2007 Louisville game beginning of two game skid for Bearcats

UC was undefeated, coming home after a huge Big East win at an opponent’s place. It was homecoming. Students camped out for tickets a week in advance. The game had sold out in advance. The game was going to be telecasted on ESPNU. The city was in Bearcat state of mind.

It was the week of October 13th, 2007. But doesn’t it have striking similarities to this week’s game? Let’s hope the endings are very different.

My first home game at my new job—the endzone camera guy—was our homecoming game against Louisville. The Bearcats were 6-0, coming off an impressive 28-23 win over Rutgers in Piscataway. Louisville, the defending Big East and Orange Bowl Champs was floundering under first year head coach Steve Kragthorpe at 3-3.

I only say floundering at .500 because this was supposed to be a breakout year for Louisville. They returned Heisman hopeful quarterback Brian Brohm and wideouts Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia. Meanwhile, on the flip side, Ben Mauk had turned himself into a superstar in his half a season in Clifton. This game would be a battle to the end between the gunslingers.

Mauk threw for 324, three touchdowns and one pick while Brohm threw for 350, with three touchdowns as well. The turnovers were the difference in the end. The Bearcats fumbled the ball four times, losing two to the Cardinals and were picked off twice (although one was on a hail mary at the end of the first half by third string quarterback Tony Pike. Yeah, that Tony Pike).

It was enough to give the Cards a win 28-24. UC floundered inside the five yard line and had to settle for a field goal midway through the fourth quarter, or we could have been looking at a tie game at 28 and a whole new ballgame with about seven minutes to go. But what mattered on that mid-October night was the Cardinals scored more points than the Bearcats and went home with the Keg of Nails trophy given to the winner of the rivalry game.

And although the Bearcats won the matchup in 2008 down in Papa John’s Stadium, they return to Nippert on Saturday afternoon, a place they haven’t lost at in the past five games played between the schools in Cincinnati.

So, is it just me, or do Bearcat fans have more to worry about than who is playing quarterback this weekend for Brian Kelly’s team. Do Bearcat fans only need to look back to Kelly’s first Big East conference home game to realize how much it hurts to fall from the top of the mountain it’s taken so long to climb? I see some similarities between the two games. But only some.

Did you really think I was going to say UC has no chance against Louisville tomorrow? Let’s get real. Kragthorpe’s job is on the line, and Louisville doesn’t have a player the caliber of Brian Brohm playing for them.

Plus, fun stat, UC has turned the ball over just four times in all of 2009. That ranks tied for the fewest turnovers in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision along with Air Force and Oregon State. I have a safe feeling that this year’s game will be a whole lot more positive for Bearcat fans than this same game in 2007 was. And you can quote me on that.