By Pete Fiutak

Well that was certainly interesting. Louisville came up with its best season ever crushing and killing everything in its path with an 11-win campaign leading the nation in offense and finishing 15th in total defense. Even after losing QB Stefan LeFors, RB Eric Shelton, leading receiver J.R. Russell and top defensive player Robert McCune, the team has the potential to be every bit as good. Can there be the same results? Absolutely, and it's because the schedule is nice and squishy with the toughest game coming against Pittsburgh.

Oh sure, Louisville pushed Miami to the wall, but it didn't come away with a win. There was the classic Liberty Bowl victory over Boise State, but that's not like beating a Tennessee or Michigan. The fact of the matter is that Louisville beat the living sneeze out of a horrible Conference USA. Of course, there was also a dominant 34-0 win over a North Carolina team that beat Miami.

Forgetting about schedules, Louisville should have one of the nation's most fun teams and will certainly be considered among the favorites for the Big East title thanks to as talented an offense as the league has seen since Miami was ruling the world. The defense has several replacements, but it shouldn't suffer a major drop-off. In other words, get ready for another fantastic run.
The Schedule: There's not a game on the schedule that, as it looks in the preseason, Louisville shouldn't be the favorite. The toughest road game is at West Virginia and the season closes out with a good battle at UConn. The other nasty battles? Oregon State, Pittsburgh and ... Syracuse? North Carolina? Demand 11-0 Louisville fans, but expect 9-2.

Best Offensive Player: Senior OT Travis Leffew. QB Brian Brohm is going to be the superstar and RB Michael Bush will be one of the most productive scorers in college football, but they need a good front wall to operate behind. Travis Leffew has been a long time starter for the Cardinals and will be one of the best tackles in the country.

Best Defensive Player: Senior DE Elvis Dumervil. He's small, powerful and very, very quick as a tremendous pass rusher who'll be the leader on the line. The tackles are good enough to occupy blockers so Dumervil can be a double-digit sack artist.

Key player to a successful season: QB Brian Brohm. The much-heralded recruit got his feet wet as well as he possibly could've last year coming through with some big throws in vital moments. Departed starter Stefan LeFors was an underrated producer and Brohm would be successful to be just as good. He must stay healthy because the machine will break down if the inexperienced backups have to start..

The season will be a success if ... Louisville wins the Big East title and is off to the BCS. A ten-win season is a must for a team this talented. The bar was set high last year, and there's no reason to expect anything less in a Big East that's not all that fantastic.

Key game: October 15th at West Virginia. With the main contender, Pittsburgh, coming to Papa John's, Louisville's trip to West Virginia becomes the biggest obstacle. The Mountaineers aren't quite as talented as last year, but they're still going to be tough at home.

2004 Fun Stats:
- Rushing touchdowns: Louisville 47 - Opponents 10
- Average yards per play: Louisville 7.2 - Opponents 4.6
- Third down conversions: Louisville 82-158 (52%) - Opponents 56-176 (32%)
- Points per game: Louisville 49.8 - Opponents 19.7
Offense Breakdown and Analysis | Defense Breakdown and Analysis | Louisville Depth Chart


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2005 Recruiting Class
Star of the Class
Zach Anderson DE 6-4 270 Scooba (Baldwin County) Ms.
Two-year starter at East Mississippi Community College... recorded 85 tackles and 10 sacks as a junior college freshman... registered 52 tackles, five sacks and two passes broken up in 2004... rated by Rivals.com as a three-star recruit... has a 330-pound bench press, 550-pound squat and can run the 40-yard dash in just 4.8 seconds... named the JUCO Defensive Player of the Year in North-Mississippi game in 2004... voted first team All-State and All-Region selection as a sophomore... Scout.com's No. 2 ranked junior college defensive line prospect... former high school quarterback... chose Louisville over Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, Texas A & M and Southern Miss


Instant Impact Players

Marcel Benson OL 6-6 321 San Diego Ca.
Voted first team All-Foothills Conference at San Diego Mesa College... earned all-Sunrise Region honors... named the squad's Most Valuable Offensive Lineman... rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com...started 20 straight games at offensive tackle... named the team's Freshman of the Year... voted second team J.C. Grid-Wire Junior College All-America team... voted a Region III All-California first team on offense... named team's Co-MVP and Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Nate Harris LB 6-1 220 Miami (Edison) Fl.
Two-year starter at Dodge City Community College... team leader in tackles with 86... also recorded four tackles for loss and three interceptions... registered 12 tackles in games against Independence and Coffeyville... recorded 11 stops and one interception versus Fort Scott... earned first team All-Jayhawk Conference accolades... recorded 89 tackles, six sacks, one interception, and four fumble recoveries in 2003... Junior College Grid-Wire All-American honorable mention selection as a sophomore... ranked the No. 74 prospect nationally by Scout.com as a high school senior

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