers missed his third field goal of the game UofL
took over at its own 26 with 2:19 to play. But Cantwell threw
four straight incompletions to end UofL's hopes.
The Cards host West Virginia at noon next Saturday in their
final home game of the season before closing out the regular
season Dec. 4 at Rutgers.
"We've got to be ready to beat West Virginia, that's all that
can be in our minds," Cantwell said. "It's going be a big week
of perseverance, we can't listen to what other people say."
"Our goal at this point and time is to win both games and get to
that 13th game," Kragthorpe said.