I forgot to mention in my "Hello Clevelander!" dispatch a super nice comment about the UofL Marching Band by a Wake Forest fan. As the band played in the middle of Ocean Drive yesterday afternoon, a man wearing a black and gold Demon Deacon hat approached photographer Tom Fougerousse and a couple of Cardinal fans and said, "If your football team is as good as your band, we're in a lot of trouble."
These Wake Forest fans are too nice. How can we be expected to build the requisite amount of fear and loathing toward a team with such nice fans. As we constantly grope for big-time football respect, we're playing a team who wasn't even invited to a bowl game the last time they won the ACC. Of course, that was more than 30 years ago. College football has changed.
Anyway, it was a mighty nice quote about the band.
So we finally get to talk about this matter of a football game. One of the draw backs to running around Miami these past four days has been losing touch with all the build up to the actual game. Don't get me wrong. We've been getting revved up for the Orange Bowl. That's what this intense tour of pre-game parties, pep rallies, horse racing, golfing and every other way to celebrate has been about--building excitement for UofL's first BCS appearance and providing a fun and memorable experience for fans. But I've been missing all the pre-game analysis and sports punditry. I know we're big favorites. I saw Lee Corso on ESPN last night say Wake Forest has zero chance. That makes me nervous. Corso, the former UofL coach, can be entertaining, but I've noticed he's often way off the mark with his predictions. And I'm still a little miffed about how harshly he dogged the Cards when they ascended to third in the nation and seemed poised to crash the National Championship game. The week between our euphoric win over WVU and our heartbreaking second-half collapse at Rutgers was kind of rough. We had never been so high in the poles yet so low in the minds of the national media. We really scared them to death. "Who wants to see Louisville in the National Championship?" one sports analyst sniffed in the days after the WVU win. It didn't happen this year, but as a former UofL coach once said, "We're on a collision coarse ..."
But why are we talking about this now? We've got urgent business ... pressing matters to attend to. How are we going to win this game tonight?
At one of the early Orange Bowl events, I ran into four grade schoolers who had traveled down from Louisville for the game with their parents. They all go to Our Lady of Lourdes. I asked them for predictions on the game, expecting something like: "I think Louisville is going to win 100-0." But when I asked the question, these kids suddenly became pensive. Josh Porter seemed to be playing the game out in his head, thinking to himself: "If Wake Forest's vaunted pass defense can hold Brian Brohm and his receivers in check, that could keep the Demon Deacons in the game until the fourth quarter. At that point anything can happen. But I really don't think the Cards defense is going to allow Wake to score enough." He finally predicted 38-24 Cards. His friend Jake Thieman looked for the Cards to blow out Wake 42-14. Michael Miller predicted a 35-10 UofL victory. And Brian Elpers said the Cardinals would prevail 44-23.
These guys knew their stuff. I found out why when I met Miller's mother, Dawn. Her husband--Michael's father--is former Cardinal football player from Howard Schnellenberger's early years David Miller.
I guess it's time for my prediction. I've seen just about every play of this season. I love this team. But this Wake Forest team reminds me of another big Cinderella team we played this year. A team in New Jersey. But I think the Cards will be ready. I look for it to be tight early, but the Cards will pull away in the second half. Final score: 44-17.
Now, I'm off to the Alumni Association's tailgate. This should be a fun afternoon of tailgating leading up to the game at 8 p.m. Look for me on TV. I should be easy to find. I'll be wearing red.
Tell John Drees Leellen said hello and to behave himself! GO CARDS! We are back here at the University holding down the fort while everyone is in Miami having a great time!
Posted by: Leellen | January 02, 2007 at 02:45 PM
Alright, Hyde - we'll see what you're made of. I'll take you out to lunch if your 44-17 victory prediction on the mark! :) Sounds like everyone is having a GREAT time in Miami. I'll be at the Fox and Hound tonight in Louisville to watch the game.
Posted by: Andrea | January 02, 2007 at 05:22 PM