Despite the score, this was actually kind of a dull game to watch. If they had played fundamentally sound football, Memphis could have won this one. They gave up one touchdown on a fumble return, another on a blocked field goal return, and yet another on a kickoff return - to the second-worst kickoff return team in the country! They further hurt themselves with numerous dropped passes and ill-timed penalties.
Louisville
14 Hunter Cantwell QB 6' 3" 236lbs 4.99 - still showing signs of the injury he suffered during the UConn game. Got off to a slow start and never quite found a rhythm. Showed a lot of guts. Stood in against the rush and tried to deliver. Threw well on the move considering the injury. Showed a lot to his teammates late in the game trying to get downfield to block on one play, delivering a very good block a few plays later, and just by gutting it out through the injury. Grade - slightly positive
32 Brock Bolen RB 5' 11.5" 238lbs 4.80 - 10 carries for 56yds with a long of 15. Never lined up at FB. Never caught a pass, nor he was he even targeted. Bullish, surprisingly light-footed runner. Looks a bit like Mike Alstott, at least as far as his running style is concerned. Could carve a role at the next level as a goalline / short-yardage specialist. Grade - slightly positive
68 George Bussey OG 6' 2" 306lbs 5.20 - lined up at LT. Showed nothing in either a positive or negative way to alter my opinion of him from my writeup two weeks ago against Connecticut.
77 Eric Wood C 6' 4" 301lbs 5.15 - continued to impress me. Good size, balance, strength, and agility. Never saw him give up penetration or lose his feet. Regularly saw him downfield looking for targets. Did get penalized a couple of times, one of which cost Bolen a TD. Grade - positive
94 Adrian Grady DT 6' 2" 305lbs 5.15 - see below
99 Earl Heyman DT 6' 2" 285lbs 5.05 - between the two of them, Grady and Heyman accounted for 3 solo tackles, 5 assists, and a TFL. Despite the both of them playing the majority of the snaps for the Cardinals, they had little impact on the game. Grade - slightly negative
52 James Bryant LB 6' 3" 257lbs 4.65 - DNP. Doesn't even show up on the game participation chart. Not sure what happened to him. Grade - N/A
9 Woody Turenne CB 6' 0.5" 182lbs 4.50 - more impressive in this game than against UConn. Not what I would call a shutdown guy at the next level, but has enough speed, is alert, and physical. Grade - slightly positive
Memphis
2 Steven Black WR 6' 2.5" 213lbs 4.60 - see below
22 Duke Calhoun WR (jr.) 6' 4" 200lbs 4.50 - see below
89 Carlos Singleton WR (jr.) 6' 8" 220lbs 4.60 - as a group the Tiger receivers are remarkably similar. Tremendous size, decent speed, decent hands, and numbers inflated by playing in a pass-heavy spread offense (though they are rotated heavily). Black caught 4 balls for 25yds, Calhoun 5 for 50, and Singleton 5 for 83 (wiht a long of 48) and a TD. Singleton by far has the most pro potential of the group due to his unnatural height, but neither he nor Calhoun should declare early. Grade - slightly positive
71 Brandon Pearce OT 6' 6" 290lbs 5.10 - I liked what I saw out of Pearce in this game. He seems to have the frame to carry more weight, which he'll need if he's going to be an RT (which is where he play for Memphis) in the NFL. He struggled with speed, so LT is out at the next level. If he stays at his current weight, he could be an LG in the pros with a team that plays a finesse-style offense. Due to the offense the Tigers run, I never saw him run block much, but he sustains his blocks well and at least holds his ground in that facet. Never saw him on the ground. Grade - slightly positive
53 Clinton McDonald DT 6' 2" 285lbs 4.70 - had seven sacks on the season coming into this game. Lined up at UT. Left the game early due to a left leg injury and never returned, so I saw very little of him. Grade - incomplete
8 Tony Bell S 6' 2" 215lbs 4.60 - listed as active for the game, but wasn't a starter. I listened for his name and looked for his number, but never saw hide nor hair of him. Grade - N/A
notes - Louisville OLB Rodney Gnat, a backup, had a major impact on this game. He batted down 3 passes, had a sack, a forced fumble, a solo tackle, an assist, and 1.5 TFLs. He's a redshirt sophomore who measures out at 6' 3" 245lbs and clocks a 4.75.