Louisville Cardinals vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles Preview

At this point in time, the Louisville Cardinals are no longer playing for Steve Kragthorpe. For the rest of the 2009 season, the young men representing "The Ville" have to play for themselves and their future.

After a string of hard-to-take losses, Kragthorpe--the third-year coach at the Commonwealth of Kentucky's Big East institution--simply can't expect much of a future in this part of the country... or in the college game, for that matter. An NFL position coach slot might be the next stop in a career that, following its highly-successful turn at Tulsa, figured to maintain a high level of excellence in Louisville, but has simply not panned out. UL's athletic director, Tom Jurich, will be hard-pressed to withstand the angry masses who are demanding Kragthorpe's head. The fact that Jurich stood by his selection of Kragthorpe means he'll have to cut bait sooner rather than later. Last Friday's game against Pittsburgh was acknowledged as a must-win throughout the program, so as the Cards prepare for Southern Mississippi this Saturday at Papa John's Stadium, the notion of a "must-win" label frankly loses some of its stick. The Cardinals can't even think about winning. They need to simply devote attention to the dozens of snaps that go into a ballgame.

Think of the reason for UL's struggles, and a lack of focus surges to the top of the list. Personal foul penalties, breakdowns in a secondary populated by juniors and seniors, and other manifest lapses in concentration are dogging the Cards more than anything else. The desire to win, however noble or sincere, is sabotaging this team's immediate level of attentiveness. It's as though Louisville wants to gain everything all at once instead of building a foundation of dominance, one play at a time. Brick-by-brick consistency is the name of any sport, and so far, the Cards haven't been patient or disciplined enough to want to pay the price.

Southern Miss enters town after suffering its own nasty setback, a 30-17 shocker at the hands of Alabama-Birmingham. The Golden Eagles, under coach Larry Fedora, have lost two games in a row and have forfeited any measure of momentum they might have enjoyed after their 3-0 start. What's worse, Southern Miss--who lost to UAB without star running back Damion Fletcher and big-play receiver Andre Brown--lost starting quarterback Austin Davis for the season in the fourth quarter of the UAB game. The Golden Eagles are now firmly behind East Carolina in the Eastern Division of Conference USA; yet they must press on in 2009 despite the many injuries they've suffered at the skill positions. This might be a non-conference game for USM, but Fedora's folks know they have to get back on the beam and adjust to their limitations before returning to conference play.

There's no magic bullet for Louisville in this contest. The Cards simply have to give themselves a chance to win before winning itself can emerge in full view as a realistic possibility. After 60 minutes of full-tilt effort and laser-sharp attention to detail, perhaps Kragthorpe's crew--playing for each other and not for anyone outside the program's inner circle--might have something to show for the trouble it's currently experiencing.

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By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer