Best case/Worst case rewind: Louisville
December, 21, 2009
12/21/09
8:57
AM ET
By
Brian Bennett | ESPN.com
Original post is here.
Best case in a nutshell: 8-4 and St. Petersburg Bowl
Worst case in a nutshell: 2-10
Reality: 4-8
That's just crazy talk: "The Cardinals' offense starts to hum along like the old days, with Victor Anderson leading the Big East in rushing and quarterbacks Justin Burke and Adam Froman guiding the team down the field with a short but precise passing game. ... [Steve] Kragthorpe's popularity soars and season tickets for the expanded stadium in 2010 become a hot commodity."
Not too far off: "Kragthorpe still doesn't have enough talent or depth to get the ship turned around. The offensive line is a mess and the quarterbacks can't stretch the field with deep throws ..."
What really happened: The Cardinals stayed in many games and at least had chances to win while on the road against Kentucky, Utah, West Virginia and Connecticut. But they could never get the offense going with any consistency -- ranking last in the Big East in scoring -- and were especially bad in the red zone. The lack of top-line talent across the board was evident and impossible to overcome, and Kragthorpe was fired at season's end. A 4-8 record was right about in line with what this team should have reasonably expected in 2009.
Best case in a nutshell: 8-4 and St. Petersburg Bowl
Worst case in a nutshell: 2-10
Reality: 4-8
That's just crazy talk: "The Cardinals' offense starts to hum along like the old days, with Victor Anderson leading the Big East in rushing and quarterbacks Justin Burke and Adam Froman guiding the team down the field with a short but precise passing game. ... [Steve] Kragthorpe's popularity soars and season tickets for the expanded stadium in 2010 become a hot commodity."
Not too far off: "Kragthorpe still doesn't have enough talent or depth to get the ship turned around. The offensive line is a mess and the quarterbacks can't stretch the field with deep throws ..."
What really happened: The Cardinals stayed in many games and at least had chances to win while on the road against Kentucky, Utah, West Virginia and Connecticut. But they could never get the offense going with any consistency -- ranking last in the Big East in scoring -- and were especially bad in the red zone. The lack of top-line talent across the board was evident and impossible to overcome, and Kragthorpe was fired at season's end. A 4-8 record was right about in line with what this team should have reasonably expected in 2009.
Brian Bennett | email
College Football- ESPN.com Big Ten blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008
- Wrote for The Courier-Journal
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Andrea Adelson
Adelson joined ESPN.com in 2010 after spending time as a college football columnist at The Orlando Sentinel. She has covered college football since her days as a University of Florida student, and lives in Orlando, Fla.
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