I looked through all the records. For Louisville to become even marginally competitive and credible again, it will take a miraculous turnaround from 2018 to 2019, like only one that has occurred in all of Cardinal Football History.
The comparison is to the 1997 to 1998 turnaround, which in retrospect was simply astounding.
Ron Cooper's Cards had just gotten worse and worse as the 1997 season wore on. There were very few who even attended the last ever home game in Fairgrounds Stadium that season against East Carolina. 12,850 was the announced attendance. I was there. I remember the game well.
The season had started off poorly at 1-4 against a pretty tough schedule of what today are all Power 5 teams: @ Kentucky, Utah, Illinois, #1 Penn State, @ Oklahoma. The season's lone win came during that run against a very poor Illinois team by the score of 26-14. After that it was all downhill. A total of 8 losses in a row to finish the season.
The 11-game combined score of Cooper's offensively-challenged Cards was 245 - 407, for an average score of 22-37. An average two touchdown beat-down every game. The Cards gave up 50 points or more only twice - 57 points to #1 Penn State and 64 points to Tulane.
Louisville played zero FCS opponents that season. And their final season record was 1-10.
The next season was John L. Smith's first. Energetic, Smiling. Yelling. Defense-Minded and ST-Minded. A players' coach who demanded energy and performance. He went 7-5. An incredible 6-game turnaround!
The 1998 Cards played 4 Power 5 level teams: Kentucky, @ Utah, @ Illinois and Boston College. They beat Illinois and BC handily. The Cards scored more than 60 points 3 times: against Cincinnati, Western Kentucky and East Carolina. They allowed more than 50 points twice: 68 vs Kentucky in the PJCS Stadium Opener and 56 @ Southern Miss.
The combined score in the 7-5 season was: 473-435. For an average score of 39 - 36.
John L's OC was Bobby Petrino. Chris Redman was his QB. Ibn Green, Arnold Jackson and Frank Moreau and Michael Josiah were on the team. Just to name a few.
It was quite a turnaround. It took an exciting Offense and an energetic motivated Defense. And the Defense still gave up a ton of points.
Louisville is going to need a massive turnaround of "John L proportions" after the ongoing 2018 debacle. There has never been a Louisville team that has allowed this many points. 473 points in 11 games! Allowing 43 points per game! There has never been a Louisville team that has been outscored by as many points! 22 points per game on average!
But even with a spectacular bounceback turnaround, I think setting expectations any higher than 5-7 in 2019 is foolhardy. I think this turnaround from the Depths of Hell is going to take at least two or three seasons.
The comparison is to the 1997 to 1998 turnaround, which in retrospect was simply astounding.
Ron Cooper's Cards had just gotten worse and worse as the 1997 season wore on. There were very few who even attended the last ever home game in Fairgrounds Stadium that season against East Carolina. 12,850 was the announced attendance. I was there. I remember the game well.
The season had started off poorly at 1-4 against a pretty tough schedule of what today are all Power 5 teams: @ Kentucky, Utah, Illinois, #1 Penn State, @ Oklahoma. The season's lone win came during that run against a very poor Illinois team by the score of 26-14. After that it was all downhill. A total of 8 losses in a row to finish the season.
The 11-game combined score of Cooper's offensively-challenged Cards was 245 - 407, for an average score of 22-37. An average two touchdown beat-down every game. The Cards gave up 50 points or more only twice - 57 points to #1 Penn State and 64 points to Tulane.
Louisville played zero FCS opponents that season. And their final season record was 1-10.
The next season was John L. Smith's first. Energetic, Smiling. Yelling. Defense-Minded and ST-Minded. A players' coach who demanded energy and performance. He went 7-5. An incredible 6-game turnaround!
The 1998 Cards played 4 Power 5 level teams: Kentucky, @ Utah, @ Illinois and Boston College. They beat Illinois and BC handily. The Cards scored more than 60 points 3 times: against Cincinnati, Western Kentucky and East Carolina. They allowed more than 50 points twice: 68 vs Kentucky in the PJCS Stadium Opener and 56 @ Southern Miss.
The combined score in the 7-5 season was: 473-435. For an average score of 39 - 36.
John L's OC was Bobby Petrino. Chris Redman was his QB. Ibn Green, Arnold Jackson and Frank Moreau and Michael Josiah were on the team. Just to name a few.
It was quite a turnaround. It took an exciting Offense and an energetic motivated Defense. And the Defense still gave up a ton of points.
Louisville is going to need a massive turnaround of "John L proportions" after the ongoing 2018 debacle. There has never been a Louisville team that has allowed this many points. 473 points in 11 games! Allowing 43 points per game! There has never been a Louisville team that has been outscored by as many points! 22 points per game on average!
But even with a spectacular bounceback turnaround, I think setting expectations any higher than 5-7 in 2019 is foolhardy. I think this turnaround from the Depths of Hell is going to take at least two or three seasons.
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