Louisville Cardinals vs West Virginia Mountaineers Preview

The Louisville Cardinals might be limping into Morgantown, W. Va., for their latest conference clash, but the opponent they'll face is wounded in its own profound way.

When Coach Steve Kragthorpe brings his UL lineup to Mountaineer Field for a date with West Virginia on Saturday afternoon, he'll need to emphasize the importance and primacy of mental toughness. On paper, Louisville can't match up with the speed and talent of West Virginia. Running back Noel Devine, quarterback Jarrett Brown, and receiver Jock Sanders are specimens the Cardinals simply can't counter with equally athletic performers. If this game turns into a track meet or a competition based on NFL readiness, there's no question that the Mountaineers will mash their guests from the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The only chance for UL lies in its ability to emotionally ambush West Virginia.

Coach Bill Stewart's WVU crew is coming off a dispiriting 30-19 loss at South Florida, a setback which has severely reduced the team's chances of winning the Big East championship and returning to a BCS bowl. West Virginia has to win the remainder of its games, including a pair of showdowns against conference leaders Cincinnati and Pitt. This Saturday, as the Mountaineers take the field, there's a very real possibility that the South Florida loss could hijack their sense of confidence. Moreover, with the Cincinnati game a week away, it's just as realistic to envision a scenario in which West Virginia looks ahead and plays a distracted brand of ball in a sleepy-time noon start.

The calculus is clear-cut: The more one looks at the physical comparisons involved in this matchup, the more one favors West Virginia, but the more one examines the mental worlds being inhabited by these two teams, the more one has to like the outlook for Louisville, a team that's fought through so many injuries and hasn't given up the ship under the persistent and impassioned direction of Mr. Kragthorpe.

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If Louisville can catch a few early breaks and parlay them into touchdowns, watch out. West Virginia is talented enough to hang with many teams, but the Mountaineers have a well-established reputation for playing down to the level of their competition and being very inconsistent, particularly with respect to their ball security. If Jarrett Brown commits a handful of turnovers, much as he did in a September loss at Auburn, Louisville has a fighting chance in this throwdown. The Cards, by throwing the first few punches and making the Mountaineers doubt themselves, can radically reshape the contours of this contest. Mental toughness won't always trump pure talent, but if the favored team lets down its guard this Saturday, the lads from Louisville need to take advantage.

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer