Those looking for something positive in the wake of last week's historic collapse need not read any further. Apparently Scout had a guy or some guys in the locker room after the game and they did enough digging to draw some conclusions about the future plans of Louisville's talented trio of homegrown talent.
The story is not as clear with quarterback Brian Brohm. Sources told us they cannot get a good read on what the signal callers next move will be. The feeling is he's slightly leaning towards entering the draft after seeing what happened to his teammate Michael Bush then sustaining a thumb injury himself which put him on the sidelines for a few weeks.
Amongst scouts the belief is Brohm is not NFL-ready and may not even be the top junior quarterback prospect. That title could be held by Jamarcus Russell of LSU.
Brohm looked terrible during the second half of the game showing little poise and even less patience in the face of pressure.
After the game we spoke with Louisville coach Bobby Petrino who admitted extra protections and protection packages were put in place during the last two quarters. Petrino also said it was obvious Brohm was not looking downfield and ran the ball too much.
The Cardinals coach looked visibly upset to the point of being perturbed about the situation. It was a nice way of saying Brohm had cabin fever in the second half and was watching out for pass rushers more than he was looking for pass catchers. His draft stock took a big hit.
Surprisingly the most definitive answer we received was about the draft status of receiver Mario Urrutia. When asked if he would leave for the NFL after this season the answer was a resounding, "he is gone" from sources in the UL locker room.
The Bush news is no surprise, and the Brohm stuff is what most who witnessed Thursday's fiasco could have predicted, but an answer that definitive regarding Mario? Damn.
He is a redshirt sophomore three years removed from his days at Fern Creek High School, so he is elegible to leave after this season. We guess if he really hates school that much (don't we or didn't we all) then he could go ahead and declare this year, in which case he would likely be a middle round selection in this summer's draft. But with the physical tools Super Mo possesses, and the likely return of a guy who can get him the ball early and often, it seems like if he stuck around at least another year he could really get his name out there and put himself in a position where he could make a considerably larger amount of money.
Don't go Mo. No.
Still anxiously waiting any inside scoop with some insight as to what Art Carmody is thinking right now. He likely won't make any kind of formal announcement until at least three weeks after the bowl game, but we're not going to be able to hold out that long.
One more year Art, let's finish this the right way.