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扫一扫发现精彩Going into the second half this observer was only hoping the University of Louisville football team would somehow manage to hold Pittsburgh to under 50 points. Good thing Bobby Petrino is not a pessimist, doesn’t think like that.
Trailing 42-24 after that gruesome first half, Petrino’s troops weren’t about to throw in the towel. The Cardinals would throw Lamar Jackson back in the mix, make some defensive adjustments, slow down the Pittsburgh ground game, and trim the deficit to eight points with over 12 minutes remaining in the game.
A miracle comeback in the making? No way. Just happy to be hanging close.
No realistic UofL fan had any serious thoughts about winning. Pittsburgh was just better in every phase of the game. Impressive effort during that second half, however, digging out of that deep hole. Just asking much too much to overcome.
The Cardinals would hold the Panthers to only three second-half points in the 45-34 loss. They did it while totaling a net gain of minus-one yards for the game. A few yards here and there would have made the potential for a successful rally more credible.
The quarterback situation is again up in the air. Kyle Bolin competed 10 of 20 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns while Lamar Jackson was good for nine of 17 attempts for 142 yards and a touchdown.
Both have managed to look mediocre against better teams this season. Kentucky will not be one of the better teams on the schedule but Petrino had better make the right choice.
Holding Pittsburgh to under 50 points was not a big deal. Petrino will have his team’s full attention next week, needing a win to end the regular season on a positive note in Lexington.
The University of Louisville football program could take a major step back to respectability with a win over Pittsburgh at Heinz Field on Saturday.
A day of assessment, of judgement, a time to measure just how far this team has come since losing its first three games and winning six of the next seven encounters.
Pittsburgh looks good on paper, entering the game with a 7-3 won-loss record, those losses coming to good teams — Notre Dame, Iowa and North Carolina. However, the Panthers also struggled against Syracuse and Virginia, two common opponents UofL defeated.
Louisville, with Kyle Bolin calling the signals, is becoming more adept with the Bobby Petrino offense. The offensive line has also shown some signs of maturing, freeing up running lanes for Brandon Radcliff and more passing options for Bolin. If solving the Pittsburgh defense requires more creative approaches, there are backups Lamar Jackson and Reggie Bonnafon.
The Panthers have one of the top receivers in the country in Tyler Boyd, who has caught 69 passes for 700 yards and five touchdowns. They also have a solid quarterback in Nate Peterman, who has thrown for 1,776 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Running back Qadree Ollison has rushed for 859 yards and nine scores.
A bruising game is guaranteed, one of those intense conflicts in which the the game may not be decided until the final play.
While assured of bowl eligibility, UofL needs a victory against Pittsburgh to assure a winning season. That was not even a concern coming into the season. It is now and the Cardinals need to take care of business.
Believe it or not, many University of Louisville football fans are still tailgating in the parking lot at the Kentucky Exposition Center, and the parties keep getting bigger and better. One of them is vying for national honors in the Gordo’s Cheese Dip Ultimate Tailgating Competition.
That would be David Magee, who along with dozens of his closest friends, gather for every home game in Section H at the old fairgrounds. He’s competing for a grand prize that includes free tickets to the bowl game of his choice and three nights lodging, a prize valued at $2,500.
Magee’s tailgate has been going strong since 2009. He takes his tailgating on the road sometimes as well, attracting approximately 300 people for the opening game against Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Classic in Atlanta.
The contest ends on Sunday, and he’s trailing an Arkansas fan by 400 votes.
Now please.
DeVonte Fields has arrived, the one that University of Louisville football fans couldn’t wait to see this season.
Yes, the same DeVonte Fields, who as a freshman at TCU was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, terrorizing opposing quarterbacks with 10 sacks that season.
DeVonte Fields is back.
It has taken a while for him to get back into form, following a juco season at Trinity Valley College in Texas. Coach Bobby Petrino saying at the beginning of the season that he wasn’t at full speed, wondering where his head and heart were during a thrashing at the hands of Florida State.
Following that game Fields went to Petrino, essentially apologizing to his coach, pledging to do better. The coach listening, encouraging, telling Fields to show him on the field.
Since then Fields has excelled, showing signs of returning to his former superiority. In four games, he has recorded 18 solo tackles and three sacks in wins over Boston College, Wake Forest, Syracuse and Virginia.
Field was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performance in the Virginia win. The Fort Worth native had five solo tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack as the Cardinals limited the Cavaliers to 354 yards of total offense and only 94 yards rushing.
He currently leads the Cardinals with 13 tackles for loss
and has been credited with 3.5 sacks. He is is fourth on the squad with 47 total tackles.
DeVonte Fields has arrived. Just in time.
Jeff Walz provides some candid analysis following his team’s opening game loss to California.
The era of one of most talented freshman classes in Louisville women’s basketball history was launched Sunday in front of a crowd of 16,524 at the KFC Yum! Center. There they were, Asia Durr, Taja Cole, Sam Fuehring, Erin DeGrate and Brianna Jones, making their debuts in a 75-71 loss to California.
The player who will be remembered from this game, however, is Briahanna Jackson, a sophomore guard who transferred from the University of Central Florida between seasons. She was Freshman of the Year in Conference USA two years ago.
Briahanna Jackson
Jackson, with no qualms about wearing Shoni Schimmel’s old number (23), providing the offensive and defensive dynamism her young team needed to compete with California. She would lead all scorers with 21 points, grab three rebounds, block one shot and make three assists.
Playing aggressively, no fear, just loving the game, she was the player to take the crucial shots and the most likely to make them, hitting on nine of 19 of them, including two of five three-point attempts. She was a dynamo on defense, constantly disrupting UC’s ability to move the ball, with numerous deflections to go with a total of six steals.
Mariya Moore would contribute 20 points, including six three-pointers, while Asia Durr would collect six points in her first game. Cole, Fuehring, DeGrate and Jones would combine for four points.
Most concerning on a team that is among the tallest UofL women’s team ever is that California outrebounded the Cardinals 50-27. No contest. None on the boards. Jackson kept UofL in the game.
She’s a natural leader and will quickly become a fan favorite. Hopefully, her energy is contagious, providing some inspiration and motivation for a talented group of freshmen.
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TurnstilesAssociated PressJude Schimmel shoots over a South Florida player at during the NCAA Tournament on March 23, 2015. Louisville won 60-52.
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Jude Schimmel Puts Team in Sweet 16, Says ‘Why Not Me?’Rodney HarwoodLouisville senior Jude Schimmel told the national press, “We needed somebody to step up and I said, ‘Why not me?’” following Monday night’s 60-52 victory over No. 6 seed South Florida, propelling Louisville to its third consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. But wouldn’t you love to hear the conversation she had with herself before she took over the game, scoring eight of her 13 points in the final 3 minutes, including six in the last 69 seconds.
“To be honest, I had to pick and choose when I was going to go hard because I knew the last four minutes was going to decide the game, and I wanted to be ready,” Schimmel told ICTMN. “I had like this weird little conversation with myself. I told myself this is your last go-round and if you’re going to move forward to the Sweet 16, somebody has to step up right now. I remember saying, why not me?”
No. 3 Louisville (27-6,) will take on No. 7 Dayton in Albany on Saturday in what will be the Cardinals’ sixth overall Sweet 16 appearance. Unlike Yankees star Derek Jeter, who announced last season would be his final year, and knew exactly when his last game would be, Schimmel has to play every game like it could be her last.
“Right now I am cherishing every moment. I haven’t taken anything for granted this season,” she said. “I feel that’s why it’s been such a good year and I’ve enjoyed it so much. I’m playing fearlessly right now. I can’t hold anything back. I’m just giving my best and, hopefully, all the hard work pays off.”
The 5-foot-6 guard is one of just five seniors on the Cardinals team. “I wouldn’t say it’s my team, but I’m definitely one of the leaders this year,” said Schimmel, who is working on her master’s degree in sports management. “This is by far my favorite year, and it’s gone by really fast. It’s been exciting because it’s my turn to shine and I’m not just Shoni’s little sister. I’ve accepted my role as a leader and a playmaker and I’m just really happy where my team is right now.”
The Schimmel family catapulted into the public eye in 2011 with the release of the documentary “Off the Rez.” The story of their mother Ceci Schimmel daring to be great by leaving the rez to coach basketball in Portland and Shoni’s trek from AAU ball to Division I fame became a powerful voice in Indian Country. It inspired Native Americans and young Native females that they can be great and that they can fulfill their greatness in the world as Shoni and Jude have. The documentary has since been released on iTunes in January.
“When we were growing up, I had no idea I would be where I am right now,” Schimmel said. “All the hard work and dedication that I’ve put in over the years has gotten me to this point. All attention of being successful and being Native American just happened. I’d have to say I didn’t expect any of it. We didn’t set out for all of the attention, but I embrace that. It goes back, ‘Why not me?’ If I’m going to be in this position, why not embrace it?”
While “Off the Rez” has inspired Native girls, it has also served as a source of encouragement for men. Wisconsin point guard Bronson Koenig (Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin) will lead the No. 1 Badgers against North Carolina in a Sweet 16 game Thursday night in Los Angeles. Koenig, who is just one of 14 Native men playing Division I ball, is becoming another strong voice in Indian country. He did not grow up on a reservation, but as his connection with the Ho-Chunk Nation and other tribes grows, he hopes to inspire people as the story of the Schimmel’s inspired him.
He cites a scene from “Off the Rez,” where Natives drove hundreds of miles to see Shoni and Jude play a game in the Oregon high school state playoffs. “The amount of Native Americans that went to their games is insane,” he told The Milwaukee Journal. “Thousands of Native Americans would drive from across the country just to see them play. That was pretty cool to me. I'm hoping that maybe one day they could drive across the country to see me play.”
Jude said she has followed Koenig’s progress at Wisconsin. “We’ve communicated through social media a few times, but nothing more than, ‘Hey, good luck tonight and things like that,’” she said. “I think a lot of people can relate to everything that was shown on the documentary. I don’t really feel like it was directed towards females. Older people, little kids or guys can relate.”
There’s a lot of ball to be played, but if you’re going to dream, dream big she says. Two years ago Jude and Shoni became the first two Native women to play in the NCAA championship game. Wouldn’t it be something to be the first Native woman to play for a national champion?
“Shoni and I never won a high school championship. So if we were to win a national championship with this team that would probably be the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” she said, allowing herself a little luxury away from the one-game-at-a-time storyline. “But first there’s Dayton.”
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