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Monday Evening Cardinal News And Notes

The 2014 Card Chronicle Wedding Tour rolls along with Sam and Sara Schardein, who tied the knot with Louie (not literally) last month.

By Mike Rutherford

I_medium CBS' college football writers recently engaged in a program draft, where Louisville was selected with the 30th pick.

30. Louisville

Drafted by: Jerry Hinnen
Coach: Bobby Petrino
Record last three years: 30-9
Explanation: Maybe Bobby Petrino isn't the best long-term building block, but any program in the hands of an AD like Tom Jurich -- now with the added bonus of ACC-caliber cash -- isn't likely to suffer much, even in the event of his departure. -- Jerry Hinnen

I_medium The CCBM continues its summer tour (not to be confused with the CC wedding tour) at Niagara Falls.

I_medium According to our friends at The Crunch Zone, congratulations are in order for Hakeem Smith, who has signed a three-year deal with the Tennessee Titans worth $1.53 million. Great news for one of the most consistently stellar Cardinal players in recent memory.

I_medium ESPN's Andrea Adelson goes one-on-one with Gerald Christian, who is expecting to assume a larger role with the Cards this fall.

How much more will you be used in the Louisville pass game this year?

A: Coach Petrino, he's known for using his tight ends and he's a great coach. I like how he takes his personnel and utilizes their strengths. He's going to take me and put me in position to be one-on-one against a linebacker and one-on-one against a safety, where he targets me to have mismatches to exploit the defense. Last year, the offense was just learning plays, whereas Coach Petrino takes his playmakers and targets them more to make plays. 

So you must be pumped for the opportunity.

A: I'm really excited. After spring ball and seeing the stuff he does and how he's using me ... I've been given an opportunity to show what I can do. Now all I have to do is step up and make the plays. It will be fun for me.

I_medium Gobbler Country (Virginia Tech) welcomes Louisville to the ACC and discusses the most infamous incident between the two programs: the Marcus Vick leg stomp in the 2006 Gator Bowl.

I_medium CBS says Louisville's hiring of Kenny Johnson was one of the most important recruiting moves of the offseason.

Kenny Johnson, Louisville: Johnson was at Indiana for two seasons, and has built a repuation as one of the best recruiters in the game. He helped Tom Crean land several players, including Noah Vonleh, Troy Williams, Stanford Robinson and incoming freshman Robert Johnson.

I_medium Good news out of Buffalo, where the Bills are looking at Preston Brown as the replacement for the injured Kiko Alonso.

I_medium Lynn Stadium is looking even more cool than any of us could have imagined.

Yet another reason to look forward to the start of the 2014-15 athletics season.

I_medium The official Vikings website has a "Rookie Confessional" video with Teddy Bridgewater.

I_medium NFL.com ranks Louisville/Rutgers in 2006 as the 7th-best game of the 2000s. I have somewhat different feelings about the game, but whatever, it wouldn't have been significant if we hadn't been so good.

7. Louisville at Rutgers (2006)

The matchup: Louisville (8-0) at Rutgers (8-0)
Site: High Point Solutions Stadium
The skinny: Some consider this to be one of the biggest wins in Rutgers' illustrious history. The bar for that feat might not have been set high, but there is no doubt the Scarlet Knights have a special place in history reserved for this game. The Cardinals came into the game ranked third in the country and were dreaming of a National Title Game appearance after knocking off West Virginia a week earlier in a thriller. Louisville jumped out to an early 18-point lead before Greg Schiano‘s defense clamped down and held the Cardinals scoreless in the second half. Ray Rice and company suddenly leaped into action on offense and, after missing a game-winning field goal but getting another chance thanks to a penalty, Rutgers kicker Jeremy Ito nailed a field goal with 18 seconds remaining, and the field turned into a sea of red once the game went final.

Not sure "illustrious" was the word you were looking for there.

I_medium Magic Basketball Online offers up a player profile on Luke Hancock, who has not appeared in either of Orlando's first two summer league games.

I_medium Pretty obsessed with this picture:

I_medium ESPN looks at the recently released ACC football odds from Vegas.

I_medium Papa John's Cardinal Stadium was vandalized over the weekend by a group of teenagers.

Police say a Louisville teen was arrested during the holiday weekend after he and several others allegedly broke into Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. 

According to the arrest report, it happened July 4 around 2 a.m. That's when security officers at the stadium noticed several subjects inside the stadium riding on a motorized vehicle called a "Gator." 

Police say the suspects were driving it throughout the stadium and "committing vandalism in several different areas in and around the stadium." 

When police approached the suspects, they ran, but officers caught up with 18-year-old Ace Alexander Thurman and a juvenile suspect near the fence. 

Thurman was charged with burglary, criminal mischief, and fleeing and evading police.

Seems like a pretty chill dude.

Screen_shot_2014-07-07_at_4.26.16_pm_medium

Ace Thurman: The next great American poet.

I_medium Mark Story of the Lexington Herald-Leader breaks down what needs to happen for Mark Stoops' second season to be a success, a list which includes winning at least four games.

I_medium Thrillist says Kentucky is the No. 9 state in the country for food and drink.

I_medium A very happy birthday to Art Carmody's younger brother/Louisville football tailgating connoisseur, Drake Carmody.

I_medium Cardinal Sports Zone has some updates in its weekly hoops recruiting notebook.

I_medium Yahoo's Dr. Saturday says that Michael Dyer is the No. 1 player in college football poised for a comeback season.

In his first season with the Cardinals, Dyer showed glimpses of his old self, but was hampered by injuries for much of the season. He carried the ball just 44 times, gaining 223 yards and scoring two touchdowns.

After all of that, Dyer is back for his final season of eligibility and he's out to make his senior season his best season. Those nagging injuries kept Dyer out for part of Louisville's spring practices, but he exploded for 150 yards and three touchdowns on just 14 carries in the Cardinals' spring game.

"He looked really quick," said Louisville coach Bobby Petrino. "He was seeing things, making good cuts. It was the first time that we've really seen him this spring at 100 percent."

Fellow senior Dominique Brown (825 yards, eight touchdowns) also returns for the Cardinals. At 6-foot-2 and 216 pounds, Brown figures to be the primary back when the season begins, but the 5-foot-9, 215-pound Dyer can be a great complement to Brown and a home run threat in the Louisville backfield and could even surpass Brown on the depth chart sooner than later.

As Louisville transitions to the ACC, Dyer has the chance to prove that he is still the running back who gained 2,335 yards in two seasons at Auburn, making him the top choice on our list of offensive players poised for a comeback in 2014.

I_medium The C-J's Adam Himmelbach talks with Rick Pitino about Russ Smith, the ACC and the NBA Draft.

I_medium Steve Masiello talks with CBS' Jon Rothstein about his tumultuous offseason.

I_medium And finally, take this post home, Joel Nivens Jr.

Well done.

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