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**InsiderEdge** · 10-14-2004, 05:17 PM

Get on this early and consider tonight and tomorrow simply a bonus.

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**InsiderEdge** · 10-15-2004, 07:27 AM

Should have been outright.

Louisville Cardinals at Miami Hurricanes 7:30 PM ET

Louisville Cardinals +9.5 –110 (2 Units)

Louisville can shock the world and break into the BSC picture with a win on Thursday. Miami is tough at home, tougher than most but their offense just cannot get going this season. They are ranked 80th in total offense, 64th in rushing offense and 77th in passing offense. Their defense is at the top but this will be the biggest test for the Hurricanes defense. Thus far they have faces the following pass efficiency offenses - Florida St. (94th), Louisiana Tech (85th), Houston (55th) and Georgia Tech (89th). Louisville comes in 8th. They have yet to face an offense that is ranked higher than 54th in total offense. Louisville is 4th. Miami has played the tougher schedule and that is skewing the rankings somewhat but the Cardinals offense has a lot of weapons, plenty more than they have witnessed against anyone else prior. Louisville’s defense is good enough to keep the pedestrian Miami offense in check.

The Miami pass defense ranks first in the country and hasn't allowed a passing touchdown. Opponents have completed only 38.2 percent of their passes. Louisville, by contrast, has completed 74.5 percent of its passes. Something is going to have to give. Establishing the running game will be the first priority for Louisville, as it has been all season. By trying to run inside, the Cardinals could negate some of the defense's speed. No team can have serious championship aspirations without a running game, and the Cardinals have developed one. But just as significant, against lesser competition, Louisville hasn't had to open up its passing attack, and head coach Bob Petrino has been able to keep some tricks up his sleeve. "Oh, I'll never tell that," Petrino said. "But we have a package we've been practicing since August and not everything comes out in some games. You just utilize parts of it." Petrino said he'll stick with the quarterback rotation against the Hurricanes. Stefan LeFors has run 179 total plays, while Brian Brohm has run 128. LeFors has led 30 drives, 15 of which have resulted in points. Brohm has guided 18 possessions and 11 scoring drives. "I think our offense is running on all four cylinders," running back Lionel Gates said. "We can't be stopped, so whatever they give us, we're going to take it and make the best of it. We have some great big-time players at this university, and we're going to make big plays. This game is for every other underdog team in the nation that you can go out and play against anybody if you just put your mind to it. I believe we can play with those guys." The Miami offense is going to have to make some plays, something that has been lacking from their offense. Brock Berlin isn’t the answer and neither is the backup. Coach Larry Coker won't say if he'll use freshman quarterback Kyle Wright early in Thursday's game against Louisville, but there are signs this will happen. In two appearances and a total of six possessions, Wright has led the Hurricanes to two first downs and no points. Wright has completed 5-9 passes for 30 yards, but he has been sacked six times. In those six possessions, Miami was held to -5 yards. The Hurricanes have allowed 10 sacks in their past two games and matters continue to get worse. Left tackle Eric Winston may not be the only starting offensive lineman to miss the game against Louisville. Center Joel Rodriguez wasn't able to practice last week because of a hamstring strain and could be replaced by Anthony Wollschlager, a sophomore. The Canes average over 32 points per game, but defense, the punt return game, and good opportunities have a lot to do with that. They thrive in teams making mistakes but Louisville doesn’t fit into that category. The Cardinals are third in the country in turnover margin at +2.25. Though the game is being billed in Louisville as one of the biggest in the program's history, it's just another game in Miami. There is talk about a concern that Louisville hasn’t played anybody yet and that they will be exposed against the first good team they have faced. However, there isn’t an overly huge difference between whom they have played and whom Miami has faced, with the exception of Florida St. Louisville's previous opponents have a combined 8-13 record while Miami's opponents are 11-11. Louisville would have to finish undefeated to become the first non-BCS team to break into one of the marquee bowls, but a win at Miami would open the door for that run.

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SEC Game of the Year - UL/Mia Tonight

SEC Game of the Year - UL/Mia Tonight

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