Kragthorpe Previews Saturday's BIG EAST Opener Against Syracuse
September 17, 2007 | Football
Sept. 17, 2007
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville football head coach Steve Kragthorpe, senior linebacker Malik Jackson and junior defensive tackle Earl Heyman met with members of the media on Monday to preview this week's BIG EAST opener against Syracuse. The Cards and Orange will meet on Saturday at noon ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in the BIG EAST Conference opener for both schools and the game will be televised by ESPN Regional and WHAS-TV in Louisville.
The Cardinals are coming off their first loss of the season, a 40-34 heartbreaker to Kentucky at Commonwealth Stadium. Leading 34-33 in the final minute, Andre Woodson hit Steve Johnson with a 57-yard touchdown pass to end the Cardinals' six-game winning streak. Senior wide receiver Harry Douglas set the school record with 223 yards receiving on a career-high 13 catches, while Brian Brohm threw for 366 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Syracuse (0-3) dropped a 41-20 decision at home to Illinois to drop to 0-3 on the season and 0-2 at home.
The Series - U of L and Syracuse
Louisville and Syracuse will meet for the seventh time in school history with the series tied at 3-3. The Cardinals have won the last three meetings, including the last two as members of the BIG EAST Conference. Louisville defeated the Orange, 28-13, in the Carrier Dome last year behind 165 yards from Kolby Smith. The Cardinals also handed the Orange a 41-17 defeat in their first visit to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in 2005. The Cardinals also won in the Carrier Dome in 2003 -- 30-20. The series began in 1985 with a 48-0 win by Syracuse in the Dome.
Cards in BIG EAST Openers
The Cardinals open their third season in BIG EAST competition as Louisville hosts Syracuse this Saturday at Noon. The Cardinals, who won the BIG EAST in just their second season a year ago, are 1-1 all-time in BIG EAST opening games. Last season, the Cardinals held off Cincinnati, 23-17, at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. In 2005, Louisville was hammered, 45-14, against South Florida at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Cards Enter Syracuse Game Ranked 18th, 19th in National Polls
Following last week's loss at Kentucky, U of L dropped nine spots to 18th in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and down 10 spots to 19th in the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Louisville-N.C. State Game Set for 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU
The Cards' game at North Carolina State on Sept. 29 is set to kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., and the game will be televised nationally by ESPNU.
GAME FACTS - No. 18 Louisville (2-1) vs. Syracuse (0-3)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 22
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Site: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium (42,000), Louisville, Ky.
TV: ESPN Regional and WHAS-TV will televise the game.
Radio: Paul Rogers and Craig Swabek will call all the action and Doug Ormay will report from the sidelines on WHAS 840 AM
Also: SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Ch. 119
Polls: Louisville is ranked 18th in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll 19th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Syracuse is not ranked in this week's national polls.
Coaches: Louisville's Steve Kragthorpe (31-22 in four seasons as head coach; 2-1 at Louisville); Syracuse's Greg Robinson (5-21 in third season at SU).
Series Info: The series is tied at 3-3 overall and is tied at 1-1 in Louisville. The Cards have won the last three in the series, including a 28-17 win at Syracuse in 2006 and a 41-17 win at home in 2005.
Quick Hits: Louisville will look to extend their home winning streak to 21 games -- the second-longest in the nation behind USC's 34-game streak... The Cardinals enter the game as the top offensive team in the country, averaging 617.0 yards of total offense per game... Senior wide receiver Harry Douglas set a school record versus Kentucky with 223 yards receiving on 13 catches... Senior quarterback Brian Brohm tossed his sixth straight 300-yard game in the loss to Kentucky. He has thrown for 1,142 yards and 11 touchdowns in the first three games.
