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Murray-Louisville Game Preview   The Racer Insider's Will Aubrey

(August 22, 2007)

Over the years Murray State has played a number of talented IA opponents. Wisconsin, Brigham Young, Minnesota and Mississippi come to mind. They even played Louisville in 1990, the year the Cardinals crushed Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl.

But they’ve never played anyone like the Louisville team they’ll face on August 30th.

Last season the Cardinals broke the 40-point barrier on six different occasions.

And that was despite losing Heisman Trophy candidate Michael Bush who broke his leg in the first half of the opening game. And despite losing quarterback Brian Brohm for three games.

This year the Cardinals are ranked 10th to start the year by the Associated Press and the preview magazines have them as high as fifth. Scout.com ranks the Louisville offense first in the nation. And Rivals.com says U of L has the best backup quarterback and running back in the nation.

So, how do the Racers approach a game like this?

“Our kids like the challenge,” MSU head football coach Matt Griffin said. “They know U of L and it’s important to them. And as coaches we won’t prepare for this game any differently than we would any other game.

“I’d prefer to open with Lambuth and then play Louisville but some of those things were already set when we got here. Next year we have Indiana and Western Kentucky with one in between. I think in 2009 or 2010 we’ll be able to set things to our liking, open with a Quincy and then go play UK or U of L.”

Not surprisingly, Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe echoed Griffin’s comments about preparation.

"We approach every game the same, with the same mentality and the same intensity,” he said. “Everyone on our schedule is capable of beating us and we're going to continue to prepare hard and get better.

“Murray State is a good offensive team and pretty solid on defense. Coach Griffin will have them playing hard and we expect them to come here and play hard."

The Racers will have to be ready for the Cardinals’ quarterback Brohm. He is among this year’s leading candidates for the Heisman after completing 63.6 percent of his passes while throwing for 16 touchdowns with just five interceptions last year.

"Brian is a complete quarterback,” Kragthorpe said. “He does everything very well. He understands the situations of the game and knows what checks we need to make. He's extremely accurate and a great leader. That's why he's considered one of the best in the country."

Wideouts Mario Urrutia and Harry Douglas are also very dangerous. Douglas has incredible speed and although Urrutia is 6-6 he is also very quick.

“The big receiver is extremely athletic,” Griffin said. “He’s almost as athletic as a 5-9 scat type receiver.”

And then there’s the stable of running backs – Anthony Allen, George Stripling, Brock Bolen and Sergio Spencer. None of them had eye-popping stats last year but that was because Louisville spread the ball around. And you can expect more of the same this year.

“We'll do whatever we have to, to win the football game,” Kragthorpe said. “No one carries it 45 times anymore. We'll spread it around and see who's clicking.”
Some pundits suggest that the Cardinals’ defense won’t be as imposing as it has been in the past with players like Amobe Okoye and William Gay playing in the NFL this year. But Kragthopre isn’t having any of that.

“Our defense is solid,” he said. “We have a lot of guys returning who have played a lot of football here. They are fast and physical and play with a little chip on their shoulder. I'm excited about this unit.”

The overall series between the schools stands at six wins for MSU and 10 for Louisville. The Racers beat U of L as recently as 1980 and 1984. But since Howard Schnellenberger started his renovation of the Cardinals’ program in 1985 the games haven’t been close as Louisville won 34-10 in 1987 and 68-0 in 1990.

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