Huge Position battle on the horizon
by cardchomp on Jan 30, 2012 10:33 PM EST
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PrintThis break in basketball seems to have come at a perfect time. Build on a three game win streak with some good practice, possibly get some guys healthy (and slim), but most importantly it lets HCCS and company shine in what has been an unprecedented recruiting haul for UL. With all the progress and success the underclassman had on the field last year, you know this incoming class should be licking their chops at a chance to win/take over a starting role. New LBs Keith Brown, Burgess, and Dawson will be looking to steal PT from Preston & Daniel Brown (geez, "Tackle by Brown" will be called a lot regardless who plays) and guys like Holliman will be looking to share the secondary with the likes of Smith, Pryor, etc. But the most heated battle I can identify is going to be on special teams. With Chris Philpot gone, some young man is going to have to step up and make a name for himself. I am kind of half joking with the lead in to this, but in all seriousness, kickers are generally the leading scorers and I am a little nervous that our most inexperienced postion is one of the most important on a football team. We've got a Special team roster full of guys most have never heard of besides of Nakatani. Most only know of him because of his father's success on the race track and because he's a local kid. Then we have Web design sensation, Joshua Appleby (#30 K by the four letter), coming in who definitely passes the look tests at 6'2" 235 lbs., who could cease the opportunity in front of him. Just doesn't seem that long ago that the great Art Carmody finished his brilliant career @ UL to go on exploring his Cafe dreams and the following year we endured a season of missed field goals, missed PATs, and PJCS's crowds roaring when the kickoff actually stayed in bounds. I'm totally stoked about the 2012 football season. The cards are poised to bring back the BE crown to the Derby city where it rightfully belongs. I just hope that our kicking corps have a very competitive attitude going in to spring ball, and when the badass HTML producing kicking sensation from Athens, GA graces us with his presence for summer camp, the battle heats up to Elisha Justice hot proportions. Lastly, I pretended I was going to the bathroom and wrote my first Fanpost. Go Cards!
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I think the train hits full speed in 2012
A lot of other fans seem to think we’re still a year out, but I see a 10 or 11 win season, a Big East outright title, and a BCS bowl win in 2012. The offense will be better behind a more experienced OL, Dom Brown, Jeremy Wright, and of course Teddy with all his receivers. The defense will probably be the best Louisville has fielded in a long time. 2012 is our year.
We will be very good next year but will be full tilt in 2013.
I believe 2013 will be a 2006 type year, hopefully ending even better (NC). And by this I mean running over damn near everyone. Our current team needed about a year to really get dialed in so imagine one more year with names like Brown, Holliman, Dawson, Appleby, etc. Add on that another year of experience for our current roster and the Florida/Tennessee transfers becoming eligible in ’13. We will be a force.
HCCS for president. I’m so ready for football season.
-Dustin
by Civicman86 on Jan 31, 2012 7:54 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Sounds good to me Buddy.
By the way, how much experience will be have on the O-line? Will any of these freshman be ready or will we need them to be? Last year really made an O-line believer out of me.
by Carolina Cardinal on Jan 30, 2012 11:27 PM EST reply actions
IMO
The incoming freshman O-line have the size to make an impact in a reserve role. We lost Kessling this year to graduation but the rest of the line is back. Not too mention there were some pretty big boys up front who haven’t even scraped their potential yet. The strongest part of our team (no pun intended) is the coaching staff and they will have the current members of the team prepared and the new guys pushing them.
Granted the O-line improved as the season progressed, but they had no where to go but up.
The first third of the season they were absolutely awful. not only did they not appear to know what they were doing, several were very slow out of the box. And my concern is an other year won’t make you any quicker if you just don’t have the quickness.
by Carolina Cardinal on Jan 30, 2012 11:39 PM EST up reply actions
Fortunately for us,
We have Rbs who can pound the ball up the middle. Once again, IMO when you really need real quickness and speed on your line is when you have guys who want to bounce to the outside and the big guys up front need to get out there with them. I’ve tape of Manley and saw what he did in the playoffs and that kid is a sleeper in this class. He’s a big dude his is tough as nails and didn’t get beat at the high school level at least.
I think this is right
You don’t have to have All-Americans on the OL. You need guys used to playing as a unit together and having that sixth sense about who’s going to do what no matter what the defense throws at them. Strong did recruit some really big guys, and I’m sure someone like Garcia or Anvoots could step in as true Frosh and be great. But even if not, just getting 4 of the 5 main guys from 2011 back is huge. Especially a healthy Benavides at Center. Remember when we sucked on the OL last year he was out with that foot thing that would not heal. I don’t see us losing an OOC game in 2012. Maybe a game or two in Big East play, but nothing worse if all the top skill guys stay healthy.
by CardsRuleBE on Jan 30, 2012 11:41 PM EST up reply actions
The schedule is favorable for us in the BE this year
cause we play the heavyweights in the league at home anyway. It doesn’t look like WVU is going to play in the Be this year, but even if they do, we have to be the team to beat given our home field advantage against UC, WVU, UCONN and USF
Yep
Rutgers is now a big unknown with Schiano leaving. They have the talent to be our toughest away game in 2012, but now that’s looking like less of a toss-up and more of a game we’ll have the edge. Pitt always plays us tough, regardless of where it is. Same for WVU, but they are most likely gone and off the schedule. And I think we play 4 of the current 5 OOC games in Papa Johns. Like I said, this should be a minimum 10-win season. I think we dominate the Big East, then make a national title run in 2013 and/or 2014.
by CardsRuleBE on Jan 31, 2012 12:00 AM EST up reply actions
Rutgers
Rutgers promoting an existing coach to head coach reminds me a lot of what UK did with Joker Phillips. To change the culture it seems you need to bring in a coach that will shake things up and light a fire under the guys. I think they are in trouble with their recruits and part of the decison process to promote an OL coach was to keep their main commit.
I think it's more likely...
That WVU pays millions to leave early and play in the Big12 this year while Pitt and Cuse save their money and try for next year after the new members are set up in the league.
Just saw that FIU coach Cristobal turned down the Rutgers job saying that he has his best recruiting class ever coming in.
Don’t like the sound of that much, especially playing them down there. Could be a very tough game.
by Carolina Cardinal on Jan 31, 2012 12:30 AM EST up reply actions
But at least Hilton graduated. That guy killed us last year.
by Carolina Cardinal on Jan 31, 2012 12:57 AM EST up reply actions
We'll beat the crap out of them this year
We’d have beaten them badly had we not played them 2nd game of the year in 2011. We were a mess early on but almost a completely different (better) team in the 2nd half of 2011. I’m not worried about beating them down there.
And like I said, with Hilton gone I feel much better. We had nothing trying to cover him last year.
Without him, we would have beaten them last year.
by Carolina Cardinal on Jan 31, 2012 1:04 AM EST up reply actions
Think about how close we were in 2011
Only the Cincy game was a loss by more than one score. And we had Freshmen and Sophs all over the field. We’ll be better on offense, better on defense. The one ares of concern is the kicking game (losing both Philpott and Bleser). If that doesn’t drop off too much, I ask anyone to look at who we play and where we play them and find me more than 2 games max that we might lose. This is the year we break out.
Kicking game is real scary
We were 5-11 on field goals the year after Carmody left and we had nothing but new faces in the kicking corp. We didn’t kick field goals that year when most teams would have because there was zero confidence. I hope Appleby is the real deal
I am not sure who it was....
But some redshirt kicker was drilling kicks from 50 out during the spring game pre game. he seemed very accurate.
by BetaCard466 on Jan 31, 2012 12:55 AM EST via Android app reply actions
I heard that Wallace is the kicker of the future
And Appleby was specifically brought on to punt.
Remember the Beef Bowl!
Kicking game will be HUGE next year.
I think we’ll shake the nerves early and settle in by conference play with an established and confident players. Biggest trick is knowing their ability so the staff can make good decisions. If you know your kicker is only good 40-yards and in, and a 48-yarder is a major gamble; it makes those decisions much more informed by the coaches.
by Remote Cardinal on Jan 31, 2012 1:25 PM EST reply actions
We actually have depth at the kicker position
Everyone is just untested. Andrew Fletcher has a good leg and Nakatani looked good in warmups. John Wallace should get the nod at punter with Appleby pushing for his spot. Charlie has signed or had a preferred walkon Kicker each year he’s been here as well as a walkon. The previous coach didn’t sign any and any walkons are no longer on the team. As long as these guys are getting proper coaching, I think we will be fine.
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