The 2006 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...
in the
2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The regular season began on August 31, 2006 and ended on ...
. The team, led by
Bobby Petrino
Robert Patrick Petrino (born March 10, 1961) is an American football coach. He currently serves as the Offensive Coordinator for the Texas A&M Aggies. He is the former head coach for the Missouri State Bears. Previously, he served as the head coa ...
in his fourth year at the school, played their home games in
Papa John's Cardinal Stadium
Cardinal Stadium, formerly known as Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, is a football stadium located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, on the southern end of the campus of the University of Louisville. Debuting in 1998, it serves as the home o ...
. Playing in their second year in the
Big East Conference
The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and M ...
, the team finished the regular season with eleven wins and one loss and were conference champions. They represented the Big East in the
2007 Orange Bowl and with the win ended the season with a 12–1 record. The team ended the season
ranked sixth in the nation.
Pre-season
The Cardinals finished the 2005 season with a 9–3 record, including a loss in the
Gator Bowl
The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...
. After the loss, they were
ranked 19th in the nation. Returning eight starters from their 2005 offense, including
Brian Brohm
Brian Joseph Brohm (born September 23, 1985) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is currently the interim head coach, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for Purdue University. He played college football at Louisv ...
and
Michael Bush
Michael Warren Bush, Jr. (born June 16, 1984) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.
In addition to the Raiders, B ...
and nine starters on a defense that allowed 320 yards a game the team was picked, by the Big East media, to finish second in the conference.
Coaching changes
After assistant coach
Tony Levine
Tony Levine (born October 28, 1972) is a former American football coach who last coached at Purdue as the special teams coordinator, co-offensive coordinator, and tight ends coach. He is a former head coach for the Houston Cougars football team. ...
left the Cardinals for a job in the
NFL, he was replaced as special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach by Tom McMahon. McMahon had eight years of assistant coaching experience at
Utah State
Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...
. Also added to the staff as a new assistant strength coach was Bryan Dermody.
Roster changes
Although returning 17 starters from 2005, the team lost other key players to the
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with ad ...
. Four players were taken in the draft, three of which were defensive starters. From the offense, offensive guard
Jason Spitz
Jason Spitz (born December 19, 1982) is a former American football center who last played for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He won S ...
was taken in the third round by
Green Bay. From the defense, end
Elvis Dumervil
Elvis Kool Dumervil (born January 19, 1984) is a former American football defensive end and linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He played college football at Louisville, where he won the Bronko Nagurski Tr ...
was taken by
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, linebacker
Brandon Johnson by
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
and tackle
Montavious Stanley
Montavious Stanley (born October 10, 1981) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. He played college football at the U ...
by
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
.
Recruiting
The Cardinals signed 25 recruits for the new class. Included in the top-40 class were three four-star recruits on offense, a five-star recruit on defense, and another four four-star recruits on defense.
Pre-season honors
Five Cardinals' players were honored as part of pre-season watchlists for national awards.
*
Brian Brohm
Brian Joseph Brohm (born September 23, 1985) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is currently the interim head coach, quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for Purdue University. He played college football at Louisv ...
–
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...
,
Walter Camp Award
The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information directo ...
,
and
Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Co ...
*
Michael Bush
Michael Warren Bush, Jr. (born June 16, 1984) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Louisville.
In addition to the Raiders, B ...
– Maxwell Award
and Walter Camp Award
*
Art Carmody
Arthur Carmody IV (born April 7, 1984) is an American former football placekicker. He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals.
High school
Carmody attended Loyola College Prep, where he was a two-time All-District and All-Cit ...
–
Lou Groza Award
The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza. It has be ...
*
Nate Harris
Nathaniel "Nate" Antwon Harris (born March 8, 1983, in Miami, Florida) is a former American football linebacker. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football at Louisville.
Harris was wai ...
–
Dick Butkus Award
The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...
*
Eric Wood
Eric Wood (born March 18, 1986) is a former American football center. He played college football at the University of Louisville and was drafted in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft (28th overall) by the Buffalo Bills of the National Footba ...
–
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Ame ...
and
Rimington Trophy
The Dave Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player considered to be the best American football center in college football. Dave Rimington was a center who played at the University of Nebraska from 1979 to 1982.
A member of the National College F ...
Season
Roster
Coaching staff
The Cardinal team was coached by Bobby Petrino and his staff, most of whom were in their fourth year together. Tom McMahon was brought in this year to coach special teams and the outside linebackers.
Schedule
Game summaries
Kentucky
The Cardinals opened their season against in-state rivals the Kentucky Wildcats, playing for the
Governor's Cup. Kentucky, led by fourth year coach
Rich Brooks
Richard Llewellyn Brooks (born August 20, 1941) is a retired American football player and coach. He was the head coach at the University of OregonMcCann, Michael C. (1995). Oregon Ducks Football: 100 Years of Glory. Eugene, Oregon: McCann Communic ...
and quarterback
Andre' Woodson, came into the game not having beaten the Cardinals in four years. Louisville took an early lead with three Michael Bush touchdown runs in the first half, added to a touchdown pass by Brian Brohm and a field goal by Art Carmody. Woodson threw a pair of touchdown passes at the end of the half to bring the teams into halftime with the Cardinals leading 31-14. On their first possession of the second half, Michael Bush, already having 124 yards rushing, was injured. It was eventually revealed that he had broken his leg and would be out for the rest of the season. Despite the loss of Bush, the Cardinals still managed to score four more touchdowns in the game, including two by his replacement, George Stripling. With another long touchdown pass by Woodson and a kickoff return for a touchdown by Keenan Burton, the game ended with the Cardinals winning 59-28. With the win, the Cardinals moved up a spot to 12th in the nation.
Temple
The Cardinals next went on the road to face the Temple Owls led by second-year head coach
Al Golden and quarterback Adam Dimichele. The Cardinals scored early and often with 5 rushing touchdowns in the first half added to a 57-yard passing touchdown by Brohm to give them a 42-0 lead at halftime. The second half wasn't better for the Owls, still failing to score and giving up two more rushing touchdowns and a pair of field goals by Art Carmody. When the game was over the Cardinals won 62-0 and had amassed 671 total yards of offense. After the game, Louisville kept their number 12 ranking.
Miami
The Cardinals first big test of the year came against the 15th ranked Miami Hurricanes, led by sixth year head coach
Larry Coker
Larry Edward Coker (born June 23, 1948) is a former American football coach and player. He previously served as the head coach of the University of Miami and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).
Coker's 2001 Miami Hurricanes football ...
and quarterback
Kyle Wright
Kyle Wright (born October 18, 1984) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2008 and was also a member of the San Francisco 49ers. He played college football at the Universi ...
. Louisville had never beaten the Hurricanes before in 10 previous meetings. Prior to the game, Hurricane players came to midfield to stomp on the Cardinals logo, causing a small altercation. Early, Louisville's strong offense struggled against the powerful Miami defense, a defense that had only given up 200 yards a game. Miami scored first on a rushing touchdown, but would be unable to score again. The Cardinals, led by Brohm, scored on a field goal and a long touchdown pass to take a 10-7 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, Brohm injured his thumb and would be taken out of the game. It was later reported that he would be out for four to six weeks. His loss didn't stop the Cardinals offense though, with running back Kolby Smith scoring two rushing touchdowns in the third quarter, and Brohm's replacement, Hunter Cantwell, throwing another touchdown in the fourth to bring the final score to 31-7 in favor of the Cardinals. Although they had been averaging over 600 yards per game, the Cardinals were held to 382, but it was enough to defeat the Hurricanes. After the game the Cardinals moved to 9th in the nation, while the Hurricanes dropped out of the polls for the first time since 1999.
Kansas State
The Cardinals next faced the Kansas State Wildcats on the road. The Wildcats, led by first-year head coach
Ron Prince and quarterback duo
Josh Freeman and
Dylan Meier, were 3-0. They had the number 14th ranked defense in total yards in the nation and had not given up an offensive touchdown since their first game. However, the Cardinals first possession, a 97-yard drive that ended with Cantwell throwing a 19-yard touchdown pass, ended the streak. Though the Cardinals struggled moving the ball for the rest of the half, even turning the ball over a few times, they were able to score on a field goal by Art Carmody to take a 10-0 lead to the half. In the second half, Louisville was able to score on a pair of runs to take a 24-0 lead, but Kansas State finally got on the board with a 69-yard run by
Thomas Clayton
Thomas Clayton (July 1777 – August 21, 1854) was an American lawyer and politician from Dover in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Federalist Party and later the National Republican Party and the Whig Party. He served in the Delawa ...
. After a failed two-point conversion attempt, neither team could score again and Louisville won 24-6. Their offense, ranked first in the nation in total yards with 563 per game, was once again held for under 400 yards. With the win, the Cardinals moved to eighth in the rankings.
Middle Tennessee State
The Cardinals next went on the road to face the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, led by first-year head coach
Rick Stockstill
Richard Wilson Stockstill (born December 23, 1957) is an American football coach. He is the head coach for the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football program. Stockstill was a Florida State quarterback under coach Bobby Bowden from 1977 to 1981. O ...
and quarterback Clint Marks. The Cardinals scored on an early field goal, but the Blue Raiders took the lead when Damon Nickson returned the ensuing kickoff 88-yards for a touchdown. After a field goal by the Blue Raiders gave them a 10-3 lead, the Cardinals opened up the scoring with two more field goals and a pair of touchdown passes by Hunter Cantwell to Mario Urrutia. At halftime the Cardinals led 23-10. In the second half, Cantwell threw another touchdown and Kolby Smith and Anthony Allen both ran for touchdowns for the Cardinals. Clint Marks threw a touchdown in the fourth quarter, but it was too late for the comeback, giving the Cardinals a 44-17 win. With the win, the Cardinals moved up to seventh in the rankings.
Cincinnati
The Cardinals next started their Big East schedule playing the Cincinnati Bearcats in a
homecoming
Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia.
...
game. The Bearcats, led by third-year head coach
Mark Dantonio
Mark Justin Dantonio (born March 9, 1956) is a former American football coach and player. He most recently served as the head football coach at Michigan State University, a position he had held from 2007 to 2019, presiding over one of the most ...
and quarterback Dustin Grutza, though struggling with a 3-3 record on the season, had played number 1 ranked
Ohio State
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
and highly ranked
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...
, and had held early leads on both. Cardinal quarterback, Brian Brohm returned from his thumb injury, but struggled in the first half. The Bearcats took an early lead on a field goal and after the Cardinals tied the game, took another lead with a touchdown pass by Grutza. The Cardinals were able to score twice at the end of the half, including on a 1-yard pass by Brohm, to take a 13-10 lead to halftime. After the half, the Cardinals scored on an Anthony Allen rush and another field goal by Art Carmody to have a 23-10 lead in the fourth quarter. Grutza threw another touchdown pass with four minutes left in the game and had a chance win with another pass in the endzone, however it was knocked down by Cardinal cornerback Gavin Smart to preserve the win. The Cardinals won 23-17 and continued their 15-game home winning streak. With the win, the Cardinals moved to sixth in the nation.
Syracuse
The Cardinals next went to Syracuse to face the Orange. The Orange, led by second-year head coach
Greg Robinson and quarterback Perry Patterson, were looking for their first conference win in two years. Though both teams struggled to move the ball in the first quarter, the Orange took the first lead with two field goals in the second quarter. However, just before the half, the Cardinals took the ball on an 80-yard drive that culminated in a 2-yard touchdown by Anthony Allen. With the score, the Cardinals took a 7-6 lead to the half. In the third quarter the only score allowed was on a 5-yard run by Kolby Smith for the Cardinals. Later in the fourth quarter, Allen scored his second touchdown to give the Cardinals a 21-6 lead. Patterson was finally able to connect with Mike Williams for a 37-yard touchdown to bring the Orange to within 8. The Orange looked ready to attempt to tie the game when the Cardinals bobbled the ensuing kickoff and were pinned at their own 7, however, the Cardinals went on a 93-yard drive which was capped with another Smith touchdown run. With no time remaining, the Cardinals won 28-13. With the win the Cardinals moved to fifth in the nation.
West Virginia
The Cardinals next had their biggest game of the season playing the third ranked West Virginia Mountaineers, led by sixth-year head coach
Rich Rodriguez
Richard Alan Rodriguez (; born May 24, 1963), also known as Rich Rod, is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Jacksonville State University. Rodriguez previously was the head football coach at Salem Uni ...
and quarterback
Pat White. The game was hyped to be the Big East game of the year, after the epic 2005 game, and seemed that the winner would have national title hopes with both ranked in the top-5 in the country and both tied with Rutgers for the lead in the Big East. The Cardinals took an early lead with an Art Carmody field goal, but gave up a 42-yard touchdown run to
Steve Slaton
Steve Slaton (born January 4, 1986) is a former American football running back. He played college football for West Virginia University, and earned consensus All-American honors. He was chosen by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 200 ...
later in the quarter to give the Mountaineers a 7-3 lead at the end of the quarter. On their next drive, Carmody kicked another field goal for the Cardinals, and when their defense stopped the Mountaineers, the Cardinals took a lead on the next drive on an Anthony Allen touchdown. After a long kickoff return, Pat White ran for his own touchdown to give the Mountaineers the lead once again, however, Carmody kicked a third field goal before the half to give the Cardinals a 16-14 lead at halftime.
After both teams fumbled on their first drives to start the half, a second Slaton fumble was returned by Malik Jackson for a Cardinal touchdown. When their defense held the Mountaineers, a punt was returned 40-yards by Trent Guy for another Cardinal touchdown. White led the Mountaineers on a 92-yard drive capped by his second rushing touchdown to bring them with nine at the end of the third quarter. On the first play of the fourth quarter, though, Brohm connected with Mario Urrutia to give the Cardinals a 37-21 lead. White led the Mountaineers on another drive and scored his third rushing touchdown of the day, but Allen answered for the Cardinals with his second touchdown to give them a 17-point lead with 12 minutes left in the game. After both teams had turnovers, White scored his fourth rushing touchdown with two minutes left in the game. After a failed
onside kick
In gridiron football, an onside kick is a kickoff deliberately kicked short in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball. This is in contrast with a typical kickoff, in which the kicking team intends to give the ball to the ...
, the Mountaineers were able to stop the Cardinals, but it was too late, as time ran out on the Mountaineer drive. The Cardinals won the game 44-34, and remained tied for the Big East Conference lead. After the game, the Mountaineers dropped to tenth in the rankings, and the Cardinals moved up to fourth.
Rutgers
The Cardinals next went to Rutgers to face the undefeated, 14th ranked Scarlet Knights, led by sixth year head coach
Greg Schiano
Gregory Edward Schiano (born June 1, 1966) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at Rutgers University, a position he held from 2001 to 2011 and resumed before the 2020 season. Schiano served as the head coach for the Tampa ...
and quarterback Mike Teel. The winner of the game, which was billed as the biggest game ever at Rutgers, would take the lead in the Big East. The Cardinals took the first lead halfway through the first quarter with an Anthony Allen rushing touchdown, but Teel tied the game for the Knights on a 26-yard touchdown pass. On the ensuing kickoff, however, Jajuan Spillman returned the ball 100-yards for a touchdown to give the Cardinals a 15-7 lead at the end of the first quarter. Brohm then led the Cardinals on a pair of drives that ended in a touchdown and a field goal, before
Ray Rice
Raymell Mourice Rice (born January 22, 1987) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at Rutgers, where he received first-t ...
ran for his own touchdown to close out the half, with the Cardinals ahead 25-14. In the third quarter, Rice got his second touchdown, and after the two-point conversion, the Knights were within 3. After the Cardinals were unable to score on their first drive in the fourth quarter, the Knights tied the game on a
Jeremy Ito
Jeremy Ito (born March 4, 1986) is a former placekicker and punter for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights NCAA Division I-A football team. He was most recently a kicker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. Ito is half Japanes ...
field goal. Stopping the Cardinals once again, the Knights drove to the Louisville 16-yard line with 21 seconds remaining in the game. Ito attempted the winning field goal, but missed. However, the Cardinals were penalized for being offsides, and Ito's second attempt was good, giving the Knights a 28-25 win. Following the game, Rutgers was the only undefeated team in the Big East and led the conference. The Cardinals dropped to 12th in the nation and second place in the conference.
South Florida
The Cardinals next faced the South Florida Bulls, a team the Cardinals lost to in 2005. The Bulls were led by eleventh-year head coach
Jim Leavitt
James Pierce Leavitt (born December 5, 1956) is an American football coach and former player. He served as the head coach at the University of South Florida from the football program's inception in 1997 until 2009, compiling a record of 95–57. ...
and quarterback
Matt Grothe
Matt Grothe (born September 8, 1986) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at South Florida.
Early years
Grothe attended Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland, Florida and was a letterman in football. In football, he ...
. Though neither team could get their offenses moving early in the game, the Cardinals took the lead after a pair of drives ended with a Brohm touchdown pass and a Carmody field goal, taking a 10-0 lead into the half. In the third quarter, the Cardinals were able to score two more touchdowns on an Anthony Allen run and another Brohm pass. Although Grothe threw a 44-yard touchdown in the fourth and completed a two-point conversion, the Cardinals answered with another Allen rushing touchdown. The Cardinals got a 31-8 win, and, after Rutgers lost to Cincinnati, were once again in a three-way tie atop the Big East. After the win, the Cardinals moved up to eleventh in the nation.
Pittsburgh
The Cardinals next faced the Pittsburgh Panthers, led by second-year head coach
Dave Wannstedt
David Wannstedt (born May 21, 1952) is a former American football coach. He has been the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was also the head coach of the University of Pittsburgh foot ...
and quarterback
Tyler Palko
Tyler Palko (born August 9, 1983) is a former American football quarterback. Palko was the starting quarterback at the University of Pittsburgh from 2004 to 2006. The left-handed thrower was not selected in the 2007 NFL Draft, but was signed by ...
. The Cardinals opened the game with a 19-yard touchdown by Anthony Allen, but the Panthers answered with a pair of touchdowns to take the lead. Carmody's field goal, late in the first quarter, brought the Cardinals to within 4, and early in the second quarter they took the lead with a Brohm touchdown pass. The Panthers tied the game midway through the quarter, but Brohm's second touchdown pass gave the Cardinals a 24-17 lead at halftime. The third quarter consisted of two more Cardinal touchdowns to give them a 21-point lead, which was increased early in the fourth quarter with a Carmody field goal. Palko answered for the Panthers with a 21-yard touchdown pass, but Brohm stopped any chance of a comeback with a 75-yard touchdown pass later in the quarter, giving the Cardinals a 48-24 win. After the win, the Cardinals moved to seventh in the nation.
Connecticut
The Cardinals last regular season game was against the Connecticut Huskies, led by eighth-year head coach
Randy Edsall
Randy Douglas Edsall (born August 27, 1958) is a retired American football coach, formerly the head football coach at the University of Connecticut from 1999 to 2010 and again from 2017 until his abrupt retirement in 2021. He also served as the h ...
and quarterback Matt Bonislawski. The Cardinals took an early lead on an Allen touchdown run. The Huskies scored on a field goal, but the Cardinals answered with their own field goal to keep a 7-point lead. In the second quarter, after Brohm threw a long touchdown, and the Huskies answered with a Lou Allen run, the Cardinals opened scoring with another touchdown pass by Brohm and a second field goal by Carmody. The Cardinals took a 27-10 lead into halftime. In the second half the Cardinals scored three times without being answered by the Huskies, including two more Brohm Touchdown passes and a second running touchdown by Anthony Allen. The Huskies finally scored again, late in the fourth quarter, on a run by Terry Cauley, however it was not enough and the Cardinals won, 48-17. With the win and Rutgers' loss to West Virginia, the Cardinals won the Big East and the conference's spot in the
BCS. With the win, the Cardinals were ranked sixth in the BCS standings.
Orange Bowl
Winning the Big East, the Cardinals were invited to the Orange Bowl to face the
ACC
ACC most often refers to:
* Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US
*American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...
champion and No. 15 ranked Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Deacons were led by fifth-year head coach
Jim Grobe
Jim Britt Grobe (born February 17, 1952) is an American football coach and former player who was most recently the defensive coordinator of the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football. His previous position to that was as head ...
and quarterback
Riley Skinner
Riley Skinner (born October 21, 1986) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at Wake Forest University.
College career
Skinner played high sch ...
. The Deacons took an early lead with a field goal, however the Cardinals answered with their own field goal and a touchdown in the first quarter to take a 10-3 lead to halftime. In the third quarter, Skinner tied the game on a 30-yard touchdown pass and took a three-point lead in the fourth after a 36-yard field goal. The lead didn't last long though, as the Cardinals scored a quick touchdown on a rush by Anthony Allen and another one later in the quarter on a rush by Brock Bolen. With the scores the Cardinals took a 24-13 win, their first in a BCS bowl game.
Rankings
Post-Season
Coaching changes
Almost a week after their victory in the Orange Bowl, head coach, Bobby Petrino, was offered and took the head coaching position with the NFL's
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. Two days later,
Steve Kragthorpe, former head coach for the
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
The Golden Hurricane are the athletic teams that represent the University of Tulsa. These teams are referred to as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (or variously as TU or Tulsa). Before adopting the name Golden Hurricane in 1922, the University of T ...
, was hired for the position.
Awards
Conference
After the season, the Big East media announced that seven Cardinals were named to the First Team All Big East, and four others were named to the Second Team. Included on the first team were Harry Douglas, Renardo Foster, Kurt Quarterman, George Bussey, Art Carmody, William Gay, and Amobi Okoye, who was a unanimous selection. The seven were the most in the league.
National
After the season, head coach Bobby Petrino and quarterback Brian Brohm were each honored as a finalist and semifinalist for prestigious national awards. Before leaving, Petrino was named as a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year award, and Brian Brohm was named as a semifinalist for the
Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Co ...
. Finally, kicker Art Carmody was honored as winner of the
Lou Groza Award
The Lou Groza Award is presented annually to the top college football placekicker in the United States by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. The award is named after former Ohio State Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns player Lou Groza. It has be ...
.
Included in the honors, three players were named to an
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
team. Carmody and Amobi Okoye were both named by the
AP on their second team, while Kurt Quarterman was named to the third team.
Roster changes
In the
2007 NFL Draft, four former Cardinal starters were selected. Amobi Okoye became the highest draft pick in school history when he was selected tenth in the draft by
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. Michael Bush, who had a medical redshirt and was eligible for another year, decided to leave, and was selected in the fourth round by
Oakland
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...
. Kolby Smith and William Gay were both selected in the fifth round, Smith by
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
and Gay by
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
.
References
{{Big East Conference football champions
Louisville Cardinals
The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...
Louisville Cardinals football seasons
Big East Conference football champion seasons
Orange Bowl champion seasons
Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy seasons
Louisville Cardinals f