If Louisville beats Miami...

[Goldenbuc]

Louisville's not going to beat Miami in Miami.  Louisville beat a bad FSU team that year....this is a good Miami team....that beat an okay FSU team this year.  I think Miami blows them out!

[smazza]

howie S has made his mark at both schools interestingly enough

[bulls96go]

If Louisville beats Miami....monkeys will fly out of my butt.  8)

now... that would be funny

[bulls96go]

Louisville's not going to beat Miami in Miami.  Louisville beat a bad FSU team that year....this is a good Miami team....that beat an okay FSU team this year.  I think Miami blows them out!

ul will have problems with miami speed on defense

but could exploit the middle of the cover two they play sometimes. this may turn into a slugfest 17-14 game

[Guest HowieP1]

howie S has made his mark at both schools interestingly enough

Fresh picked from Florida

U of L has harvested the groves in droves

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By Eric Crawford

ecrawford@courier-journal.com

The Courier-Journal

Fountain of youths: The Cardinals have 26 Floridians on their roster, more than any NCAA Division 1-A school outside of the Sunshin State except Troy (32) and North Carolina State (29).  

FLORIDA CONNECTION

Notable Floridians who played for U of L:

Pos. Player (years) Hometown

QB – Browning Nagle (89-90) Largo

WR – Arnold Jackson (97-00) Jacksonville

WR – Ernest Givins (84-85) St. Petersburg

WR –J.R. Russell (01-present) Tampa

TE – Ronnie Ghent (00-03) Lakeland

TE –Richard Owens (00-03) Middleburg

RB – Deon Booker (85-88) St. Petersburg

RB – Anthony Shelman (92-94) Brandenton

RB – Ralph Dawkins (90-93) Jacksonville

RB – Lionel Gates (01-present) Jacksonville

OL – Bruce Armstrong (83-86) Miami

OL – Jason Spitz (02-present) Jacksonville

DL – Ted Washington (87-90) Tampa

DL – Jim Hanna (90-93) West Palm Beach

DL – Marcus Jones (01-present) Alachua

DL – Devon Thomas (99-2002) Jacksonville

LB – Tyrus McCloud (1993-96) Pompano Beach

LB – Alan Campos (92-95) Miami

S – Curry Burns (99-2002) Miami

CB – Sam Madison (93-96) Monticello

CB – Antonio Roundtree (97-00) Jacksonville

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In the 1400s, explorer Ponce de Leon was one of the first to trek to Florida seeking riches, in his case a Fountain of Youth. In recent times college football coaches have made expeditions to the Sunshine State. Their quest: a fountain of youths.

According to recent recruiting lists, Florida produces about 250 NCAA Division I-A college football signees per year.

Tomorrow night the University of Louisville Cardinals will travel to Miami in search of a football jackpot against the No.3-ranked Hurricanes. That's nothing new. For 20 years UofL has looked to Florida to bolster its football fortunes.

The team that will face Miami tomorrow has 26 players from Florida  more than all but two out-of-state programs in Division I-A. The Cards have 13 Floridians on their first- and second-team offense and defense. Their leading receiver, J.R. Russell, is from Tampa. Their starting tailback, Lionel Gates, is from Jacksonville. Their sack leader, Marcus Jones, is from Alachua.

"Being able to go down to Florida and get players has been instrumental for us," coach Bobby Petrino said. "All you have to do is look at our roster. Where would we be without a lot of those guys?"

Indeed, where would the program be without its Florida connection?

It began when Howard Schnellenberger took over as UofL coach in 1984. Inheriting a program on life support, he decided that the best way to kick-start things was to go back down to Florida, where he had built a national champion at Miami, and find players in large numbers.

"It was absolutely imperative," Schnellenberger said. "We wanted to capitalize on what I had accomplished in the state, because that's where the great players were and are being produced. We felt that if we could get 10 or 12 players from Florida, along with a number from the (Louisville) area and those cities within a day's drive of our campus, we had a good recruiting base."

The names that began to show up at UofL changed the direction of the program. Bruce Armstrong, a future National Football League offensive lineman, already was on the roster. Ernest Givins gave the team a big-play threat at receiver.

Schnellenberger brought in quarterback Browning Nagle from Largo and defensive lineman Ted Washington from Tampa. They wound up leading the team to its signature victory, a 34-7 pounding of Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl to cap a 10-1-1 season in 1990.

Over the next several years, more big names from Florida began to emerge for the Cardinals, including Ralph Dawkins, Sam Madison, Tyrus McCloud and Alan Campos.

As UofL built its reputation for high-powered offense, its reputation in Florida grew, too. Arnold Jackson arrived from Jacksonville to become the school's all-time leading receiver, and then-coach John L. Smith began hitting the state even harder.

"One of the great things the program has going is its reputation in Florida," Smith said. "Players come up here, have a good experience, and others follow them."

Florida was the first recruiting stop for Petrino after taking the UofL job, and he has signed 16 from the state in his first two recruiting classes.

Why has Florida been such fertile ground for football? The warm weather created good conditions for practice, and a culture built up around it. Today football is a year-round enterprise in the state.

"It's just the culture, the way they grow up," Petrino said. "I lived down there for a couple of years (while coaching for the Jacksonville Jaguars), and my kids started two-a-days before we did.

"The whole culture is around football. On Saturday afternoon that's what everyone in Florida does. The three great universities down there (Miami, Florida and Florida State) help feed into that. It's tough to go in there and recruit against them, but there is one good thing: Those three schools can't take all the players. They have to pass on some good ones."

Petrino thinks he has a few of those in players such as Gates, Russell and running back Kolby Smith.

"We're proud to have 26 Florida players on our team," Petrino said. "It's a really big deal, because they grow up with the game. They understand the intensity of practice and how it all works."

UofL's Florida fortunes took an upward turn in 2002 when the Cards upset No.4 Florida State 26-20 in overtime in a nationally televised Thursday night game.

"When we go into the homes of recruits down there now, that's the first game they remember," Petrino said. "That game had a huge impact on this program's image down there."

Tomorrow the program has a chance to create what Schellenberger called "another indelible mark" in the minds of recruits.

"I don't think there's any question, a win would impact their recruiting for years to come," said Schnellenberger, now the coach at Florida Atlantic.

And as history is beginning to show, the more players that UofL coaches can fish out of Florida, the farther the Cards will go.

http://www.courier-journal.com/cjsports/news2004/10/13/C1-ulfb1013-7048.html

[DENVERBULL]

I think Loserville up setting Miami is a long shot but I think it will be a good game.  Brock Berlin doesn't impress.  Pitt almost beat Miami last year (at home) and I think Loserville is better at this point.

[bulls96go]

miami needs their B+ game to win

ul needs a+ game and no turnovers to have a chance to win

[smazza]

ul didn't out recruit us last year and i doubt they will in forseeable future

anyteam with brock berlin at QB is vulnerable

[79 Bull]

If Louisville beats Miami and goes undefeated (I know, I know about next week), do they get a BCS slot which opens up a 6th CUSA slot for the bowls?

Ahh, never mind.

[BullDoug]

One TO by Leflores and Hesters returns and Berlins arm wins it for the 'Canes.