Cards Scouting Report

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U of L transfers are ready for some action

After they missed a year, camp couldn't have started sooner

By Brian Bennett

bbennett@courier-journal.com

The Courier-Journal

The first day of fall football practice always brings anticipation and optimism, and that proved especially true for four University of Louisville players yesterday.

Brock Bolen, Patrick Carter, Chris Vaughn and Corey Thompson loved seeing fall camp begin, mainly because they inched one step closer to returning to game action after sitting out last season as transfers.

We just can't wait to get out there," Thompson said. "It's a countdown now."

The Cardinals have had a history of success with transfers that includes Carwell Gardner, Montrell Jones and Chris Redman. This year they could have four impact players who switched over from other NCAA Division I schools.

"They've got a lot of ability," coach Bobby Petrino said. "You always worry about guys who haven't lined up and played in front of a crowd (for a year). We've got to put a lot of pressure on them in practice to perform. Hopefully we'll get them ready for the first game, because I do like their ability."

Bolen is penciled in as the starting fullback. He played his freshman year at Illinois but decided to leave when Ron Zook became the coach and installed a less fullback-friendly offense.

Bolen had been recruited to Illinois by current Louisville defensive coordinator Mike Cassity. That and the Cardinals' power running attack made his transfer decision easy.

The other three transfers are wide receivers, which should come as no surprise. U of L's high-scoring offense appeals to any skill position player, and that's what caught Vaughn's eye when he decided to leave Notre Dame after his freshman season.

"I looked around at a couple of other schools, but this one had the most to offer me," said the 6-foot-3 Vaughn, who played in six games for the Irish in 2004. "We're capable of being the best offense ever to play college football."

The other two receivers followed past connections to the Cards.

Carter said he knew nothing about the school and couldn't have located Louisville on a map when he left Georgia Tech. He relied on the relationship between his brother, Tim, and U of L secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr., who played together at Auburn.

Thompson realized Duke wasn't the place for him after catching 19 passes in 10 games as a freshman. Louisville defensive end Brandon Cox played on the same high school team as Thompson and sold his buddy on coming north. The two are roommates.

The four transfers grew close last season, too. They couldn't travel to away games under NCAA rules, so they gathered in the TV room at the apartment complex where they lived to watch their teammates play.

"We'd see plays that we knew and would make sure everyone was on point," Carter said.

They also built what Vaughn called "a transfer bond." Practicing Monday through Thursday without the payoff of a Saturday game can be a lonely, frustrating experience. But at least it was a shared experience.

"It makes it a lot easier when you know somebody else in the same shoes as you," Bolen said. "You know you're not the only one sitting out."

Now the quartet hopes to shake off any rust from the year-long layoff and get ready to contribute in the season opener against the University of Kentucky.

"Practice feels a whole lot different now," Carter said. "All of us are physically ready. It's just a matter of getting our minds sharp."

True freshman safety Brandon Heath did not participate in yesterday's first practice and was wearing a protective boot on his left foot. Petrino said Heath, one of the team's top incoming recruits, suffered a fracture about two weeks ago.

"It's not good," Petrino said. "At best, he will be out 4-6 weeks, which is real unfortunate because we thought a lot about him.

"We've got to see how quickly he can come back from that, whether he can come back and play or if he has to redshirt."

The players elected team captains. The defensive captains are linebacker Nate Harris, cornerback William Gay and lineman Amobi Okoye. On offense, they are quarterback Brian Brohm, running back Michael Bush and lineman Kurt Quarterman.

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U of L FOOTBALL MEDIA DAY

Brohm's knee '100 percent'

QB SAYS HE NEEDS TO BRUSH UP ON FUNDAMENTALS

By Jerry Tipton

HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER

LOUISVILLE - During Louisville's football Media Day yesterday, star quarterback Brian Brohm pronounced his surgically repaired left knee "100 percent." If true, that should give the Cardinals a big boost toward living up to a pre-season ranking of No. 13 nationally.

"It's fully healed," Brohm said in one of his responses to repeated questions about the knee. "The doctor says it's fully healed. Everybody says it's fully healed. You've got to trust it. Go out there and play like it's better because it is."

Brohm, the Big East Offensive Player of the Year as a sophomore last season, tested the knee during Louisville's opening pre-season practice on Friday. The test encouraged Coach Bobby Petrino.

Petrino noted Brohm's accurate throws in one-on-one drills to receivers covered by a corner. Anxiety levels rose when Brohm missed "a couple throws" in a seven-on-seven workout. Blessed reassurance came when the Cards went 11 against 11.

"I was impressed with how comfortable he was in the pocket," Petrino said, "because that's the first time since (the injury) he actually dropped back and had guys rushing around him. I saw his vision completely downfield. I saw his instincts and his movement in the pocket. That was very, very encouraging."

One question hung in the air at sun-splashed Papa John's Cardinal Stadium: What will happen before and after Brohm takes a hit on the knee? Will he be gun-shy before absorbing such a hit? Will he get up afterward? The idea of another season-ending knee injury for Brohm caused Louisville's other Heisman Trophy candidate, all-purpose back Michael Bush, to say, "If he goes down, it's, like, wow."

Brohm, who threw for 2,883 yards and 19 touchdowns last season, acknowledged the benefit that will come from getting hit.

"I don't think it'll be too much of an issue," he said before adding, "but I'll feel better after that first hit."

Not that Brohm is in a hurry to get hit. When asked if he'd welcome taking the hit in practice (an impossibility since Louisville keeps its quarterbacks off limits to contact in practice), Brohm paused and then said, "I really don't need to do that, I don't think. I'm pretty confident with it. We can wait till that first hit in a game."

Petrino joked about arranging a hit squad.

"We've thought about standing him out there and getting a couple of good hits on him," the Louisville coach said. "If we did that, though, the three guys who would be hitting him would be Jeff, Greg and Oscar."

That's Brohm's two brothers, U of L assistant coaches Jeff and Greg, and his father, Oscar, a former U of L quarterback.

"Maybe, get the three of them together, they might want to do that," Petrino said.

Jeff Brohm, the quarterbacks coach and also a former U of L signal-caller, all but volunteered.

"When you're out for a while, it does take awhile to get used to the rush and the defense and having those guys come at you at all angles," he said. "It would be great to get hit early and feel that hit. A lot of times when that happens, (the anxiety) goes away immediately."

Brohm, the youngest of three football-playing brothers, injured the knee on a simple rollout against Syracuse last Nov. 26.

As the rehabilitation began after surgery, Brohm became discouraged. "I couldn't even flex my quad," he said.

But the coaches spoke glowingly of how hard he worked to return to normal. By participating in spring practice, Brohm got through the initial soreness and pain that come with a return to the field, Petrino said.

"Oh, he's fine," Bush said. "He's out there running and cutting. He was healthy two or three weeks ago. He's back to the regular Brohm."

Brohm said he could drop back and throw two months after the surgery. The bootlegs and movements in and out of the pocket took longer.

Friday's practice convinced Brohm that he can plant that left leg and make all the throws.

"Oh, definitely," he said. "We did pretty much every one in practice. So I made all the throws I need to make."

Until the opener against Kentucky on Sept. 3, Brohm intends to concentrate on polishing his fundamentals.

"When you're out for that long, some of those things get away from you because you're not working on them every day," he said. "The coaches aren't out there working with you. Once I do that, I think I'll be right back where I was."U of L football media day

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Cards' offense enjoys numbers game

Brohm, Bush lead unit that strives for No. 1

By Brian Bennett

bbennett@courier-journal.com

The Courier-Journal

The scoreboards beyond each end zone at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium have disappeared. Only the frames remain.

No mastermind thieves or fraternity pranks are involved. The University of Louisville will install high-tech replacements before the season opener.

It seems like good timing, too, because this year's U of L football team plans to keep the scoreboard bulbs burning at a record pace.

The Cardinals led NCAA Division I-A in total yards and points two years ago. After finishing last season ninth in yardage and third in points, they're again going after that No. 1 spot.

"I believe we've got the best skill guys in the country, and I think that's a fact," center Eric Wood said at yesterday's Media Day. "There's no doubt in my mind that we can be the No. 1 offense again."

The Cards averaged 43.4 points a game last season when many of their main offensive weapons were in their first year as full-time starters.

Quarterback Brian Brohm ranked second in Division I-A in passing efficiency and threw for 19 touchdowns before injuring his knee in the second-to-last regular-season game. Running back Michael Bush rushed for a school-record 23 touchdowns despite missing two games.

Then there's wide receiver Mario Urrutia, who led the team with seven touchdown receptions and 21.5 yards per catch as a freshman. George Stripling and Kolby Smith return to back up Bush after combining for more than 1,100 yards in their first years as major contributors.

"We have so much depth everywhere," Bush said. "You can't take a play off against us as an offense."

Numbers matter for the Cardinals. The coaching staff challenges the players each year to become the No. 1 offense in the country. Team goals set each week include benchmarks for yards and points, and everyone tracks the national statistics closely.

"That's one of the goals you can keep track of through the year," Wood said. "We'll be like, 'Ah, we're third in the nation. We've got to pick things up.' "

A lot more people will follow the numbers this season, especially those produced by Bush and Brohm. The school is pushing both players for the Heisman Trophy with its "Derby City Duo" campaign, and each will need to turn voters' heads with his statistics on a weekly basis.

Can Bush eclipse 25, or 30, touchdowns? Will Brohm throw for 3,000 yards? These could be the stories within the story for U of L this season.

Both players have numbers in mind as personal goals, but neither wanted to reveal them.

"I don't try to publicize what those are," Brohm said. "If I don't reach my personal goals but we win every game, I'll be just fine with that.

"Michael and I both understand that the biggest thing is team success. We've definitely got to go out there and perform ourselves and put up the numbers we're supposed to put up for the team to be successful. But our team has to be successful for us to get any consideration for that trophy or to get to New York."

Bush learned early in his career, when he split carries with Eric Shelton and Lionel Gates, that team goals trump individual glory. He could play an even larger role in the offense this season -- coach Bobby Petrino said that 30 touches a game sounds about right -- but he also knows U of L will spread the ball around.

"We're really balanced; Brohm can throw you a 70-yard pass, and I can take it in from 30 yards out," Bush said. "Just give me the ball, and I'll be OK. I'm not really a stat guy. I've been telling guys that I'd give up the Heisman Trophy for a BCS game."

Even with Bush and Brohm leading the way, Petrino isn't ready to proclaim this as his best offense. There are questions to answer in fall camp, such as how the Cards will replace Jason Spitz and Travis Leffew on the line, how the relatively inexperienced receiving corps will respond and who will become the third-down go-to guy.

"I don't know how good we can be," Petrino said. "We've just got to go out and work hard and get better. I think our offensive front gives us a chance to just keep continuing what we've been doing."

Better get those scoreboards ready just to be safe.

Brian Bennett can be reached at (502) 582-7177.

[Morganeers]

Good read...thanks for posting that..!!