The Cardinal Countdown: 2 days until kickoff

#2 James Sample

Class: Junior

Ht/Wt: 6-2/191

Position: Safety

Hometown: Sacramento, CA

Twitter: None

Thoughts: Sample comes to the Cards program from the University of Washington, via American River College. Sample was a Top 10 safety coming out of high school and never could quite get comfortable at UW after battling through injuries his freshman year. While personally I didn't know much about Sample coming into this month, he has certainly made a name for himself during fall camp. With the departure of two safeties to the pros and the injury to Reve we needed someone to step up and so far Sample has fit the mold. Grantham has indicated that Floyd will get the start alongside Holliman in the two deep formations against the Canes, but once the Cards go to nickel or a package with multiple corners Sample will come in at safety and Floyd will slide back to his more natural position. Make no mistake, Sample will be tested on Monday night.

It’s been a long road for James who only has two years of eligibility left but has really failed to make an impact thus far in the college ranks. We all love the story of the walk-on who earns a scholarship or a true freshman who doesn’t falter under the bright lights and big stage, but I love the "second chance guy". I always feel like they have that chip on their shoulder and something to prove to the doubters or those who wrote them off long ago. We've seen multiple instances of this same scenario play out at UofL before, and had some amazing success stories to show for it. Sample just arrived on campus less than four weeks ago so he is slightly behind the rest of the defense and is still learning the system. I like his size and athleticism and I expect him to make a few big plays for us this year when we need him.

Sweet Tweet: No twitter for James, so I’ll use this as an opportunity to discuss a topic which has been covered ad nausea over time, but hits home for me today. I recently received a ‘Sample’ (see what I did there) box of chocolates for me to enjoy. The only thing this very nice little gift lacked was the paper insert describing what each chocolate was filled with. My own little nightmare…

It’s like playing a horrific game of ‘Diabetic Roulette’ where you can sink your teeth into deliciously smooth caramel or be subjected to the dreadful pastry chef fraud filling known as ‘coconut’. What’s a man to do? I assume I’m not alone when I simply bite the chocolate in half, knowing full well that there is a chance I could be painfully consuming a walnut, jelly, toffee or some other monstrosity that the bakery shamefully portrays to me as a dessert. Why? Why me? The struggle is real.

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#2 Michaelee Harris

Class: RS Senior

Ht/Wt: 6-2/203

Position: Wide Receiver

Hometown: Miami, Fla

Twitter: @LEEWITDAMIKE

Thoughts: I said last year before the season began that if Michaelee could have stayed healthy all four years he may have been an All-American. I wasn’t joking. ‘The forgotten one’ has done everything he’s been asked too since he put on a Louisville jersey and is one of the more reliable route runners on the whole team. You telling me we have this player, 100% healthy, for four years and he’s not lighting it up…?

I won’t rehash the list of injuries Harris has endured, but anyone who can battle back from three ACL tears is an absolute beast in my book. With Parker, Eli, Quick, De La Cruz, etc sometimes players get overshadowed and the injuries have hampered Michalee to the point where he wasn't getting much recognition last year either even as he creeped back to going full throttle. If you paid attention, as the season wore on it seemed like Harris was getting his confidence back and Teddy was starting to go to him more frequently. While Harris is currently listed as the backup slot receiver, I think he finds a way onto the field regularly, especially until Parker returns. Hopefully the performance we saw in the bowl game (4 catches, 54 yards) from Harris is the jump off point to wrapping up his college career in style.

Sweet Tweet:

It's Dark and Hell is Hot - DMX

— michaelee (@LEEWITDAMIKE) March 12, 2014

Michalee is on board. 2 days folks. Enjoy your Saturday football, relax some on Sunday and then Monday….DJ Kay Dogg drops some DMX right on your face.

Get ready Canes. Get Ready.