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Friday evening Cardinal news and notes

Ryan Horn is bringing Lamar Jackson awareness to Ghana.

By Mike Rutherford

I_medium Spread check: Louisville by 25.

I_medium My apologies for the lack of content on the site this week. I have been completely crushed under the weight of the SB Nation college basketball preview (look for it next week). Things will be back to normal starting this weekend.

I_medium Looking for a reason to be optimistic after the initial College Football Playoff Rankings? How about mathematical guru Nate Silver saying that if the Cards win out, there's about a 40 percent chance they'll make into the national semifinals. He also has a cool little tool that lets you see probabilities for a number of scenarios going forward.

I_medium Now we've got a road game.

I_medium The first two months of the college football season have been great, but now November is here, which is when most of the stuff that we remember forever takes place.

I_medium The Cards get some love in the Campus Insiders uni watch.

I_medium According to Pro Football Focus, Jaire Alexander has been the best cornerback in college football this season.

I_medium Malik Williams (the basketball one) highlights are here.

I_medium Trinity standout Stephen Herron, who has a Louisville offer, will visit Ohio State this weekend.

I_medium Shoutout to the Bellarmine Knights on their No. 3 ranking in the preseason NABC poll. They'll take on the Cards inside the Yum Center next week.

I_medium The fine humans over at BC Interruption preview Saturday's game, and none of them like the Eagles' chances.

I_medium The mid-major madness preseason top 25 is loaded with teams that probably don't want to be considered mid-majors.

I_medium Love it.

I_medium Lamar Jackson again dominates HeismanWatch.com's, uh, Heisman Watch.

I_medium Great news out of Minnesota, where Teddy Bridgewater is walking without the aid of crutches.

I_medium Steve Jones outlines the three biggest keys for a Cardinal victory over Boston College.

I_medium Sports Illustrated ranks every college basketball team in the country, and has Louisville at No. 13.

I_medium Love it again.

I_medium The U of L men's soccer team kicks off what it hopes will be a length postseason when it hosts Virginia in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals Sunday at 1 p.m.

I_medium Ron Cooper is back in town to lead his FIU team against Western Kentucky, and he says now that he thinks things could have gone differently for him at Louisville had he been more mature.

I_medium The San Diego Chargers have signed James Burgess to their practice squad.

I_medium Knowing that Terry Rozier idolized him when he was growing up, Dwayne Wade made it a point to go over to Rozier after the Bulls/Celtics game Wednesday night to give him a hug and have a talk with him.

Very cool.

I_medium Would a win over Louisville Saturday save Steve Addazio's job? Probably.

I_medium Prob my favorite costume besides Mott's Stockman this year.

I_medium Bobby Petrino checks in at No. 5 on Campus Insiders' weekly countdown of the best coaches in college football.

I_medium Get your autographed Denny Crum bourbon barrel head tomorrow.

I_medium Seth Davis takes a run at previewing SI's No. 13 team, the Louisville Cardinals.

I_medium ESPN's Jared Shanker breaks down the "even though Clemson won, Louisville is still probably better" argument.

I_medium Lamar Jackson is obviously the Heisman Trophy front-runner, but he's not the only ACC player who should be getting some serious love right now.

I_medium The stories coming out now about Lamar and his relationship with his mom are pretty fantastic.

"People don't believe me," Jackson said in a recent interview. "She was an athlete. She used to play basketball. She saw what we were able to do, and she'd go back there and play football with us. She was just making us tougher because she's older, so she's bringing power that we're not used to feeling. We didn't take it like anything different."

Jones tackled him to the ground a few times, and she did not hesitate to talk just a little. "Not gonna lie, she did it," he says.

This went on until Jackson learned how to avoid his mom, and therefore elude tackles. Once he could move past her, she moved on to different workouts, relentlessly pushing her son so he could see the potential she saw. They went to the gym and lifted weights. They did squats. They worked on their core.

"It's all true," Warren said. "What's so remarkable about her is she took on the role of mother, father and coach before she actually knew what she was doing. At the age of 7 and 8, you're just being mom. She was the first one who was able to catch the ball with him. If they had a practice on tackling and mom's got to tackle, then mom's got to tackle. She knew with that gift, in order to be great, he had to put in the work."

What Felicia Jones has done with her son speaks for itself. Lamar Jackson remains the Heisman front-runner with 38 total touchdowns through eight games, on pace to set a new NCAA record.

If you're looking for a proud parent to wave at the camera and gush about her son's success, that's not Jones. She could provide the best insight into why she decided to be so involved with her son and how that influenced his career trajectory, but she remains a relative mystery. And that's how she wants it.

She has declined repeated requests for interviews. Even when Jackson was breaking out as a star in Boynton Beach, Florida, Jones never commented publicly. Jackson says his mom is a private person who just wants him to play football. Those who know her believe she would rather have the spotlight be on Jackson than herself.

I_medium NBA Draft analysts break down the prospects of Louisville's trio of sophomores.

I_medium The College Football Playoff Rankings are a reality show that wants to be cute. Never forget.

I_medium Devonte Fields is a third round pick in the latest NFL mock draft from Matt Miller.

I_medium Love it times three.

I_medium Jeff Walz is ready to make another run at a national title.

I_medium Should Louisville be on high alert against Boston College? Maybe?

I_medium Athlon is taking the Cards, 42-17.

I_medium And finally, beat Boston College.

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