CardinalSports.com - GAME DAY: Cards face fifth-ranked Cincy

October 23, 2009

Matt Willinger
CardinalSports.com Staff Writer

Louisville (2-4, 0-2) at Cincinnati (6-0, 2-0)
Saturday, Oct. 24
3:30 p.m. ET
Nippert Stadium (35,000)
Cincinnati, Ohio
TV: ESPNU
Radio: WKRD 790 AM

Game Look
The University of Louisville football team hits the road for the second straight week and will face its toughest test of the season when the Cardinals face the fifth-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats on Saturday, October 24 at 3:30 p.m. at Nippert Stadium. ESPNU will televise the game live. The Cardinals dropped their seventh straight BIG EAST Conference game last Saturday at Connecticut 38-25 behind four crucial turnovers. The Cardinals turned the football over three times in Connecticut territory, including one time on the Huskies four-yard line. The miscues led to 24 Connecticut points.

Junior Adam Froman continued to move the offense effectively, completing 24-of-31 passes for a career-high 295 yards and one touchdown. At one point in the game, Froman completed 16 straight passes. Running back Bilal Powell, who was starting in place of Victor Anderson, carried a career-high 29 times for 87 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

After the Huskies jumped on the scoreboard first, the Cardinals answered with their longest drive of the season. The Cardinals went 80 yards on a season-best 19 plays, which took 9:21 off the clock. Froman went 5-for-5 on that drive and helped convert 4-of-5 third down conversions. Powell capped that drive with a one-yard run on fourth-and-goal. UConn went ahead 14-7 in the second quarter, but Louisville answered again when Powell scampered in from three yards.

Coming out the locker room at the half, the Cardinals drove to the Huskies' 31-yard line, but Powell fumbled to stall that drive. The Huskies responded by scoring to go ahead 21-13. Louisville didn't quit and drove to the five-yard line, but Powell fumbled again to stop that drive. Connecticut went right down the field to put the game out of reach. The Cardinals and Bearcats have met 48 times in their history with the Bearcats owning a 27-20-1 advantage, including a 28-20 win over the Cardinals last season. In the Cardinals' last visit to Nippert Stadium, Louisville upset 15th-ranked and undefeated Cincinnati 28-24 during the 2007 season.

Series History
The Cardinals and Bearcats will meet for the 49th time when the schools square off this Saturday. Cincinnati leads the overall series 27-20-1. Cincinnati defeated the Cardinals 28-20 last season at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, but Louisville has won eight of the last 10 meetings. Louisville defeated 15th-ranked Cincinnati at Nippert Stadium in 2007 and have won their last five meetings in Cincinnati. The Cardinals last loss at Nippert Stadium was a 28-9 defeat in 1997.

Last Meeting vs. Cincinnati
Cincinnati dominated the Cardinals in the second half to win the keg for the first time in six years and take another major step toward its first Big East title. Dominick Goodman caught nine passes for 134 yards and a touchdown for Cincinnati and John Goebel ran for 77 yards and a score as the Bearcats won the Keg of Nails for the first time since 2002. Quarterback Tony Pike, who took over the starting job earlier this year when senior Dustin Grutza went down with a broken leg, completed 19 of 33 passes in soggy conditions before getting knocked out in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury.

Cardinals vs. BIG EAST
The University of Louisville joined the BIG EAST Conference in 2005 and are 40-59-1 against BIG EAST school's all-time. Since joining the league, the Cardinals are 15-15 in conference play. Louisville and Cincinnati, who were former league members together, have met 48 times, with the Bearcats owning a 27-20-1 advantage. The Cardinals and Panthers have also met 13 times, while Louisville has faced West Virginia 10 times.

Turnovers Have Killed the Cardinals
In the loss to Connecticut last Saturday, the Cardinals committed a season-high four turnovers, which cost them 24 points. This season, the Cardinals have turned the ball over 10 times in their four losses (3 at Utah and 4 at Connecticut.). Last season, the Cardinals turned the football over 24 times in their seven losses, including a season-high five in a loss to Kentucky and Pittsburgh. The Cardinals have turned the football over three or more times 10 times in the last 30 games.

Froman Throws For Career-High in Loss Connecticut
Junior quarterback Adam Froman, who was making his third career start, had his most productive game as a Cardinal. The 6-4 junior was a one-man wrecking crew. He completed a career-high 24-of-31 passes for a career-best 295 yards and a score. Froman started the game missing on his first two attempts, but went on to complete 16 straight passes before throwing an interception to halt the streak. The last time a U of L player completed that many consecutive passes was in 1998, when Chris Redman completed 17 straight against Tulane. In his first three starts, Froman is averaging 236.3 yards through the air and owns an efficiency rating of 133.51, which ranks in the top 50 in the nation. He is also averaging 251.67 yards of total offense, which would place him 32nd in the nation. However, Froman's numbers are skewed because he played on special teams in the loss to Utah, which effects his per game numbers.

Cardinals Conduct Remarkable Drive
The Cardinals had one of the nation's longest drives in the loss to Connecticut on Saturday. Trailing 7-0 in the second quarter, the Cardinals evened the score with a 19-play, 80-yard drive that took 9:21 off the clock. On that drive, the Cardinals converted 4-of-5 on third down, but did tie the score on a fourth and-goal play. Quarterback Adam Froman was a perfect 6-for-6 for 42 yards and accounted for 56 of the 80-yard drive. The 19-play drive was the longest since Louisville had a 17-play drive against Syracuse last season. In terms of time, it was the longest drive since a 9:45 drive versus NC State in 2007.

Powell Carries the Load with Anderson Hurting
Junior Bilal Powell rose to the occasion in the loss to Connecticut. Playing for Victor Anderson, who was slowed with a leg injury, Powell carried a career-high 29 times for 87 times and a career-best two touchdowns. Powell scored on runs of one and three yards. He also caught three passes for 15 yards. Powell is second on the team with 81 carries for 275 yards and four touchdowns.

Long and Froman Have a Nice Connection
In the summer, quarterback Adam Froman and wide receiver Scott Long developed a special bond with one another. So far, that chemistry has worked pretty well. Since being inserted as the starter in the last three games, Froman has completed 13 passes for 250 yards to Long, which is an average of 19.3 yards per completion. Froman and Long hooked up for the third-longest pass play in school history when the two combined for a 92-yard touchdown reception that gave the Cardinals a 20-16 lead in the third quarter against Southern Mississippi. Long is the team's top receiver with 28 receptions for 468 yards and one score.

Cards Near Bottom Again in Turnover Margin
If the Cardinals are going to end their two-year streak of not going to a bowl game, they have to cut down on turning the football over, and in 2009, they aren't off to a good start. The Cardinals ranked 110th in the nation in turnovers last season with a -1.00 average per game and our currently ranked 90th in the same category at -.50 per game. Through six games, the Cardinals have already turned the football over 13 times, including four last Saturday versus Connecticut. The Cardinals 13 turnovers have cost them 58 points this season, including 24 versus Connecticut.

Mix-and-Match in the Secondary
The defensive secondary has been in a mix-and match situation for the coaching staff this season. The Cardinals have had six different combinations starting in the defensive secondary. Louisville has started four different cornerbacks alongside side of junior Johnny Patrick, who has started all six games. The Cardinals have also had five different starting combinations at safety after safety Terence Simien went down for the entire season.

Demspey Records Career-High Against Connecticut
Senior linebacker Jon Dempsey is having a stellar senior season at linebacker for the Cardinals. The 6-0 senior recorded a career-high 16 tackles and 0.5 sacks in the loss at Connecticut. It marked the fourth time in six games and the fifth time in 18 contests that Dempsey has recorded 10 or more tackles in a game. His 16 tackles bested his previous-high of 14 against Utah earlier this season. Dempsey leads the team with 64 tackles (had 80 all of last year) and ranks 14th nationally in stops. He is also second in the BIG EAST in tackles at 10.67 per game.

Campa Bests 2008 Total Already
Senior Chris Campa has already surpassed his 2008 tackle total in the first six games of the 2009 season. Campa, who has been in the starting lineup due to the injuries at linebacker, is second on the team in tackles with 46. He recorded nine stops versus Connecticut and has had at least seven or more tackles in five of the six games this season. Campa recorded 37 tackles in 11 games last year.

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