Utah Utes Host Louisville Cardinals Saturday September 26

The Louisville Cardinals travel to Utah this Saturday, September 26 and take on Kyle Whittingham's Utes. The Cardinals (1-1) have just come off a devastating loss to the Kentucky Wildcats last Saturday in Lexington, in which many feel they should have won. The Utes, who had enjoyed a winning streak since their last loss on November 24, 2007 to Brigham Young, were upset by the Oregon Ducks 31-24 just last week.

On the Plus Side for Louisville

Despite their loss to the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville (1-1) still feels confident going into the game against Utah. Coach Steve Kragthorpe said the scene in the Cardinal's locker room after the loss to Kentucky was extremely emotional. "There were so many different emotions in there", according to Kragthorpe. However, the Coach and the Cardinals believe they may have strengthened as a team unit after playing Kentucky and will use this to their advantage on Saturday against the Utes.

The Cardinals had much to brag about regarding their performance against Kentucky. Quarterback Justin Burke was able to throw for 245 yards and two touchdowns in only his second college start.

Additionally Scott Long had five catches for 89 yards, and Cameron Graham has proven to be a strong player as tight end.

Louisville may also be relieved that Utah has a new quarterback, Terrance Cain, who is still proving his worth. Cain was 20 for 41 for 178 passing with one touchdown, and then rushed 68 yards for another touchdown against Oregon. He also suffered two interceptions and a fumble.

On the Minus Side for Louisville

The Utah Utes were ranked #18 before their loss to the Oregon Ducks. As mentioned above, they had not lost a game for two seasons of football, and they decimated a stunned Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in January 31-17.

Another negative for Louisville is that before the game with Oregon, Utah won 16 straight games. One loss is not going to destroy the confidence the Utes must have in themselves.

Kyle Whittingham was also named Coach of the Year in 2008. Whittingham was named head coach of Utah in 1994 and has an impressive 7-0 record in bowl games since 1999.

Kragthorpe, on the other hand, is under intense scrutiny as Coach of the Louisville Cardinals as he begins his third season at U of L. His record is 11-13 for the first two seasons with the Cards with no bowl appearances in 2007 or 2008. Following the heels of Bobby Petrino, Kragthorpe has big shoes to fill.

Game Details

University of Utah host University of Louisville, Saturday, September 26, 2009 5:30 pm Mountain Time, televised on CBS-CSN.

Sources: www.uoflcardgame.com