University of Louisville Football 2001 Media Guide. The 2000 Season

Transcription

1 The 2000 Season Safety Anthony Floyd picked off a school record 10 passes in 2000 as the Cardinal defense finished No. 1 nationally with 27 interceptions. 121

2 Louisville 40, Kentucky 34 OT September 2, 2000 Papa John's Cardinal Stadium From: Louisville Courier-Journal, KY -- A lightning storm delayed the football game in the third quarter, but it was the University of Louisville s Tony Stallings who provided the electrifying finish to last night s incredible season opener at Papa John s Cardinal Stadium. The junior tailback scored on a 25-yard run on Louisville s first play of overtime, giving the Cardinals a victory over the University of Kentucky and capping a wild night punctuated by a violent storm that halted play for 74 minutes. UK, which led 19-7 at halftime but had to rally in the fourth quarter, got the ball first in the extra period. Jared Lorenzen s pass on second down was intercepted by safety Anthony Floyd, putting U of L in position to beat the Wildcats for the second year in a row. Stallings made it happen. The converted linebacker shot through the middle of the line and ran untouched for the winning score. He sprinted on through the end zone and tackled an onlooker, and seconds later found himself on the bottom of a large pile of teammates. As the clock struck midnight, U of L players and fans celebrated, while stunned UK players and coaches walked slowly off the field. It was a pretty exciting football game, U of L coach John L. Smith said in an understatement. I feel sorry for the fans who left. I was very proud of our guys. We gave it away several times, then came and took it back. The crowd was announced 42,515, the second largest in stadium history, but many weren t around for the end. They left in the third quarter, when the storm interrupted play and soaked the spectators, players and coaches. Stallings who had just one carry last season, ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. But he was far away from the only U of L hero. Kentucky Louisville UK: Dougie Allen 34 pass from Jared Lorenzen (run failed), 13:26 left. Drive: 3 plays, 69 yards, 1:34 UK: Derek Smith 34 pass from Lorenzen (Brandon Sanders kick), 7:14 left. Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 2:56 UL: Deion Branch 33 pass from Dave Ragone (Wade Tydlacka kick), 3:56 left. Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 3:18 UK: Lorenzen 1 run (pass failed), 10:37 left. Drive: 8 plays, 71 yards, 3:39 UL: Arnold Jackson 12 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 12:50 left. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 3:58 UL: Tony Stallings 1 run (pass failed), 4:27 left. Drive: 4 plays, 39 yards, 1:18 UK: Marlon McCree 9 fumble return (Smith pass from Lorenzen), 12:50 left. UL: Branch 18 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 12:05 left. Drive: 2 plays, 30 yards, 0:45 UK: Quentin McCord 67 pass from Lorenzen (Sanders kick), 8:46 left. Drive: 2 plays, 70 yards, 0:15 UL: Chris Lester 3 run (Tydlacka kick), 5:09 left. Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 3:37 Overtime UL: Stallings 25 run (no PAT attempt). Drive: 1 play, 25 yards. UK UL FIRST DOWNS Rushing 6 10 Passing 8 13 Penalty 1 2 Rushing Attempts Yards Gained Rushing Yards Lost Rushing NET YARDS RUSHING NET YARDS PASSING Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted 3 0 TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS TOTAL NET YARDS Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Number of Punts-Yards Average Per Punt Punt Returns: Number-Yards Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Interceptions: Number-Yards Fumble Returns: Number-Yards Miscellaneous Yards 0 0 Possession Time 25:19 34:41 Third-Down Conversions 4 of 10 6 of 12 Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 0 0 of 2 Sacks By: Number-Yards Sophomore quarterback Dave Ragone threw for 256 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start. Deion Branch caught two of those TD passes and was the game s leading receiver with nine catches for 123 yards. Two of the Cardinals biggest plays came in the final minute of regulation. First, after a bad snap eluded Ragone and UK linebacker Marlon McCree picked up the ball and appeared headed for a go-ahead touchdown, wide receiver Zek Parker chased him down and tackled him at the 2-yard line with 47 seconds remaining. (McCree had scored on a nearly identical play early in the fourth quarter.) Then, after the Cats failed to score on three running plays, sophomore safety Curry Burns blocked Brandon Sanders 18-yard field-goal attempt on the final play of regulation, forcing the overtime. After and exchange of punts to open the second half, U of L drove 80 yards in 10 plays to cut its deficit to A 12-yard pass from Ragone to Arnold Jackson capped the drive. Moments later, with lightning flashing around the stadium, the official stopped the game. After the delay, UK received the kickoff and drove to the U of L 34. But on second down, Lorenzen s pass over the middle was tipped at the line by Kennedy and picked off by Burns, who returned it 33 yards to the UK 39, setting up a go-ahead score. Stallings ran 30 yards on the next play, and two plays later he bulled one yard up the middle to put U of L on top for the first time, 20-19, with 4:27 left in the third quarter. A two-point conversion try failed, but the Cards took that one point edge into the final period. That s when things got really wild. KENTUCKY Jared Lorenzen Artose Pinner Derek Homer Jared Lorenzen Derek Smith Dougie Allen Chad Scott Derek Homer Gary Hughes Quentin McCord Chase Harp Jimmy Robinson Artose Pinner Anthony Kelly Brad Pyatt Tony Stallings Chris Lester Dave Ragone Arnold Jackson Team Dave Ragone Deion Branch Arnold Jackson Ronnie Ghent Chris Lester Damien Dorsey Zek Parker Tony Stallings

3 Louisville 52, Grambling 0 September 9, 1999 Papa John's Cardinal Stadium From: Louisville Courier-Journal, KY - With all due respect to Grambling State s nationally recognized marching band, this show was over before halftime. Dave Ragone threw four first-half touchdown passes two of them to Deion Branch and defensive end Michael Josiah matched a school single game record with four sacks as the University of Louisville football team built a 38-0 halftime lead and coasted to a 52-0 victory over Grambling last night at Papa John s Cardinal Stadium. Despite the scoring output, it was a dominant defense that led the way for U of L. The Cardinals sacked quarterback Randy Hymes 10 times for 81 yards and held the Tigers to 60 yards on 70 plays, which helped offset 132 yards in penalties against the winners. It was U of L s first shutout since a 39-0 win over Northeast Louisiana on Nov. 11, 1995, a span of 50 games. The Cardinals started sluggishly, going three-and-out on their first possession and fumbling on the first play of their second. But after Grambling missed a 43-yard field-goal attempt with 8:19 to play in the first quarter, the U of L offense came to life and the defense started squeezing the life out of the Tigers. Four plays after the that missed kick, Ragone found Zek Parker on a slant pattern to the right, and Parker then angled to the other side of the field for a 50-yard touchdown play and a 7-0 lead. The drive, which began at Louisville s 26-yard line, was the last time in the half that the Cardinals had to start in their own territory. Thanks to a defense that had at least one sack on each of Grambling s first seven possessions, the Cards began their next seven possessions on the Tigers 36, 32, 29, 22, 21, 46, and 35. It didn t make for big rushing and passing totals, but it did help light up the scoreboard. Even with two touchdowns called back because of penalties a 42- yard punt return by Arnold Jackson and a 66-yard interception return by Anthony Floyd - the Cards scored on six of their last eight possessions in the first half. Included were TD catches of 37 and 26 yards by Branch, a 10-yard scoring pass to redshirt freshman tight end Richard Owens and a 40-yard field goal by Wade Tydlacka. Ragone and the rest of U of L s starters left after the second series of the second half. The sophomore was 12 of 17 for 177 yards and the four TD s with one interception, his first of the season. Branch led U of L s receivers with three catches for 73 yards, and Parker had two catches for 67 yards. Arp has seven unassisted tackles five behind the line. Derrick Kennedy forced a fumble for the second straight game when he stripped Hymes and recovered the ball early in the second quarter. Starting in place of junior Micah Mays, who Williams said had a sore shoulder, Hymes hit on 13 of 31 passes for 116 yards. With the game well in hand, several U of L reserves got a chance to see significant action. Henry Miller, a sophomore running back who missed spring practice after back surgery wound up leading the Cardinals with 63 yards on five carries, including a 44-yarder that set up the final score, a 2-yard run by backup quarterback, Mike Watkins. Stallings added 53 yards on 11 carries, and Chris Lester ran seven times for 35 yards. Watkins, a senior who lost a close battle with Ragone for the starting job, made the most of his first action of the season. He completed a 5- yard pass to Brown on a fake punt play and ran for both U of L scores in the second half. Grambling Louisville UL: Zek Parker 50 pass from Dave Ragone (Wade Tydlacka kick), 6:26 left. Drive 4 plays, 74 yards 1:53 UL: Deion Branch 37 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 0:57 left. Drive: 1 play, 32 yards, 0:10 UL: Richard Owens 10 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 12:30 left. Drive: 4 plays, 29 yards, 1:31 UL: Tydlacka 40 field goal, 10:10 left. Drive: 4 plays, -1 yards, 1:21 UL: Branch 26 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 2:53 left. Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 2:40 UL: Tony Stallings 26 run (Tydlacka kick), 0:11 left. Drive: 3 plays, 35 yards, 0:35 UL: Mike Watkins 1 run (Tydlacka kick), 0:04 left. Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:02 UL: Watkins 2 run (Tydlacka kick), 3:32 left. Drive: 9 plays, 82 yards, 3:50 GSU UL FIRST DOWNS Rushing 2 8 Passing 6 8 Penalty 2 1 Rushing Attempts Yards Gained Rushing Yards Lost Rushing NET YARDS RUSHING NET YARDS PASSING Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted 1 1 TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS TOTAL NET YARDS Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Number of Punts-Yards Average Per Punt Punt Returns: Number-Yards. 1-(-7) 6-51 Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Interceptions: Number-Yards Fumble Returns: Number-Yards Miscellaneous Yards 0 30 Possession Time 33:03 26:57 Third-Down Conversions 3 of 17 6 of 13 Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 3 2 of 2 Sacks By: Number-Yards GRAMBLING Trey White Michael Young Vyron Brown Brad Hill J.J. Brown Team Randy Hymes Randy Hymes J.J. Brown Scotty Anderson Levi Washington Chris Highshaw Rasheed Rashan Henry Miller Tony Stallings Chris Lester T.J. Patterson Dave Ragone Kyle Samons Dewayne Taylor Mike Watkins Dave Ragone Mike Watkins Gerry Ahrens Arnold Jackson Deion Branch Zek Parker T.J. Patterson Richard Owens Ronnie Ghent Damien Dorsey Michael Brown Tony Stallings

4 Florida State 31, Louisville 0 September 23, 2000 Doak Campbell Stadium From: Louisville Courier-Journal TALLAHASSEE, FL - The University of Louisville football team wanted to shock the world, but No. 2 ranked Florida State left the Cardinals high-powered offense with a dead battery last night at Doak Campbell Stadium. U of L got a strong effort from its own defense for much of the game but couldn t dent the defense of the defending national champion Seminoles in a 31-0 loss before a crowd of 80,741. Instead of becoming the first visiting team to win here since 1991, the Cardinals - who averaged 46 points in their first two games - suffered their first shutout since a 19-0 loss to Arizona State on Sept. 19, It also was the first scoreless defeat in John L. Smith s 11-year plus head coaching career. The Cards hadn t scored fewer than 21 points in a game in his two plus years at U of L. The Cardinals (2-1) lost for the 12 th straight time to the Seminoles (4-0), who won their 31 st in a row at Doak Campbell. Senior quarterback Chris Weinke won his 24 th straight game as a starter. They re great, Smith said. But we re disappointed, because early on we had a number of opportunities and we couldn t take advantage of any of them. It s a wonder they didn t run is out of here in the first half with the mistakes we made. Things didn t look so bad for a while. The Cards took the opening kickoff and put together a pair of first downs to drive 30 yards to midfield. But a fourth-down fake punt failed, when backup quarterback Mike Watkins was short on a pass intended for Michael Brown, and Florida State took over on its own 49-yard line. Trailing 7-0, U of L threatened midway through the first quarter after the first of Rashad Holman s two interceptions. But after the visitors drove to Florida State s 26 and 42 yard field-goal attempt by Wade Tydlacka went wide right. While U of L was struggling on offense, the Seminoles weren t faring much better. They didn t score another touchdown on offense in the half, but they did get into the end zone late in the second quarter when linebacker Tommy Polley picked off a third-down pass at the U of L 4 and ran it in for the easy score. That made it 17-0 at halftime. The Seminoles only sustained scoring drive of the half resulted in a 24-yard field goal by Matt Munyon early in the second period. That drive was aided by two controversial penalties. U of L had minus-9 yards rushing in the first half and wound up with 3 net yards in 21 carries. Florida State also disrupted Ragone by batting down three of his passes on U of L s first three drives. Florida State finished the first half with just 41 net yards rushing, but that would change in the second half. After a fumble stalled their opening drive, the Seminoles did just that. They pounded 91 yards on eight plays all on the ground - to take a 24-0 lead and total control of the game with 10:33 to play in the third quarter. The Cardinals would threaten one more time, after Ragone hit tight end Ronnie Ghent with a 46-yard pass to get them into Florida State territory. He hit Ghent again to set up first-and-goal at the 1, but two runs and two passes failed, and U of L came away empty. Despite giving up 509 yards, the U of L defense had its moments. It intercepted Weinke three times, the first ones he s thrown this season. But he also threw three TD passes, and Florida State rushed for 235 yards, 157 in the third quarter. Minor had 120 yards on 20 carries, his 12 th career 100-yard effort. The Seminoles sacked Ragone three times and allowed the Cardinals just 3.2 yards per play. Louisville Florida St FSU: Travis Minor 5 run (Matt Munyon kick), 7:35 left. Drive: 2 plays, 6 yards, 0:32 FSU: Munyon 23 field goal, 10:31 left. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 3:31 FSU: Tommy Polley 4 interception return (Munyon kick), 4:41 left. FSU: Chris Weinke 3 run (Munyon kick), 10:33 left. Drive: 8 plays, 91 yards, 2:10 FSU: Atrews Bell 31 pass from Weinke (Munyon kick), 4:38 left. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 1:52 No Scoring UL FSU FIRST DOWNS Rushing 1 12 Passing 8 11 Penalty 1 6 Rushing Attempts Yards Gained Rushing Yards Lost Rushing NET YARDS RUSHING NET YARDS PASSING Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted 1 3 TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS TOTAL NET YARDS Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Number of Punts-Yards Average Per Punt Punt Returns: Number-Yards Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Interceptions: Number-Yards Fumble Returns: Number-Yards Miscellaneous Yards 0 0 Possession Time 25:48 31:53 Third-Down Conversions 5 of 18 5 of 11 Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 2 0 of 2 Sacks By: Number-Yards Tony Stallings Chris Lester Dave Ragone Dave Ragone Mike Watkins Ronnie Ghent Arnold Jackson Deion Branch Zek Parker Tony Stallings Chris Lester FLORIDA STATE Travis Minor Jeff Cheney Greg Jones William McCray Nick Maddox Davy Ford Marcus Outzen Chris Weinke Chris Weinke Marcus Outzen Travis Minor Marvin Minnis Nick Maddox Anquan Boldin Robert Morgan Talman Gardner Atrews Bell Ryan Sprague Greg Jones Nick Franklin Randy Golightly Jeff Cheney

5 Louisville 41, connecticut 22 September 30, 2000 Papa John's Cardinal Stadium From: Louisville Courier-Journal, KY - The last time a stadium almost full of fans saw this many flags, it was in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. The University of Louisville football team lived up to its reputation as the most penalized team in the nation by tying a school record with 18 penalties in last night s victory over Division I-A newcomer Connecticut before an announced crowd of 38,121 at Papa John s Cardinal Stadium. A week after losing to No.2-ranked Florida State, the Cardinals played as if they had left their hearts in Tallahassee. The win boosted U of L to its first 3-1 start since 1993 Cardinals went 5-0 on their way to a Liberty Bowl victory. It also was their last nonconference game. They will begin Conference USA play next Saturday at Alabama Birmingham (3-1), but they didn t gain much momentum last night. Their 18 penalties (for 161 yards) matched the number they committed during a win over Cincinnati on Oct. 3, U of L nearly matched its NCAA-leading average of 13 flags per game with 12 first-half penalties. Florida State handed the Cards their first shutout since 1992, and they stayed sluggish in the first half against UCONN (2-3). Aided by two Huskies penalties, including a personal foul on a fourth-down punt that prolonged the drive, U of L broke its scoreless drought on its first possession of the game when Zek Parker brought down a 32-yard touchdown pass from Dave Ragone. It was the last time the Cards would reach the end zone in the first half. Behind senior quarterback, Ryan Tracey, the Huskies kept the ball away from U of L for much of the half. Before halftime, they held the ball for 19:33 to 10:27 for U of L, and they were ahead 9-7 after Geoff Heyl s 44-yard field goal with 11:17 to play in the half. U of L meanwhile, was stalled offensively. After their scoring drive, the Cards went three-and-out on their next two possessions, then Ragone threw an interception on a tipped ball as he was rolling left and approaching the sideline. That set up Uconn s field goal, then U of L went three-and-out again before a hurry-up drive of 46 yards in 1:20 set up Tydlacka s field goal to end the half. After passing for 98 yards in the first half, Ragone nearly equaled that total on the Card s first two drives of the third quarter. He hit Deion Branch on passes of 21, 15, and 9 yards to set up a 37-yards Tydlacka field goal that put U of L up Ragone completed five straight passes - and ran for 9 yards - in a 40-yard scoring drive that ended with a 9-yard TD pass to Arnold Jackson on the Cards next drive to make it But it was a defensive play that broke the game open. Sophomore safety Curry Burns scooped up a fumble and returned it 31 yards to put U of L ahead 27-9 with 3:42 left in the quarter. It looked as if Uof L might run away, but Uconn regrouped to match the Cards with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes from Tracey to Rashad Drayton and Ayo Sorrells. Tracey wound up with 27 completions in 54 attempts for 306 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. U of L got a pair of fourth-quarter scores on short runs by Ragone and Tony Stallings. Ragone was 19 of 32 for 253 yards and two TD s, with the one interception. He also ran nine times for 47 yards. Branch caught nine passes for 116 yards, and Jackson had seven receptions for 96 yards. Connecticut Louisville UL: Zek Parker 32 pass from Dave Ragone (wade Tydlacka kick), 8:48 left. Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 4:27 UCONN: Jason Fitzsimmons 27 pass from Ryan Tracey (rush failed), 5:36 left. Drive: 11 plays, 0 yards, 4:43 UCONN: Geoff Heyl 44 field goal, 11:17 left. Drive: 8 plays, 18 yards, 2:42 UL: Tydlacka 51 field goal, 0:00 left. Drive: 10 lays, 47 yards, 1:20 UL: Tydlacka 36 field goal, 10:45 left. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 4:15 UL: Arnold Jackson 9 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 6:35 left. Drive: 5 plays, 39 yards, 2:16 UL: Curry Burns 31 fumble recovery (Tydlacka kick), 3:42 left. UCONN: Rashad Drayton 5 pass from Tracey (run failed), 11:43 left. Drive: 11 plays, 81 yards, 4:50 UL: Ragone 1 run (Tydlacka kick), 7:47 left. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 3:56 UCONN: Ayo Sorrells 15 pass from Tracey (Heyl kick), 3:05 left. Drive: 14 plays, 73 yards, 4:42 UL: Tony Stallings 6 run (Tydlacka kick), 2:35 left. Drive: 4 plays, 37 yards, 0:30 UCONN UL FIRST DOWNS Rushing 3 4 Passing 14 9 Penalty 4 2 Rushing Attempts Yards Gained Rushing Yards Lost Rushing NET YARDS RUSHING NET YARDS PASSING Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted 0 1 TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS TOTAL NET YARDS Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Number of Punts-Yards Average Per Punt Punt Returns: Number-Yards Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Interceptions: Number-Yards Fumble Returns: Number-Yards Miscellaneous Yards 0 0 Possession Time 34:03 25:57 Third-Down Conversions 5 of 18 5 of 15 Fourth-Down Conversions 2 of 2 1 of 1 Sacks By: Number-Yards CONNECTICUT Chandler Poole Taber Small Ryan Tracey Ryan Tracey Jason Fitzsimmons Rashad Drayton Steve O'Connor Cliff Hill Taber Small Ayo Sorrells Tommy Collins Dan Deigman Tony Stallings Dave Ragone Chris Lester T.J. Patterson Zek Parker Arnold Jackson Team Dave Ragone Team Deion Branch Arnold Jackson Zek Parker Tony Stallings

6 Louisville 38, UAB 17 October 7, 2000 Legion field From: Louisville Courier-Journal BIRMINGHAM, AL - University of Louisville football coach John L. Smith put an extra man on the defensive line in yesterday s game against Alabama Birmingham. After the Cardinals whipped his team 38-17, UAB coach Watson Brown could have sworn Smith added two or three. It was a coming-out party as well for U of L s offense, which racked up 334 net yards against a team ranked 10 th in the NCAA Division I-A in total defense. The victory continued U of L s best start since the Liberty Bowl season of It also marked just the second time the Cardinals have won their C-USA opener. On UAB s first snap, Jegil Dugger C-USA s leading rusher took a handoff and found Alabama native and first-time starter Dewayne White in his face for a 2-yard loss. On the next play, former Alabama high school standout Josiah sacked Daniel Dixon for a 9-yard loss. On third down, Josiah was in the backfield again, with bandit Michael Brown, and they brought down Dugger for another 2-yard loss. The Cardinals had to drive only 49 yards for their first touchdown, which came on an 8-yard pass from Ragone to tight end Ronnie Ghent, and then the defense went to work again. It knocked the ball loose (the plays were ruled dead before they could be called fumbles) on UAB s next two carries, gave up a 1-yard run for a first down, then got an interception by Rashad Holman that gave the offense the ball back at UAB s 29-yard line. One play later, Ragone hit Arnold Jackson for TD. Three UAB plays later, defensive lineman Toby Dawson forced a fumble, linebacker Rashad Harris recovered it, and pretty soon U of L was up 17-0 without having the ball in its own territory. U of L showed a different defensive look against UAB s option than it has all season. Smith replaced linebacker Jeremy Freitag with Dawson, a 6-foot-2, 240 pound senior end who moved into the lineup as a fifth defensive lineman. Dawson gave the Cardinals one more defender against the run and helped free up Josiah and White on pass rushes. UAB adjusted to mount back-to-back scoring drives to pull within in the second quarter. When a Ragone pass was jarred away from Deion Branch and intercepted, it looked as if the Blazers might take the momentum into halftime. But Michael Brown took care of that with an interception that he returned to midfield. Four plays later, Ragone found Branch on a 24-yard fade pattern to the end zone, and the Cards took a lead into intermission. U of L s defense squeezed the rest of life out of UAB in the third quarter. The Blazers went the entire period without a first down. They rushed for just 4 yards and passed for just 14. When the Cards put together a 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended with an 8-yard TD pass from Ragone to Zek Parker, it was all but over. U of L gave up 225 yards of offense, but 105 came on UAB s last two drives with the game out of reach. Of the Blazers 187 passing yards, 95 came on two long completions. UAB managed just 38 yards rushing on 35 attempts. Dugger, who entered averaging yards per game, wound up with just 12 yards on seven carries. Ragone had his best game since becoming the starter. He was 14 of 17 in the first half, but two passes were dropped and his interception was a tipped ball. Overall Ragone wound up 21 of 29 for 227 yards and four touchdowns. He completed passes to six receivers and threw TD passes to four. And he gained 29 yards on three quarterback draws. The Cards went into the game plus-four in takeaways. Yesterday, they got interceptions from Holman, Brown and Anthony Floyd. Louisville UAB UL: Ronnie Ghent 8 pass from Dave Ragone (Wade Tydlacka kick), 8:35 left. Drive: 11 plays, 48 yards, 4:13 UL: Arnold Jackson 29pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 6:05 left. Drive: 1 play, 29 yards, 0:06 UL: Tydlacka 32 field goal, 1:17 left. Drive: 8 plays, 7 yards, 3:16 UAB: Bernard Anderson 2 run (Rhett Gallego kick), 12:10 left. Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 4:07 UAB: Gallego 35 field goal, 6:44 left. Drive: 8 plays 11 yards, 3:43 UL: Deion Branch 24 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 0:28 left. Drive: 4 plays, 51 yards, 0:44 UL: Zek Parker 8 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 5:54 left. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 4:39 UL: Chris Lester 4 run (Tydlacka kick), 6:35 left. Drive: 5 plays, 18 yards, 1:57 UAB: Royd Williams 4 pass from Jeff Aaron (Gallego kick), 3:24 left. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 3:11 UL UAB FIRST DOWNS Rushing 6 5 Passing 13 4 Penalty 4 4 Rushing Attempts Yards Gained Rushing Yards Lost Rushing NET YARDS RUSHING NET YARDS PASSING Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted 1 3 TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS TOTAL NET YARDS Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Number of Punts-Yards Average Per Punt Punt Returns: Number-Yards Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Interceptions: Number-Yards Fumble Returns: Number-Yards Miscellaneous Yards 0 0 Possession Time 31:05 28:55 Third-Down Conversions 6 of 14 5 of 16 Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 2 2 of 2 Sacks By: Number-Yards Tony Stallings Chris Lester T.J. Patterson Dave Ragone Dave Ragone Deion Branch Deion Branch Zek Parker Arnold Jackson Ronnie Ghent Tony Stallings Allen Carroll UAB Carl Fair Jegil Dugger Bernard Anderson Cory Conley Percy Coleman Cedric Thatch Jeff Aaron Daniel Dixon Thomas Cox Daniel Dixon Jeff Aaron Thomas Cox Leron Little Travis Johnson John Arrington Royd Williams Cedric Thatch Willie Quinne Cory Conley

7 Louisville 38, Cincinnati 24 October 14, 2000 Papa John's Cardinal Stadium From: Louisville Courier-Journal, KY - The University of Louisville football team was letting more than just the Cincinnati running backs slip through its grasp in the first half of yesterday s homecoming game. After giving up three turnovers and an uncharacteristic 80 yards rushing while falling behind at halftime, the Cardinals were in danger of letting their share of the Conference USA lead - and momentum for a major Thursday night showdown against league power East Carolina slip through their fingers. Then they got a grip. The U of L defense pitched a second-half shutout and junior running back Tony Stallings put on an all-purpose show to rally the Cardinals to a victory in front of a Papa John s Cardinal Stadium crowd of 39,223. The victory leaves the Cardinals (5-1) tied with Southern Mississippi at 2-0 in conference play. The main adjustment that kept them there wasn t complicated and was spelled out best by senior linebacker Rashad Harris: Just tackle people. A halftime tirade by defensive end Michael Josiah helped ignite the defense, and the absence of Cincinnati starting quarterback Deontey Kenner didn t hurt. The senior from Hopkinsville, KY., passed for 89 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score in the first half, but aggravated a torn abdominal muscle and didn t return the second half. Cincinnati, the No. 1 rushing team in C-USA, managed just 28 yards on 13 carries in the second half. After averaging 7 yards on 10 first half carries, sophomore Demarco McCleskey ran nine times for 10 yards in the second. A similar pickup was needed on offense after sophomore quarterback Dave Ragone threw a pair of first-half interceptions and coughed up a fumble, leading to 17 Cincinnati points. In the second half they feasted off him. After the Cardinals first drive of the half stalled, Ragone found Deion Branch for a 69-yard completion on third-and-four, setting up Ragone s 5-yard keeper that pulled the Cards within midway through the third quarter. Another big Ragone-to-Branch play, a 37-yard pass, set up a 25-yard field goal by Wade Tydlacka that tied it with 9:55 left in the game. With offensive coordinator Scott Linehan calling the plays as the Cards walked to the line of scrimmage, they were able to run at Cincinnati s weaknesses. Stallings took full advantage. He carried 19 times for 75 yards in the second half and scored the game-winning touchdown on an 11-yard reception with 4:54 to play. Rashad Harris added an exclamation point with a 33-yard interception return for a score with 19 seconds left. Ragone completed 25 of 31 passes for a career high 326 yards, and the Cardinal s 473 yards of offense was their best total this season. Stallings finished with 122 yards on 32 carries and caught four passes for 41 yards and a pair of TDs. Branch had just as big a game receiving. He had eight catches for 194 yards and got things going early with a 45- yard TD reception that opened the scoring. With Cincinnati going three-and-out on its first two possessions, the Cards appeared headed for a repeat of last weekends rout of Alabama Birmingham. But two plays got the Bearcats back into it. First a clipping penalty negated Arnold Jackson s 66-yard punt return for a touchdown that would have put U of L up Then Ragone threw a pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage, and he caught it himself, was decked and fumbled the ball away at the U of L 36. The Bearcats drove for the tying touchdown, tied it again at 14 after Stallings scored on a 21-yard catch, then built their halftime lead on Jonathan Ruffin s 22-yard field goal and Kenner s 1-yard sneak. Both of those scores followed interceptions. Cincinnati Louisville UL: Deion Branch 45 pass from Dave Ragone (Wade Tydlacka kick), 12:25 left. Drive: 3 plays, 56 yards, 1:27 UC: Ian Collins-Baker 7 pass from Deontay Kenner (Jon Ruffin kick), 6:18 left. Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 2:27 UL: Tony Stallings 21 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 1:41 left. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 4:37 UC: Demarco McCleskey 22 run (Ruffin kick), 0:00 left. Drive: 4 plays, 74 yards, 1:41 UC: Ruffin 22 field goal, 11:40 left. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 1:25 UC: Deontey Kenner 1 run (Ruffin kick), 2:40 left. Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 3:37 UL: Ragone 5 run (Tydlacka kick), 6:01 left. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:43 UL: Tydlacka 25 field goal, 9:51 left. Drive: 6 plays, 48 yards, 2:11 UL: Tony Stallings 11 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 4:54 left. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:09 UL: Rashad Harris 33 interception return (Tydlacka kick), 0:19 left. UC UL FIRST DOWNS Rushing 6 9 Passing 7 15 Penalty 1 1 Rushing Attempts Yards Gained Rushing Yards Lost Rushing NET YARDS RUSHING NET YARDS PASSING Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted 3 2 TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS TOTAL NET YARDS Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Number of Punts-Yards Average Per Punt Punt Returns: Number-Yards Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Interceptions: Number-Yards Fumble Returns: Number-Yards Miscellaneous Yards 0 0 Possession Time 26:42 33:18 Third-Down Conversions 5 of 16 5 of 12 Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 1 0 of 1 Sacks By: Number-Yards CINCINNATI Demarco McCleskey Ray Jackson Deontey Kenner Adam Hoover Adam Hoover Deontey Kenner Antonio Chatman Ian Collins-Baker Ashley Hunt Tye Keith Demarco McCleskey Tony Stallings Dave Ragone Deion Branch Dave Ragone Mike Watkins Arnold Jackson Deion Branch Tony Stallings Chip Mattingly Ronnie Ghent Damien Dorsey Dave Ragone

8 East Carolina 28, Louisville 25 October 19, 2000 Papa john's Cardinal Stadium From: Louisville Courier-Journal, KY - The University of Louisville football team came up one big play short after backup quarterback Mike Watkins led a late comeback against East Carolina last night at Papa John s Cardinal Stadium. With starter Dave Ragone sitting out the second half with an injury to his right collarbone, Watkins came in with a deficit and led the Cardinals to a pair of touchdowns and a two-point conversion. But his fourth-down pass intended for Deion Branch in the end zone sailed long with 44 seconds left, and East Carolina escaped with a victory before a crowd announced at 38,025. East Carolina improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Conference USA. U of L fell to 5-2 and 2-1, a half-game behind the Pirates in third place in the conference. It was the Cards' first home loss of the season. A 66-yard punt by East Carolina s Kevin Miller backed the Cards up to their own 16-yard line to start what turned out to be their final drive. Watkins found Branch for a 20-yard completion on third down, then hit Zek Parker on another third down to put the Cards at midfield. They reached the 31, but then the trouble began. A scrambling Watkins was pulled down after a 1-yard gain, and on second down he spiked the ball to stop the clock with about a minute left. He didn t get the next play called quickly enough, and center Jason Padget had to snap the ball in shotgun formation before Watkins was ready for it. The ball hit the senior s leg and bounced to the ground, and he had to fall on it at the 34 with 44 seconds left. Faced with the choice of going for a first down on fourth-and-13 or allowing freshman Wade Tydlacka to try a 51-yard field goal that would have tied his season best, coach John L. Smith elected to go for it. All of it. But his pass for Branch at the right side of the end zone sailed out of bounds, and the Pirates ran out the clock. East Carolina quarterback David Garrard appeared to be taking over the game early in the second half when the junior drove the Pirates 91 yards in 10 plays, hitting Keith Stokes for a 12-yard TD pass that made it But Watkins began to look comfortable on his second possession of the half. He drove the Cardinals 59 yards in 7 plays to pull them within with 2:30 left in the third quarter. Feeding off the momentum from that drive, the U of L defense put together three consecutive stops until Watkins found a rhythm with Branch. Watkins hit the junior wideout on back-to-back passes over the middle for gains of 32 and 24 yards, then ran the final 8 yards on a quarterback draw. When Watkins found Arnold Jackson for the two-point conversion, the Cardinals were within a field goal. With the defense still on fire, the Cards got two more chances. They took over at their 49 with 6:10 left, but three straight passes fell incomplete, including a third-down attempt when Parker was knocked out of bounds with no call. The Cardinals punted, and the defense held once again, pinning East Carolina at fourth-and-nine on its 19, with Jackson awaiting a punt that figured to give U of L excellent field position. Instead, Miller boomed his 66-yarder over Jackson s head. U of L got its first score after Ragone found Branch for a 26-yard completion to the Pirates 9. After a scramble, Ragone found Damien Dorsey wide open in the end zone to tie it. East Carolina took the lead for good with a TD set up by another interception early in the second quarter. Tydlacka s 24-yard field goal got U of L within 14-10, but the Pirates finished the half up E. Carolina Louisville ECU: Arnie Powell 50 pass from David Garrard (Kevin Miller kick), 13:10 left. Drive: 4 plays, 59 yards, 1:21 UL: Damien Dorsey 9 pass from Dave Ragone (Wade Tydlacka kick), 3:41 left. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 5:13 ECU: Leonard Henry 4 run (Miller kick), 12:15 left. Drive: 2 plays, 11 yards, 0:11 UL: Tydlacka 25 field goal, 3:43 left. Drive: 9 plays, 27 yards, 3:58 ECU: Garrard 15 run (Miller kick), 0:26 left. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 3:17 ECU: Kevin Stokes 12 pass from Garrard (Miller kick), 10:30 left. Drive: 10 plays, 91 yards, 4:30 UL: Mike Watkins 6 run (Tydlacka kick), 2:30 left. Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 2:55 UL: Watkins 8 run (Arnold Jackson pass from Watkins), 8:00 left. Drive: 3 plays, 54 yards, 0:50 ECU UL FIRST DOWNS Rushing 12 6 Passing 7 15 Penalty 0 0 Rushing Attempts Yards Gained Rushing Yards Lost Rushing NET YARDS RUSHING NET YARDS PASSING Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted 2 4 TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS TOTAL NET YARDS Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Number of Punts-Yards Average Per Punt Punt Returns: Number-Yards Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Interceptions: Number-Yards Fumble Returns: Number-Yards Miscellaneous Yards 0 0 Possession Time 29:34 30:26 Third-Down Conversions 7 of 15 9 of 17 Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 0 0 of 1 Sacks By: Number-Yards EAST CAROLINA Leonard Henry David Garrard Jamie Wilson Keith Stokes Richard Alston Team David Garrard Keith Stokes Rashon Burns Arnie Powell Marcus White Jamie Wilson Marcellus Harris Leonard Henry Torey Morris Tony Stallings Mike Watkins Dave Ragone Mike Watkins Dave Ragone Team Deion Branch Tony Stallings Arnold Jackson Zek Parker Ronnie Ghent Damien Dorsey

9 Louisville 35, tulane 32 October 28, 2000 Papa John's Cardinal Stadium From: Louisville Courier-Journal, KY. - One big hit took the wind out of Tulane s offense and breathed new life into the University of Louisville s bid for a Conference USA football championship yesterday at Papa John s Cardinal Stadium. Defensive end Dewayne White knocked Green Wave quarterback Patrick Ramsey out of the game with a hard shot as he released a pass late in the third quarter, and the Cardinal s offense responded with some shots of its own in a comeback victory before a crowd announced at 30,387. The Cardinals (6-2, 3-1) also came out with sole possession of second place in C-USA. They are now bowl-eligible and assured of their third straight winning season. East Carolina, which beat the Cards on Oct. 19, lost at home to Alabama Birmingham yesterday for its second league defeat. That sets up a 1-2 matchup when U of L travels to No. 14 Southern Mississippi (6-1, 3-0) on Saturday. It was an uphill battle much of the way. Ramsey, who leads C-USA in passing yardage, had piled up 287 yards and completed 32 of 51 passes to lead Tulane to a lead before White nailed him with 4:23 left in the third quarter. Ramsey returned with 5:40 to play but lasted only four plays before Koby Clark hit him on another pass play to finish him off. Meanwhile, the U of L offense was getting a second win. The Cardinals took the lead on a 10-play, 62-yard drive that quarterback Dave Ragone capped with an 8-yard TD run. A two-point conversion pass from Ragone to Deion Branch made it On U of L s next possession, punter Chris Sivori ran 3 yards for a first down on a fourth-down fake, and U of L s running game, which had been dormant all afternoon, finally came to life. T.J. Patterson ran five times for 42 yards, the last 9 giving the redshirt freshman his first collegiate TD and the Cards a bulge. Freshman quarterback J.P. Losman hit Zander Robinson with an 8- yard TD pass with 1:25 left to cut the margin to then the Green Wave recovered an onside kick that bounced off of U of L backup quarterback Mike Watkins, who was in on the good hands return team. After one completion put Tulane in U of L territory, however, the Cards forced Losman into an incompletion and Chad Lee sacked him before Arp finished things off with his interception. Zek Parker got U of L going in each half with a huge kickoff return. He had a 72-yarder to set up the Cards first score, on a 3-yard pass from Ragone to Arnold Jackson. And he led off the second half with a 78- yarder to set up another Ragone-to-Jackson pass that gave U of L the lead back temporarily. Ramsey drove the Green Wave 80 yards for a score on the ensuing possession, and when Ragone was called for intentional grounding in the end zone with 3:10 left in the third quarter, Tulane led Ragone, who cut a finger on his throwing hand while taking snaps in pregame warm-ups, threw three touchdowns and also was U of L s leading rusher with 62 net yards on 15 carries. Parker finished with a career-high seven catches. Five of them converted third downs to first downs as the Cards were 10 of 16 in that stat. Sophomore defensive end Michael Josiah had three of the Cards six sacks, but they also matched a school record with 18 penalties for 147 yards. Tulane Louisville TU: Seth Marler 42 field goal, 11:34 left. Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 3:26 UL: Arnold Jackson 3 pass from Dave Ragone (Wade Tydlacka kick), 9:04 left. Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 2:30 TU: Marler 36 field goal, 3:04 left. Drive: 8 plays, 53 yards, 2:30 TU: Seth Marler 26 field goal, 10:09 left. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 2:56 UL: Ronnie Ghent 20 pass from Ragone (run failed), 2:43 left. Drive: 11 plays, 96 yards, 4:04 TU: Adrian Burnette 12 pass from Patrick Ramsey (Marler kick), 0:31 left. Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 2:12 UL: Jackson 9 pass from Ragone (Tydlacka kick), 13:11 left. Drive: 5 plays, 17 yards, 1:49 TU: Kerwin Cook 6 pass from Ramsey (Marler kick), 10:14 left. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 2:57 TU: Safety, UL Intentional Grounding in end zone, 3:10 left. UL: Ragone 8 run (Deion Branch pass from Ragone), 13:45 left. Drive: 10 plays, 62 yards, 3:17 UL: T.J. Patterson 9 run (Tydlacka kick), 5:54 left. Drive: 16 plays, 80 yards, 5:56 TU: Zander Robinson 8 pass from J.P. Losman (Marler kick), 1:25 left. Drive: 16 plays, 81 yards, 4:33 TU UL FIRST DOWNS Rushing 7 7 Passing Penalty 4 1 Rushing Attempts Yards Gained Rushing Yards Lost Rushing NET YARDS RUSHING NET YARDS PASSING Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted 3 0 TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS TOTAL NET YARDS Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Number of Punts-Yards Average Per Punt Punt Returns: Number-Yards Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Interceptions: Number-Yards Fumble Returns: Number-Yards Miscellaneous Yards 0 0 Possession Time 30:32 29:28 Third-Down Conversions 5 of of 16 Fourth-Down Conversions 2 of 3 1 of 1 Sacks By: Number-Yards TULANE Mewelde Moore Patrick Ramsey Brant Hocke J.P. Losman Patrick Ramsey J.P. Losman Adrian Burnette Kerwin Cook Mewelde Moore Royde Williams Terrell Harris Zander Robinson Dave Ragone T.J. Patterson Tony Stallings Chris Sivori Deion Branch Team Dave Ragone Arnold Jackson Zek Parker Deion Branch Ronnie Ghent

10 Louisville 49, Southern Miss 28 November 4, 2000 Roberts Stadium From: Louisville Courier-Journal HATTIESBURG, MS - This one was for the fake. And for Brett Farve s helmet pass. And for every heartbreak the University of Louisville football team has suffered at the hand of Southern Mississippi over the past 20 years. Four days after Halloween, Southern Miss had no more tricks as the Cardinals erased some haunting memories by dominations the No. 13- ranked Golden Eagles before a homecoming crowd of 31,667 at M.M Roberts Stadium. It was a win that earned U of L (7-2) sole possession of first place in Conference USA with a 4-1 league mark, a half game up on Southern Miss (6-2, 3-1). It also was the Golden Eagles first home loss since beginning C-USA play in 1996 and U of L s first victory over a ranked opponent since beating North Carolina State in Against the No. 2-rated defense in NCAA Division I-A a unit that had given up just 62 points all season - the Cards rang up 419 yards. And as it has all season, it was the U of L defense that got the Cards going after Southern Miss took advantage of quarterback Dave Ragone s fumble at U of L s 10-yard line to take a 7-0 lead. Early in the second quarter, sophomore safety Anthony Floyd picked off a Jeff Kelly pass and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown to tie the score. The U of L offense got its bearings midway through the second quarter when Ragone completed big third-down passes to Arnold Jackson and sophomore tight end Ronnie Ghent. The result was a 10- play, 61-yard drive that ended in a 6-yard TD pass from Ragone to Deion Branch for a 14-7 lead. The Golden Eagles answered a little more than a minute after Branch s score, when Kelly s screen pass to Dewayne Woods went for a 50-yard touchdown play that tied it. But a short punt enabled the Cardinals to drive 55 yards in five plays, capped by Ragone s 1-yard TD run that gave them a lead. That stood up for their first halftime lead in three games. After a 55-yard pass from Kelly to Kenneth Johnson tied it again, the U of L defense began what has become a trademark second-half surge. It took a Southern Miss penalty to change the course of the game, however. With U of L stalling on its second drive of the third quarter, Ragone was forced to throw the ball away on third down. But a roughing the passer penalty kept the drive alive. After two third-down completions to Branch, Ragone hit Ghent with a 3-yard TD pass that put U of L up for good, Three plays into Southern Miss s next series, redshirt freshman lineman Dewayne White tipped a Kelly pass, hauled it in and ran 35 yards for a touchdown to make it Four plays later, Floyd s third interception set up a 19-yard TD drive that put U of L up by three touchdowns, and the game was over with two minutes yet to play in the third quarter. Ragone finished with 293 yards passing, and a late 58-yard run helped junior running back Tony Stallings finish with 93 yards on 15 carries. But the offensive star may have been Ghent, who caught six passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. After losing last season s meeting on a last-second field goal set up by a trick play on a fake punt, several U of L seniors said they could finally put that memory to rest. Louisville So. Miss USM: Derrick Nix 1 run (Brant Hanna kick), 2:29 left. Drive: 3 plays, 10 yards, 1:51 UL: Anthony Floyd 36 interception return (Nathan Smith kick), 14:35 left. UL: Deion Branch 6 pass from Dave Ragone (Smith kick), 7:56 left. Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 3:48 USM: Dawayne Woods 50 pass from Jeff Kelly (Hanna kick), 6:34 left. Drive: 3 plays, 65 yards, 1:22 UL: Ragone 1 run (Smith kick), 0:41 left. Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 2:22 USM: Kenneth Johnson 55 pass from Kelly (Hanna kick), 10:47 left. Drive: 5 plays, 73 yards, 1:02 UL: Ronnie Ghent 3 pass from Ragone (Smith kick), 6:39 left. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 4:08 UL: Dewayne White 35 interception return (Smith kick), 5:05 left. UL: Ragone 4 run (Smith kick), 2:06 left. Drive: 4 plays, 19 yards, 1:34 UL: T.J. Patterson 5 run (Smith kick), 9:46 left. Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 2:06 USM: Kelby Nance 1 run (Hanna kick), 3:11 left. Drive: 4 plays, 26 yards, 1:29 UL USM FIRST DOWNS Rushing 4 7 Passing Penalty 4 2 Rushing Attempts Yards Gained Rushing Yards Lost Rushing NET YARDS RUSHING NET YARDS PASSING Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted 0 4 TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS TOTAL NET YARDS Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Number of Punts-Yards Average Per Punt Punt Returns: Number-Yards Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Interceptions: Number-Yards Fumble Returns: Number-Yards Miscellaneous Yards 0 0 Possession Time 30:39 29:21 Third-Down Conversions 6 of 16 6 of 14 Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 2 0 of 1 Sacks By: Number-Yards Tony Stallings T.J. Patterson Dave Ragone Chad Lee Team Dave Ragone Arnold Jackson Deion Branch Ronnie Ghent Tony Stallings Damien Dorsey Zek Parker SOUTHERN MISS Dawayne Woods Derrick Nix Kelby Nance Jeff Kelly Jeff Kelly Dawayne Woods LeRoy Handy Shawn Mills Kenneth Johnson Bobby Garner Dannye Fowler Derrick Nix

11 Louisville 38, Army 17 November 11, 2000 Papa John's Cardinal Stadium From: Louisville Courier-Journal, KY - A year ago, after an embarrassing overtime loss at Army, the University of Louisville football team s locker room was quiet. It was quiet again after yesterday s victory over Army at Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium, but for a much different reason. The Cardinals have replaced rowdiness with resolve. By winning yesterday, a young bunch picked to finish in the middle of Conference USA pack became just the seventh team in 82 seasons of U of L football to win eight games. The Cardinals (8-2, 5-1 C-USA) hold first place in the league heading into Saturday s season finale at Houston. A victory there would give them at least a share of their first C-USA championship. Against Army (1-8, 1-5), the Cardinals found themselves in an unusual position: coming off a road victory over a ranked team. Dave Ragone completed 22 of 33 passes for three touchdowns. He hit seven receivers, and his one interception came when the intended receiver fell down. He also carried eight times for 45 yards. Ragone was at his best on third down, completing 5 of 7 passes for 11, 12, 13, 15, and 33 yards. He also ran 11 yards for another thirddown conversion. The U of L defense continued its dominating third-quarter play. With the Cards up just 14-0 coming out of halftime, the defense held the Black Knights to munus-15 yards in the third period as U of L extended its lead to Army senior Michael Wallace, who ran for 269 yards against the Cardinals last season, saw his streak of 100-yard games halted at four. He carried 21 times for 82 yards. U of L turned to senior wideout Arnold Jackson to get things started. Jackson who became the all-time NCAA Division I-A leader with 299 career receptions - caught three passes on U of L s first four plays. Ragone zipped the Cards 80 yards in 11 plays to Tony Stallings 9 yard TD run and a 7-0 lead. Getting an early lead was a major goal for U of L, but the Black Knights never altered their strategy. Using a ball-control attack that allowed U of L only one first-quarter possession, they drove 66 yards in a painstaking 23 plays that ate up 10 minutes and 32 seconds. They converted three fourth downs on the drive, which ended with Brendan Mullen s 31-yard field goal. A 55-yard punt return by Jackson set up Stallings second TD, on a 5- yard run, but Army answered with a five-minute drive capped by quarterback Chad Jenkins 8-yard scoring run to make it at halftime. Army held the ball for 22:47 in the first half, U of L just 7:13. But firstyear coach Todd Berry said ball control wasn t the Black Knights aim. After throwing an interception on its first third-quarter possession and stalling on the next, U of L finally got going when Ragone found Zek Parker on a crossing route. Parker caught the ball in the middle of the field, gave around to avoid defenders and sped down the right sideline for a 33-yard TD play that made it with 5:25 left in the quarter. On U of L s next play from scrimmage, Ragone ran a bootleg to his left and found a wide-open Deion Branch near the end zone. Throwing off his back foot, Ragone lofted the pass so high that Branch had to wait for it, but he hauled it in a scampered the remaining 3 yards for the 53-yard score. Army Louisville UL: Tony Stallings 9 run (Nathan Smith kick), 7:13 left. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 3:33 ARMY: Brendan Mullen 31 field goal, 11:41 left. Drive: 23 plays, 66 yards, 10:32 UL: Stallings 5 run (Smith kick), 6:44 left. Drive: 6 plays, 26 yards, 1:27 ARMY: Chad Jenkins 8 run (Mullen kick), 1:33 left. Drive: 13 plays, 55 yards, 5:11 UL: Zek Parker 33 pass from Dave Ragone (Smith kick), 5:25 left. Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 2:33 TOp. UL: Deion Branch 47 pass from Ragone (Smith kick), 2:57 left. Drive: 1 play, 47 yards, 0:10 TOP UL: Smith 27 field goal, 11:40 left. Drive: 10 plays, 47 yards, 3:52 ARMY: Alton McCallum 1 run (Mullen kick), 7:59 left. Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 3:41 UL: Parker 11 pass from Ragone (Smith kick), 4:50 left. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 3:09 ARMY UL FIRST DOWNS Rushing 11 6 Passing 5 14 Penalty 0 0 Rushing Attempts Yards Gained Rushing Yards Lost Rushing NET YARDS RUSHING NET YARDS PASSING Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted 0 1 TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS TOTAL NET YARDS Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Number of Punts-Yards Average Per Punt Punt Returns: Number-Yards 1-(-7) 4-60 Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Interceptions: Number-Yards Fumble Returns: Number-Yards Miscellaneous Yards 0 0 Possession Time 37:38 22:22 Third-Down Conversions 7 of 21 8 of 12 Fourth-Down Conversions 5 of 6 0 of 0 Sacks By: Number-Yards ARMY Michael Wallace Alton McCallum Josh Holden Larry Stancil Chad Jenkins Chad Jenkins Omari Thompson Aris Comeaux Michael Wallace Chad Jenkins Tony Stallings Dave Ragone Chris Lester Dewayne Taylor T.J. Patterson Team Dave Ragone Mike Watkins Arnold Jackson Damien Dorsey Zek Parker Deion Branch Allen Carroll Tony Stallings Ronnie Ghent

12 Louisville 32, houston 13 November 18, 2000 Robertson Stadium From: Louisville Courier-Journal, KY - Years from now the University of Louisville Cardinals will forget the driving rain, gusting winds and freezing temperatures. They will swear the crowd of 3,002 scattered throughout Robertson Stadium was actually a packed house. That s because yesterday s victory over Houston was one of the biggest in school history, even though the atmospheric conditions suggested otherwise. The victory, coupled with Southern Mississippi s loss at Cincinnati earlier in the day, gave the Cardinals (9-2, 6-1) their first Conference USA football championship. It s just the third conference title ever for Louisville, which won Missouri Valley Conference crowns in 1970 and 72. The Cards next game will be in the Liberty Bowl at Memphis on Dec. 29. They will play Mountain West Conference Champion Colorado State (9-2), which cemented its bid Thursday night by beating Wyoming. The players, who were picked to finish third in the conference, certainly agreed, judging from the raucous locker-room celebration. Smith had to beg them to stop hooting and hollering long enough for Liberty Bowl officials to present their official invitation. But first they had to avoid a shocker from Houston (3-8, 2-5), which trailed just at halftime despite limited offensive production. The Cardinals defense settled matters in the second half, allowing the Cougars just 31 yards and no points. The Cards finished with five interceptions to lead the season with 27, one short of the school record. A defensive play helped break the game open late in the third quarter. Sophomore linebacker Michael Brown made his second interception of a Jason McKinley pass at the Houston 34-yard line. Mckinley injured an ankle on the play and didn t return. On the next play, Parker sprinted 26 yards on a reverse to the right side, setting up quarterback Dave Ragone s 2-yard plow into the end zone. That made the score 22-13, and Houston never again threatened. The Cards had jumped out to a 12-0 lead after two Nathan Smith field goals and a 43-yard touchdown pass from Ragone to Stallings. Ragone was under heavy pressure from linebacker Wayne Rogers, the Cougars leading tackler, but he slipped out of Rogers grasp - and his own right shoe before finding Stallings, who took it the rest of the way from the 35. But Houston crept back into the game with two big plays just before halftime. The first came with 3:20 left, when Ragone, scrambling near his own end zone, tried to throw across field to Parker. Instead he found another Parker - Houston s Jason Parker - who intercepted the pass and returned it 28 yards untouched for six points. The conversion attempt was wide left. Smith - who would set a school record with four field goals in the game nailed his third to make it 15-6 with 1:09 left. But then McKinley capped a whirlwind 79-yard march with a 37-yard TD pass to Tommie Baldwin with eight seconds left. That drive accounted for 15 more yards than Houston had gained altogether up to that point. Though the Cougars seemed to have momentum, John L. Smith said he didn t have to make any adjustments at halftime. We felt like we had controlled the game but not the scoreboard, he said. I told the guys, If you have enough character to be champions, then you ll be champions. And then they went out in the second half and played like champions. That destiny, as it turned out, was the school s fifth nine-victory season, a conference crown and the Cardinals third straight bowl trip. Louisville Houston UL: Nathan Smith 41 field goal, 11:51 left. Drive: 7 plays, 30 yards, 1:49 UL: Smith 33 field goal, 4:46 left. Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 1:24 UL: Tony Stallings 43 pass from Dave Ragone (Smith kick), 12:34 left. Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 2:07 UH: Jason Parker 28 interception return (kick failed), 3:20 left. UL: Smith 34 field goal, 1:09 left. Drive: 8 plays, 33 yards, 2:11 UH: Brian Robinson 37 pass from Jason McKinley (Clark kick), 0:08 left. Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 1:01 UL: Ragone 2 run (Smith kick), 0:24 left. Drive: 3 plays, 33 yards, 0:57 UL: Deion Branch 29 pass from Ragone (Smith kick), 10:20 left. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 3:57 UL: Smith 24 field goal, 8:01 left. Drive: 4 plays, 18 yards, 2:10 UL UH FIRST DOWNS Rushing 9 4 Passing 9 4 Penalty 2 3 Rushing Attempts Yards Gained Rushing Yards Lost Rushing NET YARDS RUSHING NET YARDS PASSING Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted 1 5 TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS TOTAL NET YARDS Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Number of Punts-Yards Average Per Punt Punt Returns: Number-Yards Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Interceptions: Number-Yards Fumble Returns: Number-Yards Miscellaneous Yards 0 0 Possession Time 34:45 25:15 Third-Down Conversions 4 of 19 2 of 15 Fourth-Down Conversions 1 of 1 0 of 1 Sacks By: Number-Yards Tony Stallings Zek Parker Dave Ragone T.J. Patterson Chris Lester Team Dave Ragone Deion Branch Ronnie Ghent Damien Dorsey ZekParker Tony Stallings Arnold Jackson HOUSTON Jason McKinley Leif Penn Jeoffery Reynolds Bubba Teague Brian Robinson Jaosn McKinley Bubba Teague Brian Thiebaud Team Brian Robinson Key Bell Kelvin Williams Terrance Baldwin Leif Penn Del Montgomery Mark Hopkins

13 Colorado State 22, Louisville 17 (AXA Liberty Bowl) December 29, 2000 Liberty Bowl From: Associated Press MEMPHIS, TENN -- Cecil Sapp and Colorado State played a great game of keepaway yesterday. The sophomore ran for a career high 160 yards, and C.W. Hurst kicked three field goals as the No. 23 Rams held onto the ball for more than 35 minutes in beating Louisville in the Liberty Bowl Louisville (9-3) came in looking for only its second 10-victory season and first since 1990 with an offense that averaged 35.3 points and the nation's fourth-stingiest defense against the run. But Sapp wore down the 22nd-ranked Cardinals, who had allowed only Florida State's Travis Minor to top 100 yards this season. Sapp said it all went according to plan for the Rams (10-2). "The offensive coordinator told me he wanted to give me the ball 40 times," said Sapp, who had a bowl record 36 carries, topping the 35 attempts by Colorado's Bob Anderson in 1969 against Alabama. "I ran 36 times for 160 yards. I could still go out there and play another football game." Running the ball was an excellent idea on a day where the temperature dipped into the mid-20s by halftime and the wind chill hovering at 0 due to wind gusting up to 28 mph. Sapp, a Florida native, said his job was to carry the ball and that he ignored the weather. Louisville end Dewayne White said Sapp took advantage of the Rams big bodies on the offensive line, popping out whenever he saw light. Teammate Rashad Harris said Colorado State just controlled the game. "At the end of the game, they just stuffed it down our throats," Harris said. The weather didn't bother Louisville as much as the Colorado State defense. The Cardinals had scored at least 32 points in every victory this season outgained the Rams 397 yards to 315, but they only had the ball for 25 offensive plays in the first half. The Rams also shut out the Louisville in the third quarter, only the second time that's happened this season. The Cardinals also had forced more turnovers this season than any other Division I-A team except Florida. But Colorado State recovered three fumbles, one of which it converted into a 16-yard reverse by Frank rice that made it at halftime. "We cannot turn the ball over and expect to beat a good football team like they are," Smith said. "We had to win the turnover battle, and we did not get it done." Dave Ragone, Conference USA's offensive player of the year tried to rally a team that had won four games this season despite trailing at half. He pulled the Cardinals within in the fourth quarter with a 14- yard touchdown pass to Deion Branch, who tied a bowl record with 10 receptions. But that would be all the Cardinals would get, and their final drive ended with 3:10 left as John Howell sacked Ragone on fourth and 7. Ragone was 24 of 37 for 321 yards and two touchdowns, while Branch finished with 170 yards receiving. Colorado State earned redemption after losing this game 23-1 last year to Southern Mississippi with the slimmest margin of victory since Georgia beat Arkansas in 1987 in the bowl now sponsored by the AXA Financial Group. The Rams trailed 10-3 when they scored 13 straight points, keyed by field goals of 24 and 21 yards by Hurst. He added a 32-yarder in the fourth period. Ragone put Louisville up 7-3 with a 58-yard TD pass to Damien Dorsey who scored on a catch-and-run in the first quarter. But the Cards missed some opportunities against a Ram defense that was stingiest near the goal line. Louisville settled for a 24-yard Nathan Smith for a 10-3 lead early in the second quarter. Colorado St Louisville CSU: C.W. Hurst 24 field goal, 5:09 left. Drive: 15 plays, 59 yards, 5:37 UL: Damien Dorsey 58 pass from Dave Ragone (Nathan Smith kick), 3:38 left. Drive: 3 plays, 65 yards, 1:31 UL: Smith 24 field goal, 12:37 left. Drive: 9 plays, 76 yards, 3:41 CSU: Cecil Sapp 2 run (Hurst kick), 6:49 left. Drive: 12 plays, 63 yards, 5:48 CSU: Frank Rice 16 run (kick failed), 2:37 left. Drive: 6 plays, 34 yards, 3:56 CSU: Hurst 21 field goal, 11:21 left. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 3:39 UL: Deion Branch 14 pass from Ragone (Smith kick), 13:35 left. Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 2:11 CSU: Hurst 32 field goal, 7:43 left. Drive: 7 plays, 25 yards, 2:04 CSU UL FIRST DOWNS Rushing 12 6 Passing 7 10 Penalty 3 1 Rushing Attempts Yards Gained Rushing Yards Lost Rushing NET YARDS RUSHING NET YARDS PASSING Passes Attempted Passes Completed Had Intercepted 1 0 TOTAL OFFENSIVE PLAYS TOTAL NET YARDS Average Gain Per Play Fumbles: Number-Lost Penalties: Number-Yards Number of Punts-Yards Average Per Punt Punt Returns: Number-Yards (-2) Kickoff Returns: Number-Yards Interceptions: Number-Yards Fumble Returns: Number-Yards Miscellaneous Yards 0 0 Possession Time 35:25 24:35 Third-Down Conversions 5 of 16 5 of 13 Fourth-Down Conversions 3 of 4 0 of 1 Sacks By: Number-Yards COLORADO STATE Cecil Sapp Frank Rice Pete Rebstock Rashaan Sanders Team Matt Newton Matt Newton Pete Rebstock WIll Layne Jose Ochoa FrankRice Joey Cuppari Cory Woolstenhulme Cecil Sapp Tony Stallings Dave Ragone Chris Lester Zek Parker Dave Ragone Deion Branch Arnold Jackson Zek Parker Ronnie Ghent Damien Dorsey Tony Stallings

14 2000 Notebook Cardinals Chalk Up Nine Wins For Fifth Time In School History - Finishing the 2000 season with an overall mark of 9-3, the Cardinals marked just the fifth time in school history that they finished a gridiron campaign with nine victories. Of the five ninewin seasons, U of L has recorded three of them in the past 11 years. The 1990 Cardinals finished the season with a mark after claiming a victory in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl. U of L's 10 wins under then-head coach Howard Schnellenberger remains a school record for victories in a season. Three years later, U of L posted a 9-3 mark finishing the campaign with a win in the 1993 Liberty Bowl over Michigan State. The Cardinals earned their first nine-win season in 1957 when legendary head coach Frank Camp took U of L to its first New Year's Day Bowl - the 1958 Sun Bowl. U of L Returns to Top 25 For First Time in Seven Seasons - Nearly seven years to the day when they last appeared in the Coaches' Top 25, the Louisville Cardinals found themselves ranked among the 25 best teams in college football according to the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' and the Associated Press Top 25. The 9-3 Conference USA champion Cardinals rose to No. 23 nationally in the Nov. 26 Coaches' Poll and No. 22 in the AP rankings. The last time a U of L gridiron squad was found among the top 25 was Nov. 29, 1993 when a then 8-3 Cardinal club was ranked 24th overall by the coaches and 25th nationally in the AP poll. U of L's highest national ranking on record also came in the '93 season when the Cardinals jumped to No. 13 in the Nov. 1, 1993 edition of the coaches' poll. In that same week, AP had the Cardinals rated No. 15. Jackson Finishes Career As NCAA Division I-A Leader - Already U of L's all-time leading receiver entering the 2000 season, senior wide receiver Arnold Jackson turned his sights on becoming the most proficient pass catcher in NCAA Division I-A history. With a seven-catch performance in his final home contest, Jackson moved past Nevada's Trevor Insley with his 299th career reception. One week later, Jackson became the only I-A player in history to reach 300 career receptions with the Cardinals' victory in Houston. On the season, Jackson caught 63 passes for 609 yards and five scores despite being dogged with double-teams most of his senior year. Jackson's accomplishment marked the fourth NCAA individual career mark set by a Cardinal over the past two seasons. Former quarterback Chris Redman completed his college eligibility as the NCAA I-A all-time leader in passes attempted and completed while tight end Ibn Green finished his career as college football's all-time leader in passes caught by a tight end. Along with his 300 career receptions, Jackson caught at least one pass in all 47 of his collegiate appearances including bowl games. Cardinals Knock Off First Ranked Team in Seven Seasons - With its thrashing of Southern Mississippi, the Cardinals recorded their first win over a ranked team since In that season, U of L dispatched North Carolina State in old Cardinal Stadium. The Wolfpack entered the '94 contest with the Cards as the nation's No. 18 team while Southern Miss opened the 2000 game with a No. 11 ranking in the Coaches' Poll and No. 14 in the Associated Press version. With the game tied early in the third quarter, the Cardinals erupted for 28 consecutive points and gave the Golden Eagles their second worst home loss on record. Sophomore Floyd Earns Post-season Distinction - Following the 2000 season, Cardinal safety Anthony Floyd was named to the prestigious Walter Camp All-America Team. Floyd, a sophomore, was the youngest player named to the squad after leading the nation with 10 interceptions. Floyd's inclusion on the '00 Camp squad marked just the second time a Cardinal earned the honor. Former standout linebacker Tom Jackson was the first U of L player to earn a spot on the team, capturing the honor following the 1972 season. Cornerback Rashad Holman intercepted six passes and was selected in the sixth round of the NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. 134

15 Smith Named Finalist For FBWAA Coach of the Year Award - The Cardinals' improbable run to a third consecutive bowl game did not go unnoticed by the national media as the Football Writers Association of America selected U of L head coach John L. Smith as one of three finalists for their national coach of the year award. Smith joined Oklahoma's Bob Stoops and Oregon State's Dennis Erickson as finalist for the award named in honor of legendary Grambling head coach Eddie Robinson. With a 9-3 mark in 2000, Smith ran his three-year ledger with the Cardinals to His 23 wins are the most by a Cardinal head coach in his first three campaigns, dwarfing Lee Corso's previous mark of 19. Following the regular season, Smith agreed to a new eightyear contract that will keep him on the Louisville sidelines through Cardinals Claim First C-USA Title, Dominate Post-Season Awards - With a 6-1 league mark, U of L laid claim to its first Conference USA gridiron title and received a berth to the 2000 AXA Liberty Bowl. The conference title was the third in Cardinal football history after U of L captured the 1970 and 1972 Missouri Valley Conference championships under the direction of Lee Corso. As a result of their standout play, the Cardinals received numerous post-season league honors. Third-year head coach John L. Smith was honored by the league's media and coaches as coach of the year after guiding the Cardinals to a 9-2 regular season mark despite losing eight starters on the offensive side of the football. Sophomore quarterback Dave Ragone picked up where the graduated Chris Redman left off by earning C-USA Offensive Player of the Year honors in just his first season as a starter. Ragone also was named first-team all-conference after leading the league in passing efficiency. Joining Ragone on the first was junior wide receiver Deion Branch, senior center Jason Padget and sophomore tight end Ronnie Ghent. Defensively, just one Cardinal - safety Anthony Floyd - earned first-team recognition. Four Cardinal defenders were named to the second team. Senior Donovan Arp and sophomore Michael Josiah were selected along the defensive line while linebacker Rashad Harris and cornerback Rashad Holman finished their collegiate careers as honorees. Offensively, wide receiver Arnold Jackson and offensive guard Joe O'Shaughnessy dotted the second team while kick returner Zek Parker earned second-team mention on special teams. Three Cardinals earned all-freshman honors led by defensive lineman Dewayne White. He was joined on the all frosh team by tight end Richard Owens and placekicker Wade Tydlacka. U of L Tops Nation in Interceptions - Led by sophomore safety Anthony Floyd's 10 interceptions the Cardinal defense topped all Division I-A programs with 27 interceptions. Floyd's 10 picks also tied him for the top spot individually with Akron's Dwight Smith. Just two seasons removed from a 1998 campaign that saw the team leader post only two interceptions, five different Cardinals captured two or more. Along with Floyd's 10, senior cornerback Rashad Holman picked off six enemy aerials giving him 14 in his career. Holman Wide receiver Arnold Jackson closed his career as the NCAA Division I-A all-time leader with 300 career receptions. finished his time in Red and Black fourth all-time in interceptions behind Sam Madison (16), Ray Buchanan and Leon Williams (15). Defense Improves By Leaps and Bounds - In just three seasons, defensive coordinator Chris Smeland and his staff gave the Cardinals an incredible facelift on the defensive side of the football. In their first season on the job (1998), U of L finished 106th or worse in the following defensive categories - rushing, pass efficiency, scoring and total. The 2000 campaign saw the Cards finish among the top 20 in three of those categories while placing 43rd nationally in scoring defense. U of L finished 2000 as the nation's No. 4 team against the run holding the opposition to just 79.9 yards on the ground per game. Just four of the Cardinals' 11 regular season opponents rushed for better than 100 yards as a team with just one back - Florida State's Travis Minor - passing the century mark. A rejuvenated pass rush keyed the gaudy numbers on defense recording a school record 55 sacks led by sophomore Michael Josiah's 13 and redshirt freshman Dewayne White's

16 Cardinals Survive Rain Delay, Beat Kentucky - The University of Louisville football program encountered, what is believed to be, its first severe weather delay in U of L history with 8:11 left in the third quarter of their contest with Kentucky. Immediately following a Dave Ragone to Arnold Jackson TD pass, game officials sent both teams to the locker room as a line of severe thunderstorms moved through the Louisville area. As a standing room only crowd of 42,515 was evacuated out of Papa John s Cardinal Stadium, a storm with winds of more than 40 mph, heavy rain and dangerous lightning put the game on hold for one hour and 12 minutes. Following the delay, nearly two-thirds of the crowd returned to PJCS where they saw the Cardinals outscore UK, and retain the Governor s Cup with a overtime win. Ragone Rates Among Nation's Top TD Passing QBs - U of L sophomore quarterback Dave Ragone tossed 27 touchdown passes during the 2000 regular season. While falling just two scores short of Chris Redman s single season school mark of 29, he was one of just six Division I-A QBs to throw 25 or more TDs in '00 Of the six, Ragone and N.C. State freshman signalcaller Phillip Rivers were the only non-seniors. Name (School) TD Bart Hendricks (Boise St.) 35 Chris Weinke (Florida St.) 33 Dave Ragone (Louisville) 27 Rocky Perez (UTEP) 26 Phillip Rivers (North Carolina St.) 25 Ken Dorsey (Miami FL) 25 Drew Brees (Purdue) 24 Patrick Ramsey (Tulane) 24 Defensive Tackles Make Improbable Comebacks - When 2000 spring drills ended, few would have fathomed the senior seasons turned in by Donovan Arp and Derrick Kennedy. Neither was in uniform at the 2000 Spring Game due to injuries that should have ended their college football careers. Arp, voted a team captain during spring practice, saw his offseason take a dramatic turn when he ruptured his Achilles'' Tendon in mid-april. Surgery followed to reattach the tendon and a normal six-month recovery was expected. However, the Salt Lake City native had other ideas. An advanced rehab schedule and good genetics put him back in uniform by the opening of summer camp during the second week of August. One week later, Arp was in full pads taking part in full contact drills. He went on to lead an improved defense and register 16 tackles for loss. Arp went onto sign a free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans. Kennedy missed the entire 1999 season when a routine appendectomy turned into a nine month odyssey for the Bowling Green native. DaretobeGreat logo(master).fh8 FreeHand /14/99 8:00 PM Following the procedure during the first week of summer camp 1999, Kennedy developed a post-operative infection in his liver. During the fall of '99, Kennedy lost more than 30 pounds and spent more than three weeks in the hospital. With a redshirt season available, Kennedy reshaped his body and returned to the Cardinal locker room a new man. The senior renewed his vigor for the game and posted a tremendous senior campaign. In all, he totaled 45 tackles on the year and was voted by his teammates as the program's most inspirational player. Branch Makes an Impact in First Season - The Cardinals entered the 2000 season needing to fill a pair of wide receiver spots and replace the NCAA's all-time leading pass catcher among tight end. Junior college transfer Deion Branch picked up the slack and more. An import from Jones County College in Mississippi, Branch earned first-team all-conference USA mention after catching a team high 71 passes for 1,016 yards and nine touchdowns. Branch's 1,016 receiving yards marked just the fourth time in school history a receiver had pulled in more than 1,000 yards. Branch joined teammate Arnold Jackson and former Miami Dolphin All-Pro Mark Clayton as members of the 1,000-yard club. The junior wasted little time becoming an impact player. In the season opener, Branch caught nine balls for 123 yards and a pair of scores as U of L earned a six-point overtime win against rival Kentucky. On the season, Branch passed the 100-yard plateau on five occasions, including a career-high 194-yard showing in a home win over Cincinnati. Named team MVP in a vote by his peers, Branch closed his junior campaign with a 10-catch, 170-yard day in subfreezing temperature at the AXA Liberty Bowl. Lettermen -- The following Cardinals earned varsity letters in First Year - Josh Minkins, Deion Branch, Nathan Smith, Mike White, Jaguar Sanders, T.J. Patterson, Chris Lester, Wade Tydlacka, Michael Everett, Rod Day, Koby Clark, Kyle Samons, Jeromy Freitag, Michael Bowers, Jason Hilliard, Jason Weathers, Stewart Spalding, Ronnie Ghent, Victor Glenn, Richard Owens, Scott Lopez, Dewayne White. Second Year - Dave Ragone, Jeff Brunelli, Anthony Floyd, Curry Burns, Michael Brown, Chris Sivori, Henry Miller, Jeremy Collins, Antoine Sims, Scott Graham, Ariel Rodriguez, Jason Padget, Donovan Arp, Damien Dorsey, Erin Smith, Michael Josiah, Devon Thomas, Toby Dawson, Chad Lee, B.J. Steele, Frank Zebich. Third Year - Brian Gaines, Tony Stallings, Chip Mattingly, Justin Thomas, Matt Sexton, Aaron Dardzinski, Rob Eble, Zek Parker, Allen Carroll. Fourth Year - Rashad Holman, Antonio Roundtree, Dewayne Taylor, Rashad Harris, Joe O'Shaughnessy, Mike Watkins, Arnold Jackson, Derrick Kennedy. 136

17 2000 Results and Statistics Record Overall C-USA Home Away Neutral All Games Date Opponent Result Score Attend. Sept. 2 KENTUCKY W(ot) ,510 Sept. 9 GRAMBLING W ,227 Sept. 23 at Florida State L ,741 Sept. 30 CONNECTICUT W ,121 Oct. 7 at UAB * W ,000 Oct. 14 CINCINNATI * W ,233 Oct. 19 EAST CAROLINA * L ,024 Oct. 28 TULANE * W ,387 Nov. 4 at Southern Miss * W ,667 Nov. 11 ARMY * W ,328 Nov. 18 at Houston W ,006 Liberty Bowl (Memphis, Tenn.) Dec. 29 vs. Colorado State L ,302 SCORE BY QUARTER OT Total Avg Opponents TEAM STATISTICS Louisville Opponent FIRST DOWNS Rushing Passing Penalty TOTAL OFFENSE TOTAL PLAYS Average/Play Average/Game RUSHING YARDAGE Gained Lost Attempts Average/Rush Average/Game Touchdowns PASSING YARDAGE Att.-Comp.-Int Average/Pass Average/Reception Average/Game Touchdowns Kickoff Returns/Yards Punt Returns/Yards Interception Returns/Yards Punts/Yards Gross Average per Punt Net Average per Punt Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards rd Down Conversions 70 of of 171 4th Down Conversions 7 of of 21 Sacks By - Yards 50 for for 202 Average Possession 29:35 30:25 Please note: The NCAA does not figure post-season bowl game statistics into final season totals. RUSHING Player Att. Gain Loss Net Avg. TD Long Tony Stallings Dave Ragone Chris Lester T.J. Patterson Henry Miller Zek Parker Mike Watkins Dewayne Taylor Kyle Samons Deion Branch Chad Lee Chris Sivori Arnold Jackson Team Totals Opponents PASSING Player Att.Comp. Int. Pct. Yds. TD Long Dave Ragone Mike Watkins Team Deion Branch Gerry Ahrens Totals Opponents RECEIVING Player No. Yds. Avg. TD Long Deion Branch Arnold Jackson Zek Parker Ronnie Ghent Tony Stallings Damien Dorsey Allen Carroll Chris Lester Chip Mattingly T.J. Patterson Richard Owens Michael Brown Dave Ragone Totals Opponents SCORING Player TD FG XP 2Pt. DXP Saf Pts. Deion Branch Tony Stallings Wade Tydlacka Dave Ragone Arnold Jackson Zek Parker Nate Smith Mike Watkins Ronnie Ghent T.J. Patterson Chris Lester Damien Dorsey Richard Owens Dewayne White Rashad Harris Anthony Floyd Curry Burns Totals Opponents

18 FIELD GOALS Player Total Pct. Long Jon Hilbert Robert Walker Totals Opponents PUNTING Player No. Yards Avg. Long TB FC I20 Blkd Chris Sivori Team Totals Opponents KICK RETURNS Player No. Yds. Avg. TD Lg Zek Parker Justin Thomas Mike Watkins Antonio Roundtree Kyle Samons Team Opponents PUNT RETURNS Player No. Yds. Avg. TD Lg Arnold Jackson Deion Branch Josh Minkins Team Opponents INTERCEPTION RETURNS Player No. Yds. Avg. TD Lg Anthony Floyd Rashad Holman Michael Brown Rashad Harris Curry Burns Donovan Arp Dewayne White Antonio Roundtree Michael Everett Team Opponents FUMBLE RETURNS Player No. Yds. Avg. TD Lg Curry Burns Anthony Floyd Team Opponents DEFENSIVE STATISTICS Player U A TT TFL Sacks Int PBU HUR FR FF BK SAF Rashad Harris Curry Burns Michael Brown Jeromy Freitag Anthony Floyd Dewayne White Rashad Holman Donovan Arp Michael Josiah Derrick Kennedy Antonio Roundtree (-2) Chad Lee Michael Everett Brian Gaines Toby Dawson Koby Clark Josh Minkins Rod Day Matt Sexton Jeremy Collins Justin Thomas B.J. Steele Devon Thomas Kyle Samons T.J. Patterson Chip Mattingly Damien Dorsey Jeff Brunelli Erin Smith Mike White Wade Tydlacka Chris Sivori Scott Lopez Ronnie Ghent Tony Stallings Victor Glenn Zek Parker Richard Owens Michael Bowers Rob Eble Arnold Jackson Dave Ragone Ariel Rodriquez

19 Game-by-Game Individual Statistics RUSHING(Att.-Yds.-TD) Stallings Lester Ragone Patterson Totals UK GRAM FSU (-1)-0 6-(-9) UCONN UAB (-2) UC DNP ECU DNP TU DNP USM DNP ARMY UH CSU PASSING(Att.-Comp.-Int.-Yds-TD) Ragone Watkins Team UK GRAM FSU UCONN UAB UC ECU TU USM ARMY UH DNP CSU DNP RECEIVING(No.-Yds-TD) Jackson Branch Parker Dorsey Ghent Stallings Lester Owens UK GRAM FSU (-4) UCONN UAB UC DNP ECU DNP TU DNP USM DNP ARMY UH CSU Louisville Team Statistical Rankings NCAA Rank Rushing Offense (134.27) 70 Passing Offense (256.5) 26 Total Offense (390.82) 42 Scoring Offense (35.27) 15 Rushing Defense (79.9) 4 Passing Eff. Defense ( pts) 20 Total Defense (304.18) 15 Scoring Defense (22.4) 43 Net Punting (35.88) 37 Punt Returns (8.23) 80 Kickoff Returns (26.13) 2 Turnover Margin (+1.09) 7 Louisville Individual Statistical Rankings Category NCAA Rank Dave Ragone (142.2 pts) Passing Efficiency 12 Dave Ragone (261.2) Total Offense 15 Dave Ragone (18.18 pts) Pts. Responsible For 2 Arnold Jackson (5.73) Receptions/Game 27 Deion Branch (6.45) Receptions/Game 13 Deion Branch (92.36) Rec. Yards/Game 17 Rashad Holman (.55) Interceptions/Game 9 Anthony Floyd (.91) Interceptions/Game t-1 Zek Parker (28.92) Kickoff Returns 2 139

20 FIELD GOALS(X-missed FG; B-blocked FG) UK GRAM FSU UCONN UAB UC ECU TU USM ARMY UH CSU Tydlacka X 51, X, 25 32X Smith DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP 44X 43X, 27 41, 33, 24 34, 24 TACKLES(Total-Sacks-TFL) Sexton Kennedy Arp Josiah Brown Harris Collins Roundtree Holman Floyd Burns UK GRAM FSU UCONN UAB UC ECU TU DNP USM ARMY DNP UH CSU Minkins Everett D.White D.Thomas Freitag Clark Lee M.White Day Gaines Dawson UK GRAM FSU UCONN UAB UC ECU TU USM ARMY UH CSU Louisville Game-by-Game Starters WT WG C SG ST TE QB RB WR WR WR UK Eble Dardzinski Padget O Shaugh. Graham Ghent Ragone Stallings Carroll Jackson Branch GRAM Eble Dardzinski Padget O Shaugh. Graham Owens Ragone Stallings Parker Jackson Branch FSU Eble Dardzinski Padget O Shaugh. Graham Owens Ragone Stallings Parker Jackson Branch UCONN Bowers Dardzinski Padget O Shaugh. Graham Ghent Ragone Lester Parker Jackson Branch UAB Bowers Dardzinski Padget O Shaugh. Graham Ghent Ragone Stallings Parker Jackson Branch UC Eble Dardzinski Padget O Shaugh. Bowers Ghent Ragone Stallings Parker Jackson Branch ECU Eble Dardzinski Padget O Shaugh. Bowers Ghent Ragone Stallings Parker Jackson Branch TU Eble Dardzinski Padget O Shaugh. Bowers Dorsey@ Ragone Stallings Parker Jackson Branch USM Eble Dardzinski Padget O Shaugh. Bowers Owens Ragone Stallings Mattingly$ Jackson Branch ARMY Eble Dardzinski Padget O Shaugh. Bowers Dorsey@ Ragone Stallings Parker Jackson Carroll UH Eble Dardzinski Padget O Shaugh. Bowers Ghent Ragone Stallings Parker Jackson Branch CSU Eble Dardzinski Padget O Shaugh. Bowers Ghent Ragone Stallings Parker Jackson Branch LE LT RT RE LB LB BAN CB FS SS CB UK Josiah Kennedy Arp Sexton Collins Harris Brown Roundtree Floyd Burns Holman GRAM Josiah Kennedy Arp Sexton Collins Harris Brown Roundtree Floyd Burns Holman FSU Josiah Kennedy Arp Sexton Freitag Harris Brown Roundtree Floyd Burns Holman UCONN Josiah D.White Arp Dawson Gaines# Harris Brown Roundtree Floyd Burns Holman UAB Josiah Kennedy Arp D. White Dawson* Harris Brown Roundtree Floyd Burns Holman UC Josiah Kennedy Arp D.White Freitag Harris Brown Roundtree Floyd Burns Holman ECU Josiah Kennedy Arp D.White Freitag Harris Brown Roundtree Floyd Burns Holman TU Josiah Lee Arp D.White Gaines# Harris Brown Roundtree Floyd Burns Holman USM Josiah Kennedy Arp D.White Freitag Harris Brown Roundtree Floyd Burns Holman ARMY Lee Kennedy Arp D.White Freitag Harris Brown Roundtree Floyd Burns Holman UH Lee Kennedy Arp D.White Gaines# Harris Brown Roundtree Floyd Burns Holman CSU Josiah Kennedy Arp D.White Freitag Harris Brown Roundtree Floyd Burns Holman * - U of L opened game in U of L opened game in a four-wr set # - U of L opened game in five-db set $ - U of L opened game in 2-tight end alignment 140

21 Game-by-Game Rushing Passing Tot. Off. First Downs Fumbles Time Third Down Penalties (Att.-Yds.-TD) (A-C-I-Yds.-TD) (Att.-Yds.) (Tot.-R-Pa-Pe) (No-Lost) UK :41 6 of for 84 GRAM :57 6 of for 132 FSU :07 5 of for 133 UCONN :57 5 of for 161 UAB :05 6 of for 134 UC :18 5 of 12 6 for 52 ECU :26 9 of 17 6 for 35 TU :28 10 of for 147 USM :39 6 of for 116 ARMY :22 8 of 12 5 for 45 UH :45 4 of for 79 CSU :35 5 of 13 6 for 55 OPPONENTS Rushing Passing Tot. Off. First Downs Fumbles Time Third Down Penalties (Att.-Yds.-TD) (A-C-I-Yds.-TD) (Att.-Yds.) (Tot.-R-Pa-Pe) (No-Lost) UK :19 4 of 10 9 for 56 GRAM 37-(-56) :03 3 of 17 7 for 39 FSU :53 5 of for 110 UCONN :03 5 of for 89 UAB :55 5 of 16 9 for 95 UC :42 5 of 16 4 for 42 ECU :34 7 of 15 6 for 53 TU :32 5 of 18 8 for 83 USM :21 6 of 14 7 for 85 ARMY :38 7 of 21 4 for 25 UH :15 2 of 15 5 for 42 CSU :25 5 of 16 3 for 39 Louisville Big Plays (30+ yards) vs. Tulane Zek Parker 78 KO return vs. Tulane Parker 72 KO return vs. Kentucky Parker 69 KO return vs. Cincinnati Dave Ragone to Deion Branch 69 pass vs. Colo. St. Ragone to Damien Dorsey 58 pass (TD) vs. So. Miss Tony Stallings 58 run vs. Army Arnold Jackson 55 punt ret. vs. Grambling Ragone to Parker 50 pass (TD) vs. So. Miss Ragone to Ronnie Ghent 48 pass vs. Army Ragone to Branch 47 pass (TD) vs. Florida St. Ragone to Ghent 46 pass vs. Houston Ragone to Parker 46 pass vs. Cincinnati Ragone to Branch 45 pass (TD) vs. Grambling Henry Miller 46 run vs. Houston Ragone to Stallings 43 pass (TD) vs. UConn Stallings 37 run vs. Grambling Ragone to Branch 37 pass (TD) vs. So. Miss Anthony Floyd 36 int. ret. (TD) vs. So. Miss Dewayne White 35 int. ret. (TD) vs. Colo. St. Ragone to Branch 35 pass vs. Colo. St. Ragone to Branch 34 pass vs. Cincinnati Rashad Harris 33 int. ret. (TD) vs. Army Ragone to Parker 33 pass (TD) vs. Kentucky Ragone to Branch 33 pass (TD) vs. Kentucky Ragone to Arnold Jackson 33 pass vs. UConn Ragone to Jackson 33 pass vs. UConn Ragone to Parker 32 pass(td) vs. UConn Jackson 32 punt ret. vs. UConn Curry Burns 31 fumb. ret (TD) vs. UConn Ragone to Jackson 31 pass vs. Army Ragone to Damien Dorsey 30 pass vs. So. Miss Ragone to Ghent 30 pass vs. So. Miss Ragone to Jackson 30 pass vs. Kentucky Stallings 30 run Red-Zone Statistics OFFENSE Times at or inside Touchdowns 35 Field Goals 8 Touchdown Percentage 71.4 % DEFENSE Times opponent at or inside Touchdowns 22 Field Goals 10 Touchdown Percentage 53.7 % Third Down Conversions by rush by rec. Branch 1 14 Ragone 12 0 Jackson 0 11 Parker 0 10 Stallings 5 2 Ghent 0 6 Dorsey 0 2 Lester 1 1 Patterson 1 1 Owens 0 1 Samons 1 0 Patterson 1 0 Carroll

22 2000 Honors and Awards DT Donovan Arp Named permanent team captain Selected to play in rivals.com Hula Bowl Second team all-conference USA WR Deion Branch Voted U of L's most valuable offensive player Voted U of L's most valuable player First team all-conference USA S Curry Burns Voted U of L's most valuable special teams player TE Ronnie Ghent First team all-conference USA S Anthony Floyd Walter Camp Football Foundation All-American First team all-conference USA Second team Associated Press All-American Second team Football News All-American Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week (11/6) LB Rashad Harris Second team all-conference USA Voted U of L's most valuable defensive player Named permanent team captain Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week (10/16) DB Rashad Holman Earned U of L's Defensive Coaches' Award Selected to play in rivals.com Hula Bowl Selected to play in Tyco Gridiron Classic Second team all-conference USA WR/KR Zek Parker Second team all-conference USA Third team Sporting News All-American QB Dave Ragone Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year First team all-conference USA Honorable mention Football News All-America. Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week (10/9) Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week (10/30) Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week (11/6) DL Matt Sexton Earned Frank Camp Scholar Athlete Award Head Coach John L. Smith Conference USA Coach of the Year Finalist for Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year RB Tony Stallings Earned Kroger Community Service Award Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week (9/5) PK Wade Tydlacka All-Freshman Conference USA DL Dewayne White All-Freshman Conference USA Third team Sporting News Freshman All-American WR Arnold Jackson Second team all-conference USA Named permanent team captain DE Michael Josiah Second team all-conference USA Honorable mention Football News All-American DT Derrick Kennedy Named U of L's most inspirational player OG Joe O'Shaughnessy Second team all-conference USA Earned U of L's Offensive Coaches' Award TE Richard Owens All-Freshman Conference USA OC Jason Padget Named permanent team captain First team all-conference USA Selected to play in Tyco Gridiron Classic LB Rashad Harris finished his collegiate career among the top 10 tacklers in U of L gridiron history. 142