The Cardinal Countdown: 69 Days Until Kickoff

#69 Chaz Ray

Class: Junior

Ht/Wt: 6-3/331

Position: Offensive Line

Hometown: Louisville, KY (Product of Fern Creek High School)

Twitter: N/A

Thoughts: Chaz was a local walk-on to the Cardinal team a couple years back and appears to be relegated to the practice squad since arriving, as he hasn’t seen live action in a Cardinal uniform yet. Always nice to see some local kids fill in those spots as many have grown up watching UofL and have a strong desire to see the program succeed.

As the first of many players in this countdown who grind daily but rarely, if ever, get to see the field in a game that counts, a big thank you for all you do. It’s very cliché and I know it sounds trite at times, but each one of these young men spend the same number of hours in the weight room each week, attend the same number of practices, and sit in on the same number of film review sessions as some of the starters. Playing or not playing they put a lot of time and energy into making the team better, and should be commended for it. Tip of the cap from an “old blogger” for all the things you do, and have done in the past, to elevate the University of Louisville football program to what it is today.

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Game 8: Florida State Seminoles

Key Player: Deondre Francois, Sophomore, Quarterback

To say Francois has something to prove against the Louisville Cardinals this year may be a slight understatement. In all fairness, that FSU team didn’t know what they were stepping into last year at PJCS with the Gameday crew in town and the Ali tribute combo. Francois performed well most of the season, even in the other losses to UNC and Clesmon, but he was absolutely shut down against the Cards. A season low number of attempts (18), a season low number of completions (7), a season low in passing yards (101), an interception, and a season high number of rushing attempts translated to his second worse performance on the ground (-34 yards w/ sacks) all year. It was a rough day. Francois showed down the stretch he had what it takes to lead the team, beating rivals Miami, Florida, and then Michigan in the bowl game. FSU will have this game circled without a doubt and the Cards need to be prepared to step into a rough environment against a very good (Top 5) team. Francois certainly wants to prove last year was the exception, and he has the skills to do so. A very late test in the season for the Cards could be a tipping point towards a playoff run down the stretch or another 9/10 win season.

Sweet Tweet: Couldn’t find a twitter for Chaz so instead I’m gonna go full “Choose your own adventure” mode on this beautiful Sunday. I used to love those books, you never knew what was waiting for you down each path...

For an uplifting story about a situation where things appeared to be heading in the wrong direction but surprisingly had a happy ending…click here.

For a story about a young man who thought he had the world in his grasp…and then let it all slip through…click here.

For a tale as old as time, about not counting your chickens until they hatch, feel free to watch this short clip here.

Enjoy your selection and have a “nice” afternoon.

69 Days to go.