Louisville Scouting Reports:

[Apis Bull]

Read Cardinal reports here.

[cygnus34]

Will try to update this page instead of adding more articles.

Spring practice begins today

By Michael McCammon

Date: Mar 31, 2005

The Cardinals football program will begin preparations for the 2005 season this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. when spring practice gets underway at the Papa John's Cardinal Stadium football complex.

Spring officially started a few days ago, but for the University of Louisville football program it begins today at 4:00 p.m. when the team takes to the practice fields at the Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium football complex.

The spring practice session is a time when returning players improve their skills, learn new additions to the play book and compete for a spot atop the depth chart. With 12 starters from U of L’s 11-1 team of a year ago that finished the season as Liberty Bowl Champions and ranked 6th in the nation now gone, the competition at a number of open spots should be intense.

"We're excited to get back on the field," U of L head coach Bobby Petrino said on Wednesday. "I know our players had a good winter. I thought they worked extremely hard in the weight room and made some good gains as far as guys that had to gain weight, guys that had to get stronger. But now it's time to get back out on the field, and see exactly where we are."

Despite losing All-Conference USA quarterback Stefan LeFors to graduation, the Cardinal offense should have a smooth transition with sophomore signal-caller Brian Brohm, who saw action in all but one game last year.

"I can't wait to see the leadership take over and see how Brian does as a starter," said Petrino. "I have always believed that [leadership] is one of the responsibilities of the quarterback. He certainly did a nice job of it last year when he was on the field. It will be interesting to see how everyone else rallies around him."

While the offense shouldn’t miss a beat with the experienced Brohm, the need to find and develop a backup is a concern for the Cardinals offensive staff.

"Backup quarterback is a concern," said Petrino. "We have to find out who that will be. We have Davis Manning that came in January and we have a couple of walkons that were here last fall that did a nice job for us. We have to give all three of them reps and really see how they do and find out who can handle the pressure. That's an area where we have a lot of work to do."

The unit that lost the most and has become a priority for the coaching staff during spring practice is the secondary, where junior William Gay is the lone returning starter.

"Secondary is where we don't have a lot of depth in the spring," explained the Cardinals third-year head coach. "We did recruit a lot of young players that will be here in the fall. I like the guys we have back there, it's just a matter of depth."

With redshirt freshman Rod Council slated as a first team corner, along with Gay, the major focus will be on the safety positions. The Sharp brothers, Antoine and Brandon, both enter spring as the first unit safeties. After making a position move from wide receiver to cornerback last year, Antoine will once again be spending the next few weeks of practice learning the strong safety spot.

"We will work Antoine Sharp at both safety and corner, which is a little new for him," continued Petrino. "Last year he played corner in our nickelback package and he did an outstanding job of tackling from that position. We kind of feel like strong safety would be his best position."

In addition to finding athletes that will step up at each position, Petrino is looking forward to seeing how the team’s personality develops, as well as molding his top-rated offense of a year ago to best fit this team’s abilities.

"I want to see what type of personalities that our offense and defense take on," Petrino said. "Every year it is a little bit different. We have always had a big playbook and we always try to build the offense around the type of players that we have."

Spring practice is open to the public and fans are encouraged to attend. The team will practice again on Friday at 3:30 p.m., as well as on Saturday and Sunday at noon.

[cygnus34]

Just wanted to let you know page 1 has been updated.  I will continue to update page 1 as info becomes available..

[Apis Bull]

Brohm ready to take reins

'I learned a lot with a great quarterback in front of me'

By Josh Cook

Special to The Courier-Journal

Brian Brohm recently took a week off from football.

Kind of.

The University of Louisville sophomore-to-be went to Destin, Fla., for spring break.

"It was my only relaxed week of the winter," he said. "But I thought about (football) in the back of my mind."

That's because he had been looking forward to yesterday's first day of spring practice for some time.

"It feels good to get out here and get under center," he said, standing on the field of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium after practice. "It was a pretty good first day. Everybody was excited to get out here."

Brohm is replacing Stefan LeFors, the most proficient passer in NCAA Division I-A last year, and taking over a unit that led the nation in scoring and total offense.

Though it's drowned out by the Final Four frenzy this weekend, there is a buzz about how Brohm will guide the Cardinals, who finished 11-1 and No. 6 in The Associated Press' final poll, into the Big East Conference this fall.

In his "10 questions as spring practices get under way," on Sports Illustrated's Web site, writer Stewart Mandel asked: "Is Louisville QB Brian Brohm ready to become The Man?"

The response seems to be yes.

"I think he's a proven leader. He has all the qualities you want there," coach Bobby Petrino said before the opening of practice. "Now we just have to build everything around what he does best.

"The reason we played him last year was that I didn't want to go into the Big East Conference with a quarterback with no experience. We want to be able to move him around and change where we throw the ball so defenses can't tee off on him."

Brohm got a good early review from running back Michael Bush.

"To me he's picking up where Stefan left off," Bush said. "He didn't make too many mistakes today. We'll pick up where we left off last year."

Brohm completed 66 of 98 passes (67.3 percent) for 819 yards and six touchdowns with just two interceptions in spot duty last season, earning Conference USA Freshman of the Year honors.

"Stefan set a great example," the former Kentucky Mr. Football from Trinity High School said. "Hopefully, I can follow in his footsteps and do the same things as he did. I learned a lot with a great quarterback in front of me."

"They're both tough kids, but they're different players," Bush said. "Stefan may beat you with the run, where Brian may beat you with the deep ball."

Brohm showed that yesterday, throwing several long passes to Broderick Clark.

"I love it," Clark said. "He's going to be pretty good. Us receivers just have to make plays for him."

And Brohm -- who has added 14 pounds to his 6-foot-4 frame (to 224) -- appears ready to lead the Cardinals. His cadence could be heard in the stands yesterday.

"I try to set an example and let the other guys follow me," he said.

Still, he wants to follow the lead set for him last year.

"I'm not going to be the same player Stefan LeFors was," Brohm said. "We have different styles, but hopefully I can keep doing things my own way and we can have similar results."

The Cardinals are scheduled to practice again at 3:30 p.m. today, the second of four straight days of workouts. Practices are free and open to the public. The Red & White Game will be April 22.

Brohm ready to take reins

[cygnus34]

http://louisville.scout.com/2/365254.html

DEFENSE!

[cygnus34]

http://www.collegefootballnews.com/big_east/2005_Previews/Louisville_Preview.htm

[Papa_Bull]

Posted on Sat, Apr. 09, 2005

 

Petrino wants football Cards to copy hoops team

By Russ Brown

KENTUCKY.COM

LOUISVILLE  Bobby Petrino would like for his 2005 University of Louisville football team to steal a page from the school's basketball team because he liked the court Cardinals' moxie, resiliency, competitiveness and toughness, which he says is a good blueprint for the gridiron Cards.

Petrino was preparing for spring practice, so he only personally saw U of L's basketball team once during the postseason  in the Conference USA Tournament in Memphis, which the Cards won. But he watched a number of their games during their run to the Final Four on TV and he loved what he saw, both then and during the regular season, as coach Rick Pitino's club overcame numerous injuries and illness to finish with a 33-5 record and the No. 3 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.

"I'm hoping our coaches and players all learn from our basketball team," Petrino said. "I loved to watch them, how tough they are, how they had multiple guys who can score, step up and win games in different ways  win games with their offense, win games with their defense.

"They were able to overcome obstacles, change schemes, change schemes in the middle of games. Physically and mentally they were tougher than their opponents and they were a lot of fun to watch. They're just a great 'team', and that's what we would like to do in football  be a real good 'team.' "

Camaraderie, unselfishness and senior leadership were certainly prime ingredients for last year's football Cardinals, who finished with an 11-1 record, led the nation in total offense (539 yards per game) and scoring offense (49.8 ppg), won the Liberty Bowl and finished with the highest ranking in school history at No. 6 in the Associated Press poll.

Those are all assets Petrino hopes to uncover in this year's team during spring practice, which has been underway for a week and will end April 22 with the annual Red-White intrasquad scrimmage in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

U of L returns 14 starters for their inaugural season in the Big East Conference after 10 years in Conference USA.

"I'm excited to see who takes over the leadership roles and how the chemistry develops," Petrino said. "We had real good chemistry last year and that played a big role in our success. Our players had a good winter. They worked extremely hard in the weight room and made some good gains as far as guys who had to gain weight, guys who had to get stronger. Now it's time to get back on the field and see exactly where we're at."

Petrino listed his biggest concerns during the spring as developing a backup quarterback to sophomore Brian Brohm; replenishing a decimated secondary; and replacing standout middle linebacker Robert McCune.

McCune, quarterback Stefan LeFors, free safety Kerry Rhodes, running back Eric Shelton, wide receiver J.R. Russell and defensive linemen Marcus Jones and Bobby Leffew were the main losses.

"We did lose a lot of good players," Petrino said. "Anytime you have six guys who go to the NFL combine and perform well, it makes you a little bit nervous. But we also have a lot of good players returning. I've been pleased with our effort so far. There are still a number of things I want the players to get better at, but it's still early and we have a lot of work yet to get accomplished."

Several places where Petrino has no worries are at starting quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Brohm, the 2004 C-USA Freshman of the Year, is supremely talented and got plenty of experience as LeFors' backup last season. Michael Bush and Kolby Smith are primed to become the Cards' featured runners; and there is plenty of depth at wideout, even though Russell  the leading receiver  has departed.

Petrino also says he wants to find out who will step into Russell's role as the go-to receiver, with Broderick Clark, Joshua Tinch, Montrell Jones and Harry Douglas being the contenders.

"I'm excited to see how Michael and Kolby fare as the full-time runners," Petrino said. "They have to be in much better shape to be able to carry the ball more, do a better job in pass protection, things like that. I know they're excited about it."

U of L will open the season Sept. 3 against Kentucky in Commonwealth Stadium. The Cards' Big East debut will come against former C-USA rival South Florida on Sept. 24 in Tampa.

SATURDAY'S SCRIMMAGE

The Cards conducted their second scrimmage of the spring Saturday, with the offense showing distinct improvement over the first scrimmage last Monday when the defense was more impressive.

Smith led the way by scoring three touchdowns, on runs of four, 39 and one yards. He finished with 70 yards on 12 carries, while Bush gained 62 yards on 17 tries and redshirt freshman George Striplin had a game-high 21 carries for 87 yards, including a 25-yard TD.

Brohm completed 21-of-33 passes for 247 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown strike to Jones, who totalled six catches for 128 yards. Jimmy Riley caught five passes for 105 yards, while Mario Urrutia had his second solid scrimmage with five receptions for 87 yards.

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/sports/11355115.htm

[cygnus34]

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http://www.collegefootballnews.com/big_east/2005_Previews/Louisville_FA.htm

[Brad]

LOUISVILLE

INSIDE SLANT

Louisville lost one of the nation's most productive quarterbacks in Stefan LeFors and 12 players who played a key role for a team that finished 11-1, 8-0 in its final season in Conference, but third-year coach Bobby Petrino hardly sounds like a coach besieged with concerns as the Cardinals prepare to enter the Big East.

"We lost some very talented players and great leaders," said Petrino. "Those seniors were the winningest class in school history and did a lot for the University of Louisville. However, we feel like we return a solid group of players who played a lot of snaps. We were fortunate to play a lot of players last season and I think that will payoff for us as we begin practice."

For all their losses, the Cardinals also return 15 players who started at least seven games last year and several experienced reserves, including quarterback Brian Brohm, a talented sophomore who played in every game in 2004 and gained valuable game experience.

While Brohm appears able and prepared to take over the starting job, he's also going to be surrounded by an offensive line that returns five players with starting experience, as well as three of the top four wide receivers in Montrell

Jones, Joshua Tinch and Broderick Clark and the team's second-leading rusher in running back Michael Bush.

"Heading into spring practice, I feel good about our offense," said Petrino. "We have an experienced unit upfront, and that's where it all starts. Brian received valuable game experience last season and is ready to run this team. We lost (tailback) Eric Shelton, who we hoped would be back, but Michael Bush, Kolby Smith, Reggie Bradshaw and George Stripling will give us great depth at that position again."

As important as the offense is for the Cardinals, Louisville has been at its best in recent seasons when its defense has led the way. With only five returning starters, the Cardinals have a lot of work to do to get their defensive act together this spring.

"Defensively, the talent is there for another fast and athletic unit, but we'll need some younger players to step in and fill roles," Petrino said. "The defense was a key to our success last season. But, we have to replace a bunch of starters there and this spring will be a good test. I really want to see how some of our red-shirt freshmen will fit in and how much they've developed from last year."

NOTES, QUOTES

BUILDING BLOCKS: The offense will continue to build around an offensive line that returns five starters with starting experience in guards Jason Spitz and Kurt Quarterman and tackles Renardo Foster, Travis Leffew and Jermey Darveau. With Will Rabatin departing at center, Spitz will most likely move to center for the spring.

COACHING CAROUSEL: Even though Bobby Petrino seems to have an eye out for every potential job opening that comes along, he managed to keep his staff intact for the 2005 season.

SCHEDULE SITUATION: The Cardinals have made a habit of opening with a win over Kentucky, so why should this year be any different? Home games against Oregon State, Florida Atlantic and North Carolina give the Cardinals a chance to go anywhere from 2-2 to 4-0 going into their first Big East schedule, but even their Big East opener is familiar, with road games at former C-USA rivals USF and Cincinnati, followed by consecutive road games at Connecticut and West Virginia. Those four road games may determine Louisville's eventual fate in the Big East, but if the Cardinals can survive those games with a positive record they finish with home games against Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Rutgers.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It's going to be hard opening the conference on the road three straight games. But if we can get to the end of the schedule in good shape, then have three games at home, that's a good thing." - Louisville coach Bobby Petrino.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

STARS OF 2004: LB Brandon Johnson - Johnson proved to be one of the best surprises of the 2004 season for Louisville, starting 12 games at outside linebacker and finishing second on the team with 84 tackles.

QB Brian Brohm — The Conference USA Freshman of the Year, Brohm played in 11 games last season in a reserve role and threw for 819 yards and six touchdowns while completing 67.3 percent of his passes with just two interceptions.

TOP NEWCOMERS: OL Marcus Gordon - A junior-college transfer, Gordon will get a chance to compete for playing time at both guard spots this spring.

LB/SS Nate Harris and DE Zach Anderson - The Cardinals are looking for immediate help on defense and could find it in these two juco recruits.

WRs Scott Long and Trent Guy - Louisville went looking for potential deep threats at receiver and found them in North Carolina by signing Long and Guy.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I like the receivers we have, but we haven't had the one guy you can say, 'Go deep.' We should have the ability to stretch the field a little bit more now." - Louisville coach Bobby Petrino.

ROSTER REPORT: Offensive lineman Renardo Foster is back after missing half of the 2004 season with a knee injury.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/cusa/home.htm

[RJWGoBulls]

Louisville Cardinals

2005 Schedule

9/4 at Kentucky

9/17 Oregon State

9/24 at South Florida

10/1 Florida Atlantic

10/8 North Carolina

10/15 at West Virginia

10/22 at Cincinnati

11/3 Pittsburgh

11/11 Rutgers

11/26 Syracuse

12/3 Connecticut

2004 overall record:

11-1

Conference record:

8-0 (C-USA)

Returning starters

Offense: 6, Defense: 5, Kicker/punter: 1

2004 statistical leaders (* returners) Rushing: Eric Shelton (938 yds)

Passing: Stefan LeFors (2,596 yds)

Receiving: J.R. Russell (968 yds)

Tackles: Robert McCune (115)

Sacks: Elvis Dumervil* (10)

Interceptions: Kerry Rhodes (6)

Spring Answers: Stefan LeFors was great for Louisville and should be given plenty of credit for the program's rapid rise. But no one inside Cardinal camp thinks it'll take a long time to recover from his graduation. Sophomore QB Brian Brohm is the real deal and shows maturity beyond his age. He's a keeper. ... Brohm will have plenty of weapons for target practice, even with the loss of J. R. Russell. Coaches and players alike are hyping 6-foot-6 Mario Urrutia, a redshirt freshman who might have Big East corners fretting this fall. ... No nightmares about the loss of two key running backs. Michael Bush hasn't lost a step and Kolby Smith and redshirt freshman George Stripling, who both looked stunningly good at times this spring, are paving the way for another group effort at tailback. ... Coach Bobby Petrino is no longer worried about depth on the defensive line, a pressing issue throughout 2004. Young backups like Adrian Grady, Maurice Mitchell and Brandon Cox are bolstering what should turn out to be one of the stronger units on the team.

Fall Questions: The Cards better be happy they return most of their offensive line. While just a sophomore, Brohm might be the most valuable player on the team. One only needs to scan down the depth chart to understand why. ... While the defensive front is solid, there are some questions behind it. One of the team's biggest question marks is at middle linebacker, where it lost Robert McCune, its defensive leader and a tackling machine. Either sophomore Matt Sanders or junior college transfer Nate Harris has some rather large shoes to fill. ... The secondary could develop into a problem if two starters aren't found at the safety spots. Replacing Kerry Rhodes will be especially difficult. ... You can be assured the fans in Louisville have seen this fall's schedule. Expectations in the city are at an all-time high. They want 11-0, a BCS berth and maybe even a shutout of Kentucky for kicks. Can the Cardinals handle such a heavy burden from the start of the season to the finish? Only time will tell.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2046841&num=2