Football Cardinals Begin Practice on Aug. 6
July 31, 2009 | Football
July 31, 2009
LOUISVILLE - - The 2009 University of Louisville football season officially gets underway on Thursday, August 6 when the Cardinals take the practice field for the first time. The Cardinals begin practice at 5:15 p.m.
Heading into the third season under head coach Steve Kragthorpe, the Cardinals have reason for optimism, but still have plenty of questions that need answered.
Reasons for optimism include the return of sophomore running back Victor Anderson, who was named the BIG EAST's Rookie of the Year. Anderson rushed for 1,047 yards and eight scores as a red-shirt freshman.
The wide receiver group is extremely deep and should be fun to watch this fall. Senior Scott Long returns after he tore his ACL. Senior Trent Guy, junior Doug Beaumont and sophomore Josh Chichester all saw significant action. The player to watch this fall is true freshman Andrell Smith, who was here for the spring and has had a strong summer. e Kragthorpe will need to answer questions on the offensive line after the graduation of Eric Wood and George Bussey. The Cardinals do have experience returning upfront with junior Jeff Adams and senior Abdul Kuyateh.
Defensively, the Cardinals return second team All-BIG EAST performer Jon Dempsey at linebacker. Dempsey led the team in tackles with 80. The Cardinals have good depth at linebacker with the return of seniors Antwan Canady and Chris Campa. Sophomore Dexter Heyman and junior Brandon Heath will also be players to watch.
In the secondary, junior cornerback Johnny Patrick and senior safety Richard Raglin give the Cardinals a bit of experience back there, but Kragtrhorpe needs plenty of players to step in and provide depth.
The defensive line lost three starters, but return senior L.T. Walker and L.D. Scott to stabilize the position. The Cardinals will need to see sophomore Greg Scruggs and junior Rodney Gnat play a larger role and also hope junior-college transfers Tim High and Joe Townsend can add depth.
The first two practices on Aug. 6 and August 7 are open to the public. The Cardinal Fan Fest is slated for Aug. 7. Fans are invited to watch practice and get autographs from the players following the two-hour practice. The event is free and open to the public.
