Strong Previews Saturday's Road Game at Arkansas State
September 27, 2010 | Football
Sept. 27, 2010
Press Conference Transcript 
Charlie Strong Audio | Cameron Graham Audio | William Savoy Audio
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville football head coach Charlie Strong, senior tight end Cameron Graham and junior defensive end William Savoy met with reporters on Monday to preview Saturday's road game at Arkansas State. The Cardinals and Red Wolves are scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. at ASU Stadium and the game will be shown live on ESPN3.com.
Prior to its bye week last weekend, Louisville dropped its first road game of the season, falling to Oregon State 35-28 at Reser Stadium on Sept. 18. Statistically, the Cardinals dominated the game, out-gaining the Beavers 453-319, but left at least 14 points on the table. The Cardinals were stopped on the one-yard line on the first drive of the game and quarterback Adam Froman fumbled out of the end zone for a touchback on the ensuing drive.
The Cardinals battled back from a 35-14 deficit in the third quarter to cut the lead to 35-28 on a five-yard run by Froman and a two-yard reception by senior tight end Cameron Graham. Louisville had three drives to tie the score, but couldn't muster the tying score.
For the third-straight game, senior running back Bilal Powell paced the Cardinals with 83 yards on 20 carries and did find the end zone for the third straight game. Froman had one of his best games as a Cardinal, completing 22-of-38 passes for 288 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for a pair of scores in the loss. Senior wide receiver Doug Beaumont recorded his third 100-yard receiving game when he caught nine passes for 121 yards, and junior Josh Bellamy had his best game as a Cardinal, catching three passes for 65 yards.
The Red Wolves are 1-3 (1-2 in the Sun Belt Conference) after a 35-28 loss at Troy on Saturday. The Red Wolves have one of the most prolific passing offenses in the nation, averaging 309.5 yards per game behind the arm of Ryan Aplin's 299.0 yards a game.
The Series - Louisville and Arkansas State
- The Cardinals and Red Wolves will meet for just the second time in school history on Saturday. Louisville handed Arkansas State a 21-13 defeat at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in 2009 in the only other meeting between the two schools.
The Coaches
- Charlie Strong (1-3), a 27-year veteran in the coaching ranks, is in his first full season as head coach of the Cardinals. Strong received his first head coaching job after spending the last seven years at the University of Florida, where he served as the defensive coordinator, winning a pair of national championships with the Gators. Strong served as the head coach of the Gators for the 2004 Peach Bowl after Ron Zook was fired - a 27-10 loss to Miami.
- Steve Roberts (42-58) is in his ninth season as head coach of the Arkansas State Red Wolves, leading ASU to a 42-58 mark during his tenure. The 2005 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year, Roberts has led Arkansas State to its most victories over an eight-year span since 1985-92. Prior to taking over the Arkansas State program, Roberts served as the head coach at Northwestern State for two seasons and Southern Arkansas for six years.
Louisville-Memphis Game Set for 2 p.m. Kickoff on ESPN3.com
- Kickoff for Louisville's Oct. 9 homecoming game against Memphis is set for 2 p.m. at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and the game will be shown live on ESPN3.com.
GAME FACTS - Louisville (1-2) at Arkansas State (1-3)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 2
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Site: ASU Stadium (30,406), Jonesboro, Ark.
TV: ESPN3.com will stream the game
Radio: Paul Rogers (play-by-play), Stefan LeFors (analyst) and Doug Ormay (sideline) will call all the action on WHAS 840 AM
Also: SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Ch. 130
Rankings: Both teams are unranked in this week's national polls.
