Thursday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

—Spread check: Pitt by 3.

—The Louisville offensive line will be facing another major challenge this Saturday at Pitt.

—Vince Tyra served up a statement in response to yesterday’s Breonna Taylor/LMPD ruling.

—A number of Cardinal athletes have shared their thoughts on social media over the last 24 hours.

—Heading into a much-hyped year two as a Cardinal, Samuell Williamson is bigger, stronger and hungrier.

—U of L has announced new details for its attendance policies for the non-football Cardinal fall sports teams.

Men’s soccer opens up its regular season on Friday night against Wake Forest at 8 p.m. ET at Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium. Field hockey gets underway on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET at Trager Stadium. Women’s soccer is at home for the first time Oct. 1 against Syracuse at 7 p.m. ET.

Field Hockey

Attendance will be limited to approximately 20 percent capacity at Trager Stadium. Tickets will not be made available to the general public, but all home contests will be televised and/or streamed for those that can’t attend. Tickets will only be available to guests of Louisville student-athletes, coaches and visiting team, along with a limited number for UofL students.

Men’s & Women’s Soccer

Attendance will be socially distanced and limited to the south seating area of Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium. The west end, north berm, playground and Boyle-ing Point seating areas will be closed. Tickets will not be made available to the general public, but all home contests will be televised and/or streamed for those that can’t attend. Tickets will only be available to guests of Louisville student-athletes, coaches and visiting team, along with a limited number for UofL students.

COVID-19 Protocols

Stadium gates will open one hour prior to start time. Temperature checks will be conducted with appropriate space allowed to promote physical distancing. Anyone that has a reading of 100.4° or higher will be directed to a cool down area. After a 10-minute cool down period a second temperature check will be conducted. If the temperature displayed is 100.4° or higher the person will be refused entry.

A Clear Bag Policy remains in place UofL athletics facilities. Fans may bring one clear bag, either a one-gallon clear Ziploc-style storage bag, or a 12 x 6 x 12 inches clear tote bag. Fans will be asked to return non-approved bags or other items to their vehicle prior to stadium entry. Patrons are encouraged to have all items loose inside the clear bag for more efficient safe inspections. Clutch purses, billfolds or wallets cannot be placed in the clear bag.

All concessions stands will be cashless for the 2020 season. All major credit cards will be accepted. Mobile pay options (Apple pay, Google Pay, etc.) will not be accepted.

Masks are required to be worn at all times unless actively consuming food or beverages. Children aged five years and under are not required to wear a mask. Physical distancing will be enforced throughout the stadium.

—NC State has joined the growing list of schools cutting salaries for coaches and instituting furloughs for employees. Even with those cuts, the athletic program is projecting a shortfall of $25-35 million for the year.

—Louisville has offered class of 2022 tight end Nate Kurisky from Washington, D.C.

—I am begging ... BEGGING ... a bowl game to pit a pair of winless teams against one another.

You’re never going to have this opportunity again, and I am five times more likely to watch that game then 3-5 Minnesota vs. 4-6 Georgia Tech.

—JCPS announced this afternoon that all Thursday and Friday night high school football games have been rescheduled for Saturday or Sunday (or later) because of the citywide curfew. All other games and practices scheduled for this week will continue as normal.

Friday night’s scheduled rivalry game between Trinity and St. X has also been canceled and rescheduled for Oct. 2, at St. X at 7:30 pm.

—Pitt’s defense has been dominant early on this season, but Pat Narduzzi says not to buy the hype just yet.

Even with all the impressive stats, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi isn’t buying any defensive dominance just yet. He’s just glad his team is performing well, but can’t crown anyone as a finished product in this odd season.

“All that stuff, you can’t compare it to normal years,” said Narduzzi, whose Panthers rank only behind Oklahoma and BYU in defense. “You can go say, ‘We’re No. 1 in rush defense, No. 1 in passing offense.’ Right now, what does it matter? How many teams aren’t even playing?”

—LSU is joining Memphis State, Kansas and NC State in going the IARP route with its NCAA case.

—The investigation into Will Wade’s basketball program could wind up spelling trouble for LSU football as well.

—The MLB postseason is looming for a number of former Louisville baseball players now in the bigs.

—Shot:

Chasers:

—U of L men’s golf All-American Matthias Schmid has been named to the Haskins Award Watch List. Schmid is one of just 30 golfers in the country to be on the watch list for the prestigious honor, which goes to the nation’s top college golfer annually.

—Louisville City FC is rolling at the right time.

—Bill Connelly’s S&P ratings like Pitt over Louisville, 29-24.

—Another development on the U of L basketball non-conference scheduling front.

—New legislation today from Reps. Anthony Gonzalez and Emanuel Cleaver lays out a plan for future college athlete NIL rules.

—The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that the slot-like historical horse racing system in use at two of the state’s gaming venues does not constitute pari-mutuel wagering. In its ruling, the Court also seems to strongly hint that legalizing sports betting would be a logical move for the state.

—Former U of L standout Robert “The Hammer” McCune attempted to get his court case moved away from Lexington because of the Louisville-Kentucky rivalry.

—Ken Pomeroy writes that the NCAA tournament selection committee shouldn’t use the eye test this season (or any season).

—Louisville’s o-line has passed a couple of early tests so far, but the biggest might be directly in front of it.

—Happy anniversary to a Cardinal Stadium legend.

—The Pitt 247 site plays “Know Your Foe” with Louisville.

—Covers.com feels good about the Cardinals this weekend.

—This was very cool.

—Louisville checks in at No. 6 in Streaking the Lawn’s latest ACC power rankings.

—Updated list of canceled/postponed college football games for this weekend:

• Notre Dame at Wake Forest (Dec. 12)
• Memphis at UTSA (Canceled)
• Tulsa at Arkansas State
• South Florida at FAU
• North Texas at Houston
• Temple at Navy (Oct. 10)

Poor Cougars:

—College Football News is picking Pitt, 31-26.

—No one even knows how college football’s postseason is going to work at this point, but that hasn’t stopped Jerry Palm from projecting a Louisville vs. Baylor Cheez-It Bowl.

—I stand by my belief that 2004 is still the best football team Louisville has ever fielded.

—John McGonigal of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette looks at what makes Louisville’s explosive offense work.

—And finally, Athlon makes its pick for Saturday, and it’s Pittsburgh by a touchdown.