Thursday Night Info

[Raji]

Louisville Cardinals at West Virginia Mountaineers (-16, 63 ½)

Cards out to prove a point

Louisville started the season ranked No. 8 in the nation, but four losses in six games has all but ruled them out of the Big East title race. Still, the Cardinals are confident they can prove a point against West Virginia on Thursday night.

"It's an opportunity to go and get a big, big upset and go out there and show on national TV that we're still a good football team and we can still play," quarterback Brian Brohm told The Associated Press.

"Obviously it hasn't gone the way we planned," he said when asked about this season. "But I think we've got to put that behind us and look at it like it's a new season these last three games and make the most out of the season we can."

The Cardinals will likely need to win two of those three games if they are to claim a bowl berth for the 10th consecutive year. After WVU, they face South Florida and Rutgers.

A win at Mountaineer Field won’t be easy to achieve. Two seasons ago, Louisville lost 46-44 in a thrilling triple-overtime game there. Brohm, the nation’s fifth-ranked QB with 26 TD passes, believes his team can push the Mountaineers all the way once again.

"We feel we can play with anybody, and we feel we're matched evenly with West Virginia," he said. "We don't feel like they have any superior talent or any advantage over us. We can play with them, we can play with everybody that's left on our schedule. There's no intimidation factor going in there."

The past five games between these teams have been decided by 10 points or less.

Mountaineers’ offense on a high

The Mountaineers’ offense is among the best in the nation this year and is largely responsible for the team’s 8-1 record. It ranks seventh, averaging 40.9 points per contest, and has outscored the last three opponents by a combined 124-30.

Quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton lead the way. Slaton has run for 825 yards and 14 touchdowns, while White has tallied 1,070 passing yards and nine passing touchdowns. White has also rushed for 620 yards and is a Heisman Trophy candidate.

"The first time you see Pat, you think you have an angle and you don't," West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez told AP. "He's such an explosive player, there are a lot of times when there are people around him where he outruns the angle or makes people miss."

Slaton and White destroyed Louisville’s defense last season. Slaton rushed for 344 yards and six TDs, while White threw for 222 yards.

“Pat and Steve are obviously dynamic with the ball in their hands, and they’re getting the ball to Darius (Reynaud) and the rest of the receivers as well,” Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph.

“I think Rich (Rodriguez) has probably got his most complete football team that I’ve seen since I’ve been watching them and I’ve been watching them for a long time.”

Louisville can’t hold a lead

The Cardinals are hoping for a strong finish on Thursday, something that has eluded them recently. In the past two games, Louisville allowed its opponents to rally despite holding the lead in the fourth quarter.

At Connecticut on Oct. 19, the Cards held a 17-7 lead with just 11 minutes to play. They went on to give up two late touchdowns and lost 21-17. The following week against Pittsburgh they were again up 17-7 in the fourth, but allowed Pitt to tie. Louisville ultimately pulled out a 24-17 win in that contest.

"We haven't played particularly well when we've had leads," Kragthorpe told the Louisville Courier Journal. "We have to understand at that point in time, to me, that the game is still 0-0 in terms of the way we play each snap."

Louisville will be particularly conscious of finishing strong against West Virginia because the Mountaineers have outscored their opponents 79-17 in the fourth quarter this season.

"Once the fourth quarter comes, the other team is being a little more aggressive," cornerback Rod Council added. "And I think we need to stay a little more aggressive and just communicate more out there on the field."

Head to head

West Virginia has won and covered in two of the last three games against Louisville. The last two contests between these teams finished over the total.

The Mountaineers have covered in seven of their eight games this season, while the Cardinals are 3-4 against the spread in their last seven contests.

Raji