Louisville looks for improvement in ’08
By JIM BUTTA, jbutta@newsandsentinel.comLOUISVILLE, Ky.-The 2007 season was certainly not what first-year head coach Steve Kragthorpe expected when he took over the University of Louisville football program.
Year two, however, doesn't appear to be any better. Especially with only five starters returning on offense and none of those being leading passer Brian Brohm, leading rusher Anthony Allen or leading receivers Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia.
The good news for the former Tulsa head coach is the return of eight starters on defense.
What follows is a position-by-position breakdown of WVU's 10th opponent of the 2008 season:
Quarterback: Good news for Mountaineer fans-Brian Brohm is gone.
That doesn't mean, however, that the gold and blue secondary will be untested when the two teams collide at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22.
Senior Hunter Cantwell (6-4, 236) returns.
Despite un-Brohm-like numbers (2-of-2, 19 yards) in 2007, Cantwell has shown the ability in the past to win big games. He is also being projected as one of the top signal-callers in the Big East.
Top backups are sophomore Tyler Wolfe and redshirt freshman Matt Simms.
Wide Receivers: Mountaineer defensive backs won't have to contend with the speed of Harry Douglas or the leaping ability of Mario Urrutia as both elected to move on to the professional ranks in 2008.
Again, that doesn't mean WVU's secondary will have a light day's work when they take on the Cardinals as junior Scott Long (6-2, 211) returns and will be looking to improve on his '07 numbers, which include 27 catches and 358 yards.
Depth may also be a very big problem with only junior Trent Guy (11-177) returning with any measurable playing time. Look for junior JaJuan Spillman (9-64), sophomore Doug Beaumont and redshirt freshman Josh Chichester to fill the depth chart.
Running back: Senior Brock Bolen is the top returning player after he rushed for 456 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns in '07.
Senior George Stripling and sophomore Bilal Powell provide the most experience, but overall the unit lacks a marquee-type of running back that will put fear in opposing team's defenses and help keep pass rushers from teeing off on Cantwell.
Tight end: Unanimous first-team Big East tight end Gary Barnidge (54-655, 7 TDs), as well as top backup Scott Kuhn, is gone. The Cardinals look for sophomore Pete Nochta, junior Johnie Burns and redshirt freshman Zack Meagher to battle it out for the starting job when the team reports in August.
Offensive line: Three returning starters give hope that the Cardinal offense won't be completely inept in 2008.
Senior Eric Wood (6-4, 309) was the All-Big East first team choice at center while senior George Bussey (6-2, 306) was a second-team selection.
The final returnee is junior Brian Roche (6-5, 303) and Abdul Kuyateh (6-2, 296) have both made starts and will compete for the starting job on Wood's left side.
Sophomores Mark Wetterer (6-5, 315) and Josh Byrom (6-5, 289) are in the running for the starting right guard slot.
Defensive line: A number of veterans return here, but the unit gave up nearly 2,000 yards on the ground a year ago so a lot of improvement still must occur for the Cardinals to return to the top of the Big East.
Five players from last year's rotation are back including senior Maurice Mitchell (6-3, 272), junior L.D. Scott (6-2, 268) and sophomore Rodney Gnat (6-3, 243). All are in the hunt for defensive end jobs.
Seniors Earl Heyman (6-3, 285) and Adrian Grady (6-2, 305) return at the tackle slots with sophomore Aundre Henderson and junior J.T. Walker waiting in the wings.
Linebackers: No starters return in this unit.
Miami transfer James Bryant (6-3, 257, Sr.) is the leading candidate at middle linebacker while junior Stephen Garr and redshirt freshman Patrick Grant should see plenty of reps at the strongside position.
Another sophomore, Brandon Heath, and junior Darius Mann compete at the weakside spot.
Secondary: Three regulars return, potentially setting the stage for a dramatic improvement from last year.
Senior Woodny Turenne (6-1, 190) made 40 tackles at cornerback and appears to have one of the spots secured. Sophomore Johnny Patrick and senior Travis Norton are in the mix for the other cornerback spot.
Senior Bobby Buchanan (5-11, 185) returns at strong safety and senior Richard Raglin (6-2, 195) is back at free safety.
Special teams: The Cardinals must replace Art Carmody at place kicker. That may prove to be a very daunting task when one realizes the mark Carmody made while kicking at Louisville.
Sophomore Tim Dougherty, a Purdue transfer, is the leading candidate for the vacated job. Junior Cory Goettsche returns as the punter.
2008 Outlook: A lot hinges on the impact former-Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English can have in his short tenure with the Cardinals and on where or not Cantwell can return to the form he displayed as a sophomore.
Next up: The Panthers from the University of Pittsburgh
