Kragthorpe Previews Friday's BIG EAST Opener against UConn
September 22, 2008 | Football
Sept. 22, 2008
- Gameday Central
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville football head coach Steve Kragthorpe, senior quarterback Hunter Cantwell and senior defensive tackle Earl Heyman met with members of the media on Monday to review last week's win over Kansas State and preview this week's game against Connecticut. The Cards and Huskies will meet on Friday, at 8 p.m. ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in Louisville in the BIG EAST opener for both teams and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
The Cardinals moved to 2-1 on the season with an impressive 38-29 win over Kansas State on Sept. 17. Redshirt freshman Victor Anderson was impressive in just his third career game, rushing for 176 yards and three touchdowns, as the Cardinals rushed for 303 yards and held the ball for more than 40 minutes. Cantwell was efficient going 22-for-33 for 274 yards and a pair of scores. After falling behind, 7-0, the Cardinals scored 20 unanswered points.
Cantwell hit redshirt freshman Josh Chichester from 18 yards for the first score and Anderson scored from 29 yards out. Cantwell then hit sophomore Troy Pascley with a 13-yarder early in the third quarter for a 20-7 advantage. The Louisville defense once again stiffened when it had to for the third straight game. Despite yielding a season-high 313 yards through the air, the Cardinals received two interceptions from senior Woodny Turenne and also limited the Wildcats to just 30 yards on the ground.
Connecticut ran its record to 4-0 with a 31-28 win over Baylor on Friday night. The Cardinals have their hands full with Donald Brown, the nation's leading rusher.
The Series - U of L and Connecticut
Friday night's matchup will be the fifth meeting all-time between the two schools. Louisville holds a 3-1 advantage overall in a series that dates back to the 2000 season. The Cardinals won the first three meetings against Connecticut, winning 41-22 in 2000; 30-20 in 2005; and 48-17 in 2006. Connecticut took last year's game, 21-17 at Connecticut. The Cardinals are 2-0 all-time against UConn at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
GAME FACTS - Louisville (2-1, 0-0) vs. Connecticut (4-0, 0-0)
Date: Friday, Sept. 26
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Site: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium (42,000), Louisville, Ky.
TV: ESPN2 will televise the game with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Brock Huard (analyst) and Rob Stone (sideline)
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. 126
Rankings: Neither team is ranked in this week's major college football polls.
Coaches: Louisville's Steve Kragthorpe is 37-29 in six seasons as a head coach and 8-7 in his second year at Louisville, while Randy Edsall is 54-55 in his 10th year at Connecticut.
