Hurricanes Ready for 20th-ranked Louisville
Oct. 7, 2004
(Please note the Hecht Athletic Ticket Office on Thursday, Oct. 14 is open only from 9-noon on Thursday prior to the Louisville game that night. The ticket office will then operate from the Orange Bowl South Plaza beginning at 2 pm).
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Miami Hurricanes (No. 4 AP / No. 4 ESPN/USA TODAY)
vs. LOUISVILLE CARDINALS (No. 20 AP / No. 20 ESPN/USA TODAY)
When: 7:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, October 14, 2004
Where: Orange Bowl (natural grass; 72,319) in Miami, Fla.
National TV: ESPN will televise the game live with Mike Tirico (play by play), Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit (analysis) and Jill Arrington (field reporter).
Tape Delay: CSS will televise the game on tape delay at 7 p.m. Wednesday, with Frank Forte (play by play) and Dave Heffernan (analysis).
Local Radio: The Hurricanes Radio Network (WQAM 560 AM and ESPN 760 AM West Palm Beach) will carry the game live with Joe Zagacki (play by play), Don Bailey Jr. (analysis) and Brian London (sideline reporter). Josh Darrow is the studio host.
Student Station WVUM (90.5 FM) will broadcast the game, with Jeremy Marks-Peltz and Adam Aizer and calling the action.
Radio En Espanol: WSUA 1260 AM will broadcast the game in Spanish with Roly Martin (play by play) and Joe Martinez (analysis).
Websites: Miami (www.hurricanesports.com) and Louisville (www.UofLsports.com)
This week’s game:
The fourth-ranked Miami Hurricanes return home to the friendly confines of the Orange Bowl to take on the 20th-ranked Louisville Cardinals on Thursday, Oct. 14. Kickoff for the nationally televised game on ESPN is set for 7:30 p.m. EDT. The Hurricanes are coming off a 27-3 victory at Georgia Tech on Oct. 2 in Atlanta and are now 4-0 for the season and ranked No. 4 in the AP poll and No. 4 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. The Hurricanes trail Southern California, Oklahoma and Georgia in both polls, but they have already received two first-place votes in the coaches poll.
In their first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference and in search of their sixth national championship, the Hurricanes have continued their presence as one of the top collegiate teams in the country. Against Georgia Tech, the Hurricanes fell behind 3-0 on the Yellow Jackets’ first drive of the game, but then reeled off 27 unanswered points for their first victory on the road in ACC play. Brock Berlin answered his critics with an excellent day throwing the football, going 10 for 20 for 200 yards and a career-high three touchdown passes. Berlin also found the touch on his deep ball, completing scoring passes of 57 and 44-yards. He now boasts a record of 14-2 as a starting quarterback at Miami. Frank Gore had an outstanding day running the football with a season-high 124 yards on 15 carries (8.3 ypc). Tyrone Moss also chipped in with 46 yards on 14 carries, as Miami equaled its season high for total offense with 364 yards. The Miami defense continued its stingy ways, holding Georgia Tech to just three points and 68 passing yards. The Hurricanes’ defense has allowed only one touchdown in the past 18 quarters (dating back to the second quarter of the 2004 FedEx Orange Bowl Classic).
Through three games, the Hurricanes have allowed only 26 points, with one of the two touchdowns allowed coming on a fumble return (the defense has given up just one touchdown and four field goals). Miami ranks third in the NCAA in total defense, 22nd in rushing defense, second in pass defense, first in pass defense efficiency and second in scoring defense. The Hurricanes are looking for their ninth consecutive victory. They have not lost since last November 8, a 10-6 loss to Tennessee. After the Louisville game, the Hurricanes will have nine days before they return to action on October 23 with a trip to North Carolina State. Their final six games will be against ACC foes.
THE OPPONENT: The Cardinals are 4-0, with a 2-0 first-place record in Conference USA. The Cardinals pack a strong 1-2 punch with an offense averaging 42.3 points per game and 503.8 yards per game and a defense that has allowed only 7.0 points per game. Head coach Bobby Petrino is in his second season at the helm of the Louisville program. Petrino boasts a 13-4 career record after a 9-4 campaign and an appearance in the GMAC Bowl in 2003. The Cardinals have a two-headed quarterback threat in Stefan LeFors and freshman Brian Brohm. LeFors has completed 75 percent of his passes for 170 yards per game, while Brohm has completed 75.6 percent of his passes for 87.8 yards per game. Eric Shelton and Michael Bush lead the Louisville ground attack, averaging 74 and 62.2 yards, respectively. Senior linebacker Brian McCune heads the Cardinals’ defense with 37 tackles, including 22 solo stops.
THE SERIES: The game will be the 10th game in the series, with Miami holding an 8-0-1 lead over Louisville. The teams first played on Nov. 10, 1933, in Miami, with the Hurricanes securing a 33-7 win. UM’s only blemish against the Cardinals was a 13-13 tie on Nov. 10, 1950. The two teams last faced off on Oct. 26, 1985, with Miami handing Louisville at 45-7 defeat. UM is 4-0-1 against the Cardinals in the Orange Bowl.
A HURRICANES VICTORY OVER THE CARDINALS WOULD: Give them a 5-0 record for the season and mark the fourth straight year the Hurricanes have won their first five games. It would also keep the Hurricanes undefeated against Louisville with a 9-0-1 mark in the all-time series. It would conclude non-conference play for Miami with a perfect 3-0 record.
