Cards Scouting Report

[bullwark]

Link: http://www.courier-journal.com/print/article/20101103/SPORTS02/311030121/Louisville-football-team-s-reserves-ready-for-a-call-up

Louisville football team’s reserves ready for a call-up

By C.L. Brown

cbrown@courier-journal.com

University of Louisville reserve quarterback Justin Burke keeps himself ready for duty by staying in the minds of the coaches.

He wears a headset on the sideline during games so he can tune in to what plays are called and get a feel for the game. He's one of several U of L backups on offense who might be forced into action when the Cardinals (4-4, 1-2 Big East Conference) travel to Syracuse (6-2, 3-1) on Saturday.

Quarterback Adam Froman and running back Bilal Powell, who have started every game this season, could be out with injuries; neither practiced on Wednesday. If they can't play, the Cardinals would have a different look against the Orange, but Burke's job would be to keep things the same. That's why he likes to hear what's going on during games.

“It kind of clues me in to what we're calling, how the game's going,†the senior said. “Communicating with the coaches and listening to what they're thinking, what they're seeing, helps me.â€

Offensive coordinator Mike Sanford said Wednesday that Froman still is day-to-day with a thigh bruise and had not been ruled out for Saturday. Sanford added that he hadn't named a clear-cut backup between Burke and sophomore Will Stein.

“We don't have a two-three; it's more like a two-two,†Sanford said. “We've been trying to give Burke and Stein enough reps that they're prepared for the heat of battle.â€

Freshman quarterback Dominique Brown, who has appeared in every game since Arkansas State, is still too inexperienced to take full command of the offense. He has 13 carries for 36 yards but has yet to attempt a pass.

Burke said the practice reps help, as did the many offseason hours he spent running the offense in 7-on-7 drills. But that's the least it takes to stay in tune.

“Backup quarterback is one of the hardest things in football,†he said. “You have to prepare like you're the starter, but inevitably you know you're not going to start. You have to make sure you stay up, stay in the game and be ready when your number is called.â€

That's a popular mantra in the U ofL locker room, and it's why redshirt freshman Jeremy Wright believes he's prepared to fill in at running back if needed. Wright has only 14 carries for 95 yards, but he said his preparation has come from playing special teams and getting tips from Powell.

“Having a leader like Bilal, you always have to stay on your P's and Q's and look what he does and follow behind him,†Wright said. “I just look at what he does and try to form my game around his.â€

Wright moved up the depth chart during spring drills but suffered an injury during practice then and was hurt again in August. It slowed his progress, but he said he's ready now.

“I'm getting back in that zone where I feel like I can play again and be that player they want me to be,†he said.

U of L has listed Powell as day-to-day with swelling in his right knee. Wright will factor into the rotation along with senior Blayne Donnell and second-leading rusher Victor Anderson, who missed the last three games with a shoulder injury but has been cleared to play.

Anderson's presence would lessen the blow of Powell's injury because of his experience. He rushed for 1,047 yards as a freshman and has seven career starts. He has rushed for 245 yards this season, including 108 against Arkansas State.

Last season Burke started three games and Stein two, but they've played sparingly this year. Burke was 5 of 6 for 40 yards and a touchdown against Memphis and threw an interception on his only pass in Saturday's loss at Pittsburgh.

Wright and Donnell have combined for 31 carries and 172 yards. The most either has carried in one game was Wright's seven rushes for 58 yards and a score against Memphis.

[redbird2001]

Thats not really a scouting report. Both Froman and Powell should be back for the USF game. 

[BullMedic]

Thats not really a scouting report. Both Froman and Powell should be back for the USF game. 

And Cardinal Empire isn't much of a message board.

[redbird2001]

I agree.  I usually go to Inside the ville or Cardinal Sports.

[E.T.]

'cuse - Cards game is the ONLY Big East game this weekend ... real reason they are the Big East Game of the week 

[redbird2001]

Okay?

[Guest nybullsfan]

'cuse - Cards game is the ONLY Big East game this weekend ... real reason they are the Big East Game of the week 

+ USF-RU on Wed, so 4 teams got a bye. That's really strange.

Here's hoping Powell comes down with the flu next week... >

[SRQ]

is it on the tube locally?

[E.T.]

is it on the tube locally?

BH47 @ NOON

[bullwark]

Notes on beating Syracuse 28-20

As a devoted fan of the NBA during growing up, I distinctly remember such greats as Dr. J, Tom Chambers, Moses Malone, Elvin Hayes, et. al., stepping to the free-throw line late in the game for the now arcane "3-to-make-2."

I dredge up this little nugget of nostalgia to emphasize Louisville football's current situation: the Cardinals have three chances to win two games and get to the magical seven-win season.

Magical because it would not only guarantee a return to bowl eligibility after three season in the Kragthorpe wasteland, but it would validate my preseason win total prediction.

Though humbly ebullient about Saturday's 28-20 win over the Orange delivering a 2009-besting fifth win, I will magnanimously pardon all of the detractors, blatherskites and churls who heaped scorn at my prediction. To paraphrase Antonio Salieri, "Mediocrities everywhere, I absolve you all."

With South Florida and West Virginia dropping by the next two weeks, the Cards could feasibly, given the Bulls' inconsistency (not to mention hideous record in cool, November climes) and Mountaineers' scoring woes, head to Jersey to face woeful Rutgers with a shot at a previously unthinkable eighth win and a second-place finish.

Where do the Cards figure in the bowl picture? Anywhere from Birmingham to Memphis to St. Pete to New York City to Orlando. (Get the latest conjecture at RedNBlueFans.com.)

Time to step back a moment and dwell on the win (not to mention the spoils of a sixth-straight Louisville win over the Orange in football/basketball).

Jeremy Wright's 19 carries for 98 yards didn't escape the notice of Big East big-wigs, who named the Cardinal freshman Player of the Week. It's quite a luxury to replace the explosiveness of potential Player of the Year Candidate Bilal Powell with a back who demonstrated nearly the same difficulty in bringing down and speed through the line. I remember C.L. Brown commenting during the spring, prior to Powell's efflorescence, that Wright was challenging to become the top back. It will be hard, even after Bilal's return, not to tuck the ball into Wright's gut a few more times a game.

I give Justin Burke a lot of credit. One pass, one pick against Pittsburgh didn't erode his confidence or sense of duty stepping in to guide the team in a must-win road situation. His numbers were steady (13 of 25), if unspectacular, but he delivered twice on scores to the re-emergent Josh Chichester, and landed a critical fourth-down conversion to Andrell Smith late in the game. Burke didn't get the Cardinal offense purring like a Jaguar, but against a Syracuse defense that had posted consecutive road clamp-downs on West Virginia and Cincinnati, 28 points was more than enough for the blitz packages that Vance Bedford and Charlie Strong called up.

At this point no word on the return of Powell or Froman, but the prospect of goring the Bulls on Sunday isn't as daunting.

http://ulfan.courier-journal.com/