# 2007 Louisville Cardinals football team

The 2007 Louisville Cardinals football team represented the University of Louisville in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team, led by Steve Kragthorpe in his first year at the school, played their home games in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and were in their third year in the Big East Conference. With the stunning upsets, the team has missed a bowl game for the first time in a decade (since 1997).

## Pre-season

The Cardinals finished the 2006 season with a 12–1 record, including a win in the Orange Bowl. After the win, they were ranked fifth in the nation. Returning fourteen starters from their 2006 team, including quarterback Brian Brohm the team was picked, by the Big East media, to finish second in the conference, and were ranked between five and 13 in various preseason polls.

### 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. Two days later, Steve Kragthorpe, former head coach for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, was hired for the position. Though five assistant coaches were retained, five new assistants were hired in the off-season, three of which came with Kragthorpe from his staff at Tulsa.

### Roster changes

Although returning 14 starters from 2006, the team lost four players to the 2007 NFL draft. From the offense, running back Michael Bush was taken in the fourth round by Oakland and running back Kolby Smith was taken in the fifth round by Kansas City. From the defense, tackle Amobi Okoye was taken tenth by Houston while cornerback, William Gay was taken in the fifth round by Pittsburgh.

### Recruiting

The Cardinals signed 15 recruits for the new class, including three junior-college transfers. Included in the top-50 class were one five-star recruit on defense, three four-star recruits on offense and another four-star recruit on defense. Also entering in with the class was 2006 recruit Josh Chichester, who wasn't able to enroll with his recruiting class.
College recruiting information (2007) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Victor Anderson RB | Louisville, KY | St. Xavier HS | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | 4.44 | Jan 28, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Doug Beaumont WR | Louisville, KY | Male HS | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 176 lb (80 kg) | 4.45 | Sep 17, 2006 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 78 |||||||
| Michael Fennerty TE | Olympia, WA | Olympia HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 4.86 | Feb 24, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Patrick Grant DE | Lauderdale Lakes, FL | Boyd H. Anderson HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 218 lb (99 kg) | 4.6 | Feb 7, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Zach Kiernan OT | Newport, KY | Newport Central Catholic HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 242 lb (110 kg) | NA | Oct 10, 2006 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Dale Martin RB | Bolingbrook, IL | Bolingbrook HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 4.5 | Jan 6, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 77 |||||||
| Josh Miller WR | Palatka, FL | Palatka HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 182 lb (83 kg) | 4.5 | Jan 25, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| C.J. Peake S | Trotwood, OH | Trotwood-Madison HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | 4.55 | Jan 26, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Bilal Powell S | Lakeland, FL | Lake Gibson Senior HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 4.5 | Jan 24, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Matt Simms QB | Ramsey, NJ | Don Bosco Prep School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 4.8 | Jan 29, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 70 |||||||
| Chaz Thompson CB | Weed, CA | College of the Siskiyous | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 4.35 | Jan 21, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NA |||||||
| Greg Tomczyk OT | Princeton, NJ | The Hun School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | 4.88 | Jan 17, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 60 |||||||
| Woodny Turenne DB | Visalia, CA | College of the Sequoias | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 4.34 | Jan 25, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NA |||||||
| Mark Wetterer OG | Cincinnati, OH | Anderson HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 292 lb (132 kg) | 5.3 | Dec 2, 2006 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Willie Williams LB | Culver City, CA | West Los Angeles | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 232 lb (105 kg) | NA | Jan 25, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: NA |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: #47 Rivals: #41 |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Louisville Commit List 2007". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 14, 2007. "Scout.com Football Recruiting: Louisville". Scout.com. Retrieved August 14, 2007. "2007 Player Commitments – Louisville". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 14, 2007. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 14, 2007. "2007 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 14, 2007. |||||||

### Pre-season honors

Three Cardinal players were honored as part of pre-season watchlists for national awards.
* Brian Brohm – Manning Award and Maxwell Award
* Adrian Grady – Bronko Nagurski Trophy
* Eric Wood – Outland Trophy
In addition to the honors, Brohm was also named to the Playboy pre-season All-America team.

## Season
### Roster

Wide receivers
 3 Trent Guy – Sophomore
 4 Patrick Carter – Senior
 7 Mario Urrutia – Junior
 9 Chris Vaughn – Junior
21 Troy Pascley – Freshman
25 Josh Miller – Freshman
26 JaJuan Spillman – Sophomore
27 Doug Beaumont – Freshman
83 Steve Orndorff – Freshman
83 Andrew Robinson – Sophomore
84 Scott Long – Sophomore
85 Harry Douglas – Senior
87 Corey Thompson – Junior
89 Josh Chichester – Freshman
Centers
62 Nick Borgelt – Junior
77 Eric Wood – Junior
Offensive guards
63 Danny Barlowe – Senior
66 Mike Donoghue – Sophomore
69 Marcel Benson – Senior
70 Conrad Thomas – Freshman
71 Abdul Kuyateh – Junior
79 Mark Wetterer – Freshman
Offensive tackles
51 Ryan Kessling – Freshman
55 Greg Tomczyk – Freshman
65 Josh Byrom – Sophomore
68 George Bussey – Junior
72 Brian Roche – Sophomore
74 Jeffrey Adams – Freshman
75 Zach Taylor – Freshman
76 Hector Hernandez – Freshman
78 Breno Giacomini – Senior
Tight ends
49 Pete Nochta – Freshman
80 Mike Fennerty – Freshman
81 Scott Kuhn – Senior
82 Gary Barnidge – Senior
86 Zach Meagher – Freshman
Quarterbacks
 5 Matt Simms – Freshman
12 Brian Brohm – Senior
14 Hunter Cantwell – Junior
15 Bill Ashburn – Junior
17 Tyler Wolfe – Freshman
18 Caleb Newton – Freshman
Tailbacks
20 Victor Anderson – Freshman
24 George Stripling – Junior
28 Sergio Spencer – Junior
30 Dale Martin – Freshman
42 Anthony Allen – Sophomore
45 Blayne Donnell – Freshman
Fullbacks
32 Brock Bolen – Junior
48 Joe Tronzo – Sophomore
Defensive ends
 8 Deantwan Whitehead – Sophomore
56 Michael Adams – Sophomore
58 Rodney Gnat – Freshman
73 Zach Kiernan – Freshman
88 Brandon Cox – Senior
90 Johnnie Burns – Junior
95 Maurice Mitchell – Junior
Defensive tackles
52 Elisee Pompilius – Junior
91 L.T. Walker – Freshman
92 Willie Williams – Senior
93 LD Scott – Sophomore
94 Adrian Grady – Junior
97 Aundre Henderson – Freshman
99 Earl Heyman – Junior
Cornerbacks
 4 Travis Norton – Junior
 9 Woodney Turenne – Junior
14 Rod Council – Junior
15 Chaz Thompson – Junior
19 Johnny Patrick – Freshman
22 James Wyatt – Freshman
34 Bobby Buchanan – Junior
37 Marcus Folmar – Junior
39 Marcell Lesueur – Freshman
44 Maurice Urrutia – Freshman
Linebackers
 6 Preston Smith – Senior
 7 Willie A. Williams – Junior
11 Malik Jackson – Senior
29 Lamar Myles – Junior
31 Darius Mann – Sophomore
41 Eugene Sowell – Freshman
46 Terrance Butler – Senior
50 Josh McDonald – Sophomore
54 James Bryant – Junior
54 Rashad Roberts – Sophomore
55 Chase Floyd – Junior
57 Mozell Axson – Junior
96 Patrick Grant – Freshman
Safeties
 2 Richard Raglin – Junior
 5 Brandon Heath – Freshman
10 Latarrius Thomas – Sophomore
13 Jon Russell – Senior
21 C.J. Peake – Freshman
23 Stephen Garr – Sophomore
24 Scedric Moss – Freshman
26 Daniel Covington – Sophomore
32 Bilal Powell – Freshman
38 Deon Palmer – Senior
Long snappers
40 Dane Mattingly – Sophomore
Punters
29 Cory Goettsche – Sophomore
Place kickers
15 Mac Soult – Freshman
18 Art Carmody – Senior
36 Todd Flannery – Senior
43 Justin Waltrip – Freshman
44 Paul Belshoff – Freshman
64 Steve Hartman – Freshman
Sources: http://www.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/lou/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/07-fb-guide-44-59 http://louisville.scout.com/a.z?s=17&p=8&c=2&nid=696&yr=2007 :

### Coaching staff

The 2007 Cardinal team was coached by Steve Kragthorpe and his staff. Much of the coaching staff from 2006 remained, but Kragthorpe brought in other to fill out the staff, including, initially, three from his previous position. Keith Patterson was originally brought in from Tulsa as defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach, however returned to Tulsa before the season began for personal reasons. Patterson was quickly replaced by Mike Mallory.
| Name | Position | Year at Louisville | Alma Mater (Year) |
| Steve Kragthorpe | Head coach | 1st | West Texas A&M (1988) |
| Jeff Brohm | Quarterbacks | 5th | Louisville (1993) |
| Mike Cassity | Defensive coordinator Safeties | 4th | Kentucky (1976) |
| Reggie Johnson | Inside linebackers | 5th | Louisville (1996) |
| Mark Nelson | Defensive line Special teams | 1st | East Central (1980) |
| Greg Nord | Tight ends Recruiting coordinator | 13th | Kentucky (1980) |
| Charlie Stubbs | Offensive coordinator Wide receivers | 1st | Brigham Young (1978) |
| Brent Myers | Offensive line | 1st | Eastern Washington (1982) |
| Tony Alford | Running backs | 1st | Colorado State (1992) |
| Mike Mallory | Secondary | 1st | Michigan (1985) |

### Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | 7:30 pm | Murray State* | No. 10 | Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPNU | W 73–10 | 42,185 |
| September 6 | 7:00 pm | Middle Tennessee* | No. 8 | Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPN2 | W 58–42 | 40,882 |
| September 15 | 7:30 pm | at Kentucky* | No. 9 | Commonwealth StadiumLexington, KY (Governor's Cup) | ESPN Classic | L 34–40 | 70,857 |
| September 22 | 12:00 pm | Syracuse | No. 18 | Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPN+ | L 35–38 | 40,922 |
| September 29 | 3:30 pm | at NC State* | | Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC | ESPNU | W 29–10 | 56,487 |
| October 5 | 8:00 pm | Utah* | | Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPN | L 35–44 | 40,894 |
| October 13 | 7:00 pm | at No. 17 Cincinnati | | Nippert StadiumCincinnati, OH (The Keg of Nails) | ESPNU | W 28–24 | 35,097 |
| October 19 | 8:00 pm | at Connecticut | | Rentschler FieldEast Hartford, CT | ESPN | L 17–21 | 40,000 |
| October 27 | 12:00 pm | Pittsburgh | | Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPN+ | W 24–17 | 34,792 |
| November 8 | 7:30 pm | at No. 6 West Virginia | | Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WV | ESPN | L 31–38 | 60,992 |
| November 17 | 8:00 pm | at South Florida | | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL | ESPNU | L 17–55 | 57,288 |
| November 29 | 7:30 pm | Rutgers | | Papa John's Cardinal StadiumLouisville, KY | ESPN | W 41–38 | 39,612 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||