University of Louisville
CONNECTICUT<br>(CAF Day)
No. 6 Cardinals Dominate Huskies, 48-17
December 02, 2006 | Football
Dec. 2, 2006
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -Bobby Petrino doesn't know if lobbying for a spot in the Bowl Championship Series will help Louisville's chances of securing one of the coveted - not to mention lucrative - bowl berths.
The way Petrino looks at it, the sixth-ranked Cardinals' actions during their 48-17 win over Connecticut speaks louder than any words their soft-spoken coach could muster.
"We went out on the field and played as well as we could," Petrino said. "We certainly feel like we deserve to be there."
The Cardinals (11-1, 6-1 Big East) played like it against the overmatched Huskies (4-8, 1-6). Brian Brohm threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns as Louisville clinched at least a share of the Big East championship. Harry Douglas caught five passes for 149 yards and two scores and Anthony Allen added two touchdowns on the ground as Louisville took control early and made quick work of Connecticut.
But Louisville's school-record 11th regular season win might not be enough to secure the Cardinals a spot in the BCS. The Cardinals need No. 15 West Virginia to beat No. 13 Rutgers on Saturday night to win the conference title outright, an automatic berth into the BCS and a likely trip to the Orange Bowl on Jan. 3.
If the Scarlet Knights beat the Mountaineers, they would win the Big East courtesy of their 28-25 win over the Cardinals on Nov. 9, leaving Louisville hoping for one of the four at-large berths into the BCS.
"I think we're definitely BCS-worthy, but there's only so many spots," said Brohm, who announced after the game that he will return for his senior year. "If we don't get one of those spots, we'll take whatever we get. We'll have to pull together."
Just in case the Cardinals needed style points, Brohm provided plenty. He was nearly flawless, completing 20 of 28 passes and leading the Cardinals to scores on all but two drives before exiting following his final touchdown pass, a 32-yard strike to Gary Barnidge midway through the fourth quarter.
As Barnidge celebrated the score, a fan threw an orange onto the field as the Papa John's Stadium crowd roared.
"We've done a great job all year, adversity we've been able to overcome it," Brohm said. "Right now, we're playing great football. I think we're peaking."
The victory extended Louisville's home winning streak to 18 straight, the second-longest in the country, and it looked a lot like the 17 that came before it. The Cardinals rolled up 570 yards of offense, only punted once and never really let the Huskies into the game.
"Our whole offense the last couple of games is going like we were playing early in the year," Douglas said. "We're really coming on."
Donald Brown ran for 122 yards for Connecticut, but the Huskies simply didn't have the firepower to keep up. Quarterback Matt Bonislawski completed just 7 of 19 passes for 89 yards with one interception.
"Things happened today, it was things that took place all season long," said Connecticut coach Randy Edsall. "I don't think we played our best, but I think Louisville had a lot to do with that."
Brohm's legs proved to be nearly as valuable as his arm in the early going. He ran for 21 yards on the game's first play to start a drive that ended with a 1-yard touchdown run by Allen. A botched punt return by JaJuan Spillman allowed the Huskies to pull within 7-3 on a 21-yard field goal by Tony Ciaravino, but it would be the closest Connecticut would get.
Brohm hit Douglas for a beautiful 67-yard touchdown in the second quarter to put the Cardinals up 17-3. After a 47-yard run by Jones set up a touchdown plunge by Lou Allen allowed the Huskies to make it 17-10, Douglas and Brohm hooked up again, this time from 25 yards out. Art Carmody added his third field goal of the day shortly before half to put the Cardinals up 27-10 at the break.
It was more of the same in the third quarter, as Louisville converted two fourth downs on its first drive of the second half, a drive Brohm capped with a 5 yard toss to Brock Bolen.
Barnidge's 32-yard catch and run in the fourth erased any doubt of Louisville's dominance, though the crowd appealed for more even after Brohm made his way to the sidelines, booing when the Cardinals ran the ball in the final minutes to run out the clock.
Petrino has spent the last four years at Louisville trying to build the kind of program that holds up to BCS scrutiny. And while he admitted he'd be upset if the Cardinals are shut out of the BCS, he pointed out the Cardinals had their chances early in the season. Louisville led Rutgers by 18 before letting things slip away.
"It probably wouldn't be very fair, but there are a lot of things in life that aren't fair," Petrino said. "Unfortunately it's not only just the best teams. There is some tradition that plays into it. One team gets a little bit of favoritism, I guess ... We missed on the national championship opportunity, but we hope a BCS bowl is out there for us."
