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Sunday Afternoon Missives and Musings


14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium Since Mike isn't here to deliver the "News and Notes", I thought I'd take a crack at giving you some Missives and Musings (working title) instead. This should be interesting.

14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium Mike Berman of The Roanoke Time thinks Louisville is shaping up to be a formidable ACC foe.

Get ready, ACC. An athletics powerhouse has moved into the neighborhood. Louisville, which joined the conference this summer, has made a splash in football, basketball and other sports. Its teams benefit from a hefty athletic budget and quality facilities.

In other news, I think Mike Berman is a smart guy.

14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium The KFC Yum Center is getting a new center court logo. The winged Cardinal logo is dead! Long live the Cardinal head logo!

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14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium Jeff Greer with the Courier Journal reported that as of Saturday, Jaylen Johnson was not enrolled at the university and that the NCAA was still sorting through his paperwork. Some reports on twitter have indicated that Johnson is at least now enrolled, but whether or not he is clear to play is still unclear. You only had all summer to clear this up NCAA.

14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium UofL assistant men's basketball coach Kenny Johnson has lost 92 pounds in the last four months. He credits his remarkable transformation to removing Tom Crean from his daily life.


14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium The Yum Center isn't the only facility getting some work in the off-season. Papa John's Cardinal Stadium has also gotten some upgrades in the off-season. A couple of drones were also purchased by the athletic department. Pulled pork sandwiches and beer delivered right to my seat? Sign me up.

14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium Tom Jurich thinks closing in the north endzone isn't a priority just yet.

14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium The Bobby Petrino Radio Show is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, August 27th. You can should listen to it live from 7-8 p.m. on WHAS 84 Radio.

14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium Speaking of Petrino, he recently sat down with Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman to discuss the pressure of playing Miami as the season opener.

Louisville coach Bobby Petrino acknowledged that there's significant pressure to win right away with the Cardinals, starting with the Sept. 1 season opener against Miami.

It shouldn't surprise anyone who's followed Petrino since he returned to Louisville that he said such things. He repeated his high expectations for his program in a three-minute interview with Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman, saying that he wanted to win an ACC championship and compete in the College Football Playoff.

Petrino also said he felt pressure to beat Miami after U of L thumped the Hurricanes in the Russell Athletic Bowl in December.

"But the pressure's just on me," he said. "I have to make sure I do a great job of our players understanding that they just need to go through the process, prepare properly and then go out and perform like they're capable of performing."

14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium The 14th-ranked Louisville men's soccer team completed its three-match preseason slate with a 1-0 loss at Michigan on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals won their first two preseason matches against Rio Grande and Memphis.

14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium Speaking of soccer, Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium will be inaugurated with a double header on Friday, August 29th. The women's soccer team will take on Ole Miss at 6 p.m. while the men play 2nd-ranked Maryland at 8:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $12 for chairback seats or $9 for berm and bleacher seats and will be good for both matches.

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14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium NFL.com says Louisville is a potential dark horse to make the College Football playoffs.

ACC: Louisville

Three reasons to believe:


1. Skill-position talent: WR DeVante Parker is a big-time athlete with 80-catch potential in this offense, and there are numerous solid complementary targets, including Eli Rogers and James Quick. RB Dominique Brown is a downhill runner who also is an effective receiver. And if backup RB Michael Dyer is fully invested, Louisville will have the best running back duo in the ACC and one of the best in the nation. Dyer was a key figure on Auburn's 2010 national title team, but on- and off-field issues have derailed his career. If he gets it back on track, there will be an embarrassment of riches surrounding QB Will Gardner.


2. Linebackers: The Cardinals are moving to a 3-4 set from a 4-3, and one reason is the amount of talent at linebacker. Senior Lorenzo Mauldin had 9.5 sacks last season and is a threat to get to 12 as an outside 'backer this season. James Burgess is solid against the run. And if Keith Brown, who missed most of last season with an injury, is 100 percent healthy, he has All-ACC talent. Depth is good, too.


3. Play-calling: Say what you want about Bobby Petrino as a person, the guy is a play-calling genius. When he truly gets on a roll, his offenses become unstoppable. Gardner has an extremely strong arm, and obviously will benefit from Petrino's tutelage.

14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium Crum's Revenge takes a look at the last time Louisville played Miami. The man does good work.

14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium Tim Sullivan takes a look at Petrino's coaching philosophy by interviewing those who have played and worked with him. It is a long read, but well worth it.

14834491510_e71ef44314_o_medium 8 days until the Black Out against Miami. Go Cards!