What we learned
Louisville: Bobby Petrino is officially the new "hot" coach. The Cardinals' game plan against Miami was nothing short of brilliant. While most Miami opponents -- read: Florida State -- tend to play conservative and scared against the 'Canes' intimidating defense, Petrino's offense went right at them. With an endless array of formations, Petrino's balanced attack involved spreading the field with four and five wide, lining up receivers in the backfield, having running backs throw passes, etc. The Cardinals threw for 293 yards and ran for another 256, with tailbacks Lionel Gates and Eric Shelton keeping Miami's defensive front off balance and receivers J.R. Russell, Montrell Jones and Joshua Tinch finding seams in the secondary, even causing some problems for All-America cornerback Antrel Rolle. Even QBs Stefan LeFors and Brian Brohm hurt the 'Canes with their feet, gaining 77 yards (not counting sacks). "We threw everything we had at them," said Petrino. "We threw it a lot tonight and used a lot of crossing routes. Our offensive oline did a great job and our quarterbacks' running helped."
Miami: Devin Hester is a special teams stud. We'd seen it earlier in the season, with Hester blocking a field goal against Florida State and returning two punts for touchdowns against Louisiana Tech. Thursday, the sophomore speedster was at it again, returning a punt 78 yards for a go-ahead touchdown, notching another 95 yards on four kick returns and racing downfield to make a monster hit on one of Louisville's returns. He would have had another touchdown on the opening kickoff of the second half, but it was called back for holding away from the play. "He's one of the most exciting players I've seen in football," said 'Canes coach Larry Coker. "He makes fast players look slow."
Player who impressed me
Stefan LeFors and Brian Brohm, QBs, Louisville. Coming into Thursday, LeFors ranked eighth in the nation in pass efficiency. Miami ranked first in pass efficiency defense. Guess who prevailed? LeFors showed extreme poise under often heavy pressure, especially considering he was sacked for an 11-yard loss on his first play from scrimmage. After not throwing a pass on the Cards' first two series, LeFors went 5-for-5 for 82 yards and a touchdown on the third. He wound up completing his first nine passes and completed 13-of-15 for 202 yards and two scores before halftime. His most impressive play of the game, though, came in the third quarter on third and 12 at the Miami 22. Recognizing the 'Canes' blitz would leave receiver Tiger Jones in one-on-one coverage with cornerback Kelly Jennings, LeFors audibled to a fade route and placed the ball perfectly over Jones' shoulder for the score.
A big hit gave LeFors a concussion and left him woozy much of the second half, though, and doctors eventually told Petrino to replace him after he fumbled away a snap. Enter Brohm, the all-everything hometown recruit who's seen action in every game so far. As a true freshman entering a tight game on the road in the fourth quarter against the No. 3 team in the country, all Brohm did was lead the Cardinals to a go-ahead touchdown and finish 7-of-12 for 51 yards while running for another 37. It's clear he has all the skills of LeFors with even more potential, which is why Louisville will probably continue to use both quarterbacks.
Locker room confidential
Cardinals basketball coach Rick Pitino and his former Kentucky player, Jamal Mashburn, watched the game from Louisville AD Tom Jurich's box. Pitino has a home in Miami. ... Louisville's 507 yards of offense was the most Miami had allowed since its 27-24 win over Florida State on Oct. 7, 2000. The 'Canes came into the game averaging 6.5 points and 215.8 yards allowed. ... In his first career start, Miami sophomore receiver Darnell Jenkins notched career highs with seven catches for 68 yards. Freshman tight end Greg Olsen, a Notre Dame transfer, had three catches for 95. ... Rolle, Miami's shutdown cover corner, allowed his first touchdown since the 2002 season opener to Louisville's Tiger Jones in the second quarter.
The Big Picture
Miami offensive coordinator Dan Werner said, "Hopefully this will get us on track ... well not 'on track' -- we're 5-0." After surviving the toughest non-conference test imaginable Thursday, the 'Canes enter the meat of their first-ever ACC schedule next week when they travel to N.C. State. It will be interesting to see whether Miami's on-and-off defense will continue the momentum of its second-half performance or struggle against the Wolfpack's stingy defense. Obviously, the national title is the 'Canes' ultimate goal, but first and foremost is winning the conference. A critical game looms Nov. 13 at 5-0 Virginia, which visits Florida State on Saturday. If the 'Noles were to beat the Cavs, Miami would be alone in first place in the league.
As for Louisville, the Cardinals certainly justified their top 20 ranking -- they should probably be higher -- and surely won a lot more respect from around the country. Looking at their remaining schedule, there's only one game, Nov. 4 at Memphis, that should even be a challenge for them, which begs the question -- if Louisville were to run the table, could it garner a BCS berth? Probably not, but if nothing else, a 10-1 season would serve as quite a springboard for the Cardinals' jump to the Big East next season. Shoot, they could probably win that league this year.
