In terms of drama this game certainly didn't have much to offer which may well have been due to the injury issues both of these teams were dealing with. After sleepwalking through the 1st quarter locked in a scoreless tie, the Cardinals got on the board after Louisville wide receiver Trent guy went 53 yards to the Mountineer 15 yard line but after three plays produced just 5 yards the cardinals settled for a 37 yard Chris Philpott field gal for a 3-0 lead with 4:16 to go in the first half.

The Mountaineers came right back taking the ensuing kickoff and driving 72 yards on 8 plays to take a 7-3 lead on an 8 yard touchdown pass from Jarret Brown to Jock Sanders and with just 29 seconds remaining in the half it looked like West Virginia would go to the break with the 7-3 lead however.....A season long problem raised it's ugly head again as the Cardinals Trent Guy took the ensuing kickoff at his own 13 yard line and returned it 32 yards to the Louisville 45 and the Cardinals were in business again driving 28 yards on 4 plays and Chris Philpott connected on a 44 yard field goal to close the gap to 7-6 at the break.

After going 3 and out on their first possession of the 2nd half the Cardinals Cory Goettsche's 38 yard punt was returned 7 yards by Jock Sanders and the Mountaineers moved the football 62 yards on 6 plays capped off with a 9 yard Tavon Austin touchdown run and West Virginia took a 14-6 lead. The big play of the drive was a 24 yard Jarrett Brown scramble to set up the touchdown. After trading punts the Cardinals got got the ball back 1st and 10 at their own 20 and after 3 plays Louisville was looking at 4th and their own 28 when senior punter Cory Goettsche shanked a 15 yard punt off the side of his foot that was downed at the Cardinal 43 yard line. The Mountaineer offense took advantage of the Cardinals generosity and moved the football to the 25 yard line before settling for a 42 yard Tyler Bitancurt field goal and a 17-6 lead with 3:42 to go in the 3rd quarter.

After yet another Cory Goettsche shanked punt of 22 yards left the Mountaineer offense with a 1st and 10 at their own 46 yard line with just a minute to go in the 3rd quarter most of us were thinking if we get another score, even another field goal and take a 24-6 or 20-6 lead into the 4th quarter the Cardinals might lose interest in this game. However..... on 1st down the snap from center was high and Jarrett Brown couldn't handle it and the ball was recovered by Louisville's L.D. Scott at the WVU 42. The Cardinals moved the football 30 yards on 11 plays before the drive stalled at the Mountaineer 12 yard line and the Cardinals settled for their 3rd Chris Philpott field goal from 29 yards out and it was 17-9 with just over 10 minutes to play in the game.

On their next possession the Mountaineer offense took over at their own 20 yard line and ran the football the first 5 plays in the drive before Jarrett Brown got shook up on a 2 yard run and freshman quarterback Geno Smith had to come in to the game. After a 3rd down completion to Tyler Urban failed to produce a 1st down Scott Kozlowski got off a beautiful 52 yard punt that the Mountaineers downed at the 2 yard line and the Cardinal offense had to start there with 7:04 to go in the game. At this point was thinking Louisville will certainly run the football, most likely up the middle to get so room to punt and turn around field position, after all 7:04 is a long time in a football game. After a 1st down run produced a loss of a yard and it was 2nd and 11 from inside the one yard line and I am thinking could we see the second safety in as many weeks by the Mountaineer defense.....NO...... On the next play freshman Darius Ashley busted it out for a 35 yard gain to the Louisville 36 yard line. But a 3rd down sack of quarterback Will Stein the cardinals punted again and the Mountaineers Brandon Hogan fielded the ball at the 5 and returned to the WVU 10. Why he didn't let the ball go into the endzone for a touchback is beyond me. Perhaps he felt he could make something happen. Anyway the Mountaineers started at their own 10 with 3:34 to go needing a few first downs to put this one away......They went 3 and out and a Scott Kozlowski 49 yard punt gave the Cardinals their last chance at their own 41 with 2:24 to go in the game.

After a 3 yard loss on 1st down Will Stein hit Cameron Graham for 10 yards then scrambled for 10 more and the Cardinals were in striking distance with 1st and 10 at the Mountaineer 42 but consecutive sacks by West Virginia defensive lineman Julian Miller left the cardinals with a 3rd and 24 at their own 44 and after a couple of incomplete passes the Mountaineers took over and ran out the remaining 34 seconds for a much harder than imagined 17-9 victory over the 3-6 Louisville Cardinals. Julian Miller had three sacks today which gave him a team leading 8 ½ and 12 for his career.

With so many Mountaineer player banged up on both sides of the football the West Virginia coaches were hoping for a much easier contest so they could rest several of these players by the second half, instead a few of them got even more banged up. Noel Devine came into the game with a sore hip and turned an ankle in the 2nd quarter and could not return. All things considered the West Virginia defense played very well as several players stepped up to fill in for some key injuries. It is true that they did allow Cardinals freshman tailback Darius Ashley to rush for 164 yards on 33 carries, the most individual rushing yards allowed in nearly 3 seasons, they still kept the Louisville offense in check all day quarterback stein completing 14 of 26 passes for 99 yards and allowing an even 300 yards in the game.

Defensive injuries prevented or at least limited the play of Chris Neild, Scooter Berry, Josh Taylor and Reed Williams, desipte this the Mountaineer defense did not allow a touchdown because others like Julian Miller really stepped it up. It was good to see the Mountaineers do what they needed to do to win this game and move to 7-2 on the season. It would have been a disaster had they lost. Now it comes down to the three toughest Big East games of the season back-to-back-to-back. With three games to go all the Mountaineers goals are in front of them. If they win out they win the Big East and get the BCS birth. Of course the way the Mountaineers are playing on offense they could easily lose ALL THREE OF THESE GAMES and finish 7-5 on the season and be headed to, at best the Fort Lauderdale bowl.

I will be at Nippart Stadium next week on Friday the 13th for the big showdown with the Bearcats. if the Mountaineer offense shows up they have a real chance to upset the Bearcats. It is incredible but the Mountaineers have never lost at Nippart Stadium. I was there to see all 3 victories at Nippart in 2002, 2005 and 2007. It is a great place to see a college football game.

Until Next Time.......Let's GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Mountaineers!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
Click the Helmet For a box score of the game with the Louisville Cardinals