U of L turns attention toward anticipated game with WVU

By Eric Crawford
ecrawford@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal

So much for enjoying the moment.

After blowing out North Carolina 69-14 on Saturday, University of Louisville football coaches and players took as many questions about this Saturday's game against West Virginia as they did about the Tar Heels.

The game, which will kick off at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised regionally by ABC, is one that Cardinals coaches have had circled since the schedule came out. Coach Bobby Petrino broke down Mountaineers video last spring and came up with a game plan, one that will be updated this week.

"They are a good football team," Petrino said. "They are very physical and play great defense. They are very unique in their style with both defense and offense. So we've got a lot of preparation to do. But we're looking forward to hopefully starting off a good rivalry."

It will be every bit as big a matchup as fans of both schools -- and the Big East Conference -- expected it to be, even if both teams are carrying one loss into the contest.

The Cardinals (4-1) jumped to No. 19 in The Associated Press poll yesterday. West Virginia jumped into the USA Today coaches' poll at No. 25 and is tops among others receiving votes in the AP rankings.

"When we got into the league, it might have been the first game everybody mentioned," sophomore quarterback Brian Brohm said. "Everybody talks about how tough it is to go play in Morgantown."

Expect the Cards to be eager to show that they can take their offensive show on the road. In three home games, they're averaging 64.3 points. In two road games, their average is 22.5 points.

Junior running back Michael Bush said the Cards have found themselves a bit on offense over the past two weeks.

"I think we've improved," he said. "We came back from South Florida and worked hard and had the right attitude. We've done better with the running game, but if you come in thinking we're just going to run, we'll throw it over your head."

The pressure figures to be on U of L. The Cards are the higher-ranked team, but they've already taken an unexpected loss in Big East play, at South Florida. A second loss likely would end their hopes of a league championship and a Bowl Championship Series berth.

"You start out 0-2, you're panicked for the rest of the year," Bush said. "It's a big game. If we beat them, it sets us up in good position to still win the conference."

And that, senior wideout Montrell Jones said, will be the motivation this week -- not worrying about national respect or reclaiming some face that was lost at South Florida.

"It's not about getting respect back," Jones said. "It's about playing the game of football and continuing to win football games."

The Cards could well be without a key offensive player. Junior running back Kolby Smith suffered a sprained knee Saturday, and coaches will have to see how quickly he recovers. Linebacker Abe Brown suffered a similar injury in practice Thursday and likely won't be back for this week's game.

Smith's injury will mean an expanded role for redshirt freshman George Stripling, who is coming off his most extensive college action -- 13 carries for 74 yards -- against North Carolina.

Senior Elvis Dumervil has been named a finalist for the Cingular Wireless/ABC Sports All-America Player of the Week, the first defensive lineman nominated for the award. The winner will be determined by a vote of fans. Other finalists are UCLA running back Maurice Drew, Northwestern running back Tyrell Sutton and Southern California running back LenDale White.

Dumervil's three sacks Saturday boosted his season total to 14. He also had two forced fumbles and an interception.

To vote, fans can text the message "VOTE" to "87654" on their wireless phones, then follow the prompts.