2007 Louisville Cardinals football team

2007 Louisville Cardinals football
Conference	Big East Conference
Record	6–6 (3–4 Big East)
Head coach	Steve Kragthorpe (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Charlie Stubbs (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Mike Cassity (4th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium
Seasons ←  2006 2008  →

2007 Big East Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 6 West Virginia $+		5	–	2					11	–	2
Connecticut +		5	–	2					9	–	4
No. 17 Cincinnati		4	–	3					10	–	3
South Florida		4	–	3					9	–	4
Rutgers		3	–	4					8	–	5
Louisville		3	–	4					6	–	6
Pittsburgh		3	–	4					5	–	7
Syracuse		1	–	6					2	–	10
$ – BCS representative as conference champion + – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 2007 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team, led by Steve Kragthorpe in his first year at the school, played their home games in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and were in their third year in the Big East Conference. With the stunning upsets, the team has missed a bowl game for the first time in a decade (since 1997).

Pre-season

The Cardinals finished the 2006 season with a 12–1 record, including a win in the Orange Bowl. After the win, they were ranked fifth in the nation. Returning fourteen starters from their 2006 team, ^[1] including quarterback Brian Brohm ^[2] the team was picked, by the Big East media, to finish second in the conference, ^[3] and were ranked between five and 13 in various preseason polls. ^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

Coaching changes

Almost a week after their victory in the Orange Bowl, head coach, Bobby Petrino, was offered and took the head coaching position with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. ^[9] Two days later, Steve Kragthorpe, former head coach for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, was hired for the position. ^[10] Though five assistant coaches were retained, five new assistants were hired in the off-season, three of which came with Kragthorpe from his staff at Tulsa. ^[11]

Roster changes

Although returning 14 starters from 2006, the team lost four players to the 2007 NFL draft. From the offense, running back Michael Bush was taken in the fourth round by Oakland and running back Kolby Smith was taken in the fifth round by Kansas City. From the defense, tackle Amobi Okoye was taken tenth by Houston while cornerback, William Gay was taken in the fifth round by Pittsburgh. ^[12]

Recruiting

The Cardinals signed 15 recruits for the new class, including three junior-college transfers. Included in the top-50 class were one five-star recruit on defense, three four-star recruits on offense and another four-star recruit on defense. Also entering in with the class was 2006 recruit Josh Chichester, who wasn't able to enroll with his recruiting class.

US college sports recruiting information for 2007 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Victor Anderson RB	Louisville, KY	St. Xavier HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	4.44	Jan 28, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 74
Doug Beaumont WR	Louisville, KY	Male HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	4.45	Sep 17, 2006
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 78
Michael Fennerty TE	Olympia, WA	Olympia HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	4.86	Feb 24, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 40
Patrick Grant DE	Lauderdale Lakes, FL	Boyd H. Anderson HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	218 lb (99 kg)	4.6	Feb 7, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 74
Zach Kiernan OT	Newport, KY	Newport Central Catholic HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	242 lb (110 kg)	NA	Oct 10, 2006
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 40
Dale Martin RB	Bolingbrook, IL	Bolingbrook HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.5	Jan 6, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 77
Josh Miller WR	Palatka, FL	Palatka HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	182 lb (83 kg)	4.5	Jan 25, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 40
C.J. Peake S	Trotwood, OH	Trotwood-Madison HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	212 lb (96 kg)	4.55	Jan 26, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 76
Bilal Powell S	Lakeland, FL	Lake Gibson Senior HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	4.5	Jan 24, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 40
Matt Simms QB	Ramsey, NJ	Don Bosco Prep School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	4.8	Jan 29, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 70
Chaz Thompson CB	Weed, CA	College of the Siskiyous	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.35	Jan 21, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: NA
Greg Tomczyk OT	Princeton, NJ	The Hun School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	4.88	Jan 17, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 60
Woodny Turenne DB	Visalia, CA	College of the Sequoias	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.34	Jan 25, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: NA
Mark Wetterer OG	Cincinnati, OH	Anderson HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	292 lb (132 kg)	5.3	Dec 2, 2006
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: 74
Willie Williams LB	Culver City, CA	West Los Angeles	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	232 lb (105 kg)	NA	Jan 25, 2007
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:     Rivals:     247Sports: N/A   ESPN grade: NA
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #47   Rivals: #41
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Louisville Commit List 2007". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 14, 2007. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Louisville". Scout.com. Retrieved August 14, 2007. "2007 Player Commitments – Louisville". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 14, 2007. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 14, 2007. "2007 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 14, 2007.

Pre-season honors

Three Cardinal players were honored as part of pre-season watchlists for national awards.

• Brian Brohm – Manning Award and Maxwell Award ^[13]
• Adrian Grady – Bronko Nagurski Trophy ^[14]
• Eric Wood – Outland Trophy ^[14]

In addition to the honors, Brohm was also named to the Playboy pre-season All-America team. ^[15]

Season

Roster

Wide receivers  3 Trent Guy – Sophomore  4 Patrick Carter – Senior  7 Mario Urrutia – Junior  9 Chris Vaughn – Junior 21 Troy Pascley – Freshman 25 Josh Miller – Freshman 26 JaJuan Spillman – Sophomore 27 Doug Beaumont – Freshman 83 Steve Orndorff – Freshman 83 Andrew Robinson – Sophomore 84 Scott Long – Sophomore 85 Harry Douglas – Senior 87 Corey Thompson – Junior 89 Josh Chichester – Freshman Centers 62 Nick Borgelt – Junior 77 Eric Wood – Junior Offensive guards 63 Danny Barlowe – Senior 66 Mike Donoghue – Sophomore 69 Marcel Benson – Senior 70 Conrad Thomas – Freshman 71 Abdul Kuyateh – Junior 79 Mark Wetterer – Freshman Offensive tackles 51 Ryan Kessling – Freshman 55 Greg Tomczyk – Freshman 65 Josh Byrom – Sophomore 68 George Bussey – Junior 72 Brian Roche – Sophomore 74 Jeffrey Adams – Freshman 75 Zach Taylor – Freshman 76 Hector Hernandez – Freshman 78 Breno Giacomini – Senior Tight ends 49 Pete Nochta – Freshman 80 Mike Fennerty – Freshman 81 Scott Kuhn – Senior 82 Gary Barnidge – Senior 86 Zach Meagher – Freshman Quarterbacks  5 Matt Simms – Freshman 12 Brian Brohm – Senior 14 Hunter Cantwell – Junior 15 Bill Ashburn – Junior 17 Tyler Wolfe – Freshman 18 Caleb Newton – Freshman Tailbacks 20 Victor Anderson – Freshman 24 George Stripling – Junior 28 Sergio Spencer – Junior 30 Dale Martin – Freshman 42 Anthony Allen – Sophomore 45 Blayne Donnell – Freshman Fullbacks 32 Brock Bolen – Junior 48 Joe Tronzo – Sophomore Defensive ends  8 Deantwan Whitehead – Sophomore 56 Michael Adams – Sophomore 58 Rodney Gnat – Freshman 73 Zach Kiernan – Freshman 88 Brandon Cox – Senior 90 Johnnie Burns – Junior 95 Maurice Mitchell – Junior Defensive tackles 52 Elisee Pompilius – Junior 91 L.T. Walker – Freshman 92 Willie Williams – Senior 93 LD Scott – Sophomore 94 Adrian Grady – Junior 97 Aundre Henderson – Freshman 99 Earl Heyman – Junior Cornerbacks  4 Travis Norton – Junior  9 Woodney Turenne – Junior 14 Rod Council – Junior 15 Chaz Thompson – Junior 19 Johnny Patrick – Freshman 22 James Wyatt – Freshman 34 Bobby Buchanan – Junior 37 Marcus Folmar – Junior 39 Marcell Lesueur – Freshman 44 Maurice Urrutia – Freshman Linebackers  6 Preston Smith – Senior  7 Willie A. Williams – Junior 11 Malik Jackson – Senior 29 Lamar Myles – Junior 31 Darius Mann – Sophomore 41 Eugene Sowell – Freshman 46 Terrance Butler – Senior 50 Josh McDonald – Sophomore 54 James Bryant – Junior 54 Rashad Roberts – Sophomore 55 Chase Floyd – Junior 57 Mozell Axson – Junior 96 Patrick Grant – Freshman Safeties  2 Richard Raglin – Junior  5 Brandon Heath – Freshman 10 Latarrius Thomas – Sophomore 13 Jon Russell – Senior 21 C.J. Peake – Freshman 23 Stephen Garr – Sophomore 24 Scedric Moss – Freshman 26 Daniel Covington – Sophomore 32 Bilal Powell – Freshman 38 Deon Palmer – Senior Long snappers 40 Dane Mattingly – Sophomore Punters 29 Cory Goettsche – Sophomore Place kickers 15 Mac Soult – Freshman 18 Art Carmody – Senior 36 Todd Flannery – Senior 43 Justin Waltrip – Freshman 44 Paul Belshoff – Freshman 64 Steve Hartman – Freshman Sources: http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/lou/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/07-fb-guide-44-59 http://louisville.scout.com/a.z?s=17&p=8&c=2&nid=696&yr=2007

Coaching staff

The 2007 Cardinal team was coached by Steve Kragthorpe and his staff. Much of the coaching staff from 2006 remained, but Kragthorpe brought in other to fill out the staff, including, initially, three from his previous position. ^{[11] [16]} Keith Patterson was originally brought in from Tulsa as defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach, however returned to Tulsa before the season began for personal reasons. ^[17] Patterson was quickly replaced by Mike Mallory. ^[18]

Name	Position	Year at Louisville	Alma Mater (Year)
Steve Kragthorpe	Head coach	1st	West Texas A&M (1988)
Jeff Brohm	Quarterbacks	5th	Louisville (1993)
Mike Cassity	Defensive coordinator Safeties	4th	Kentucky (1976)
Reggie Johnson	Inside linebackers	5th	Louisville (1996)
Mark Nelson	Defensive line Special teams	1st	East Central (1980)
Greg Nord	Tight ends Recruiting coordinator	13th	Kentucky (1980)
Charlie Stubbs	Offensive coordinator Wide receivers	1st	Brigham Young (1978)
Brent Myers	Offensive line	1st	Eastern Washington (1982)
Tony Alford	Running backs	1st	Colorado State (1992)
Mike Mallory	Secondary	1st	Michigan (1985)

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 30	7:30 pm	Murray State *	No. 10	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	ESPNU	W 73–10	42,185 [19]
September 6	7:00 pm	Middle Tennessee *	No. 8	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	ESPN2	W 58–42	40,882 [19]
September 15	7:30 pm	at Kentucky *	No. 9	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (Governor's Cup)	ESPN Classic	L 34–40	70,857 [19]
September 22	12:00 pm	Syracuse	No. 18	Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	ESPN+	L 35–38	40,922 [19]
September 29	3:30 pm	at NC State *		Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC	ESPNU	W 29–10	56,487 [19]
October 5	8:00 pm	Utah *		Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	ESPN	L 35–44	40,894 [19]
October 13	7:00 pm	at No. 17 Cincinnati		Nippert Stadium Cincinnati, OH (The Keg of Nails)	ESPNU	W 28–24	35,097 [19]
October 19	8:00 pm	at Connecticut		Rentschler Field East Hartford, CT	ESPN	L 17–21	40,000 [19]
October 27	12:00 pm	Pittsburgh		Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	ESPN+	W 24–17	34,792 [19]
November 8	7:30 pm	at No. 6 West Virginia		Mountaineer Field Morgantown, WV	ESPN	L 31–38	60,992 [19]
November 17	8:00 pm	at South Florida		Raymond James Stadium Tampa, FL	ESPNU	L 17–55	57,288 [19]
November 29	7:30 pm	Rutgers		Papa John's Cardinal Stadium Louisville, KY	ESPN	W 41–38	39,612 [19]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

References

1. "2007 Louisville Cardinals Football Preview". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2007.
2. "Louisville quarterback Brohm to return for senior season". Archived from the original on January 18, 2007. Retrieved January 16, 2007.
3. "Cards Picked to Finish Second in BIG EAST in 2007". Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
4. "No. 13: Loaded Cardinals welcome Kragthorpe". athlonsports. Archived from the original on May 19, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2007.
5. "SI.com – Writers – Stewart Mandel: Spring Power Rankings". SI.com. April 24, 2007. Archived from the original on April 27, 2007. Retrieved April 24, 2007.
6. "Schlabach: Revised early look at the top 25 for 2007". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 23, 2007.
7. "Rivals.com College Football – Rivals.com 2007 Preseason Top 25". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on January 16, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2007.
8. "Spring Top 25: Dear Mr. Dellins – your Bruins are here". Sportsline.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2007. Retrieved March 26, 2007.
9. "Falcons lure Louisville's Petrino to NFL with five-year deal". USA Today. January 8, 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
10. "Louisville, Tulsa's Kragthorpe have agreement" . Retrieved August 8, 2007.
11. "Kragthorpe Announces Cardinal Coaching Staff". Archived from the original on January 16, 2007. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
12. "Four Cardinals Selected in the NFL Draft". Archived from the original on August 18, 2007. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
13. "Brohm Named to Manning Watch List". Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
14. "Wood and Grady Named to Preseason Watch Lists". Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
15. "Brohm Named to Preseason All-American Team". Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2007.
16. "Alford Named as Kragthorpe Completes Coaching Staff". Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
17. "Patterson Leaves Louisville; Returns to Tulsa". Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
18. "Mallory Hired to Coach the Secondary". Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2007.
19. "Cumulative Season Statistics". University of Louisville. Retrieved October 18, 2011.