Media Overhyping the Louisville Cardinals Due to Petrino?

Defense

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If the Cardinals are to have a successful season Petrino’s first year back in Louisville, this is the unit that will have to have the most questions answered. A defense that was lead by a great defensive mind in Charlie Strong loses six starters and Strong for this upcoming season. That will be a major problem for Petrino to deal with, especially since his team is entering a conference with much tougher offenses than last year. The other issue? Defensive Coordinator Todd Grantham is installing a 3-4 defense, and the transition will also be tough to deal with. Those two factors could make for a very bad defense.

Marcus Smith is gone from the line after recording  18.5 tackles for a loss and 14.5 sacks in an incredible 2013 campaign. The worst part for Louisville, though, is he isn’t the only loss up front. Defensive tackle Roy Philon had another 4 sacks and 12 tackles for a loss, and he’s gone along with last year’s other starting tackle, Brandon Dunn. That leaves defensive end Sheldon Rankins all that’s left from last year’s starting line, but he’s no scrub. Rankins will be a junior this year and has 3 sacks under his belt already, so he’s not new. B.J. Dubose will probably be the other starting end. Now we’re left with players who have no in-game experience to take the nose tackle spot. However, junior DeAngelo Brown can disrupt plays at 6’0 319 pounds, and redshirt freshman Johnny Richardson has the potential to be a monster in the middle at 6’3 334 pounds. Both of those guys will need to be counted on to make an impact, as will inexperienced defensive ends Kyle Shortridge, Pio Vatuvei, and Terry Ramsey.

The linebacker position is a little more stable with James Burgess, Lorenzo Mauldin, and Keith Kelsey back. Mauldin is a senior and was incredibly disruptive to offenses last year, recording 9.5 sacks. He can line up on he line or at linebacker, which will be very useful as Grantham tries to implement his defense. Burgess had 56.5 tackles last year, and Kelsey added on another 20, but he wasn’t a starter last year. However, there is still a major problem here: the loss of linebacker Preston Brown, who was the most important player in the unit last year, recording 84.5 tackles,  12.5 tackles for a loss, 4.5 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. Brown’s loss is only magnified by the fact that another linebacker has to be added into the rotation due to the switch to a 3-4 defense. Nick Dawson will be called on as a sophomore this year to live up to his 4-star billing on Rivals, and he does have experience. The same holds true for junior Keith Brown and redshirt freshmen James Hearns and Stacy Thomas. Those two will need to provide depth along with Deiontrez Mount and Lamar Atkins.

The Cardinals secondary also took a big hit, with both safeties gone. Calvin Pryor and Hakeem Smith each had 3 interceptions last year,

Oct 5, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive end Lorenzo Mauldin (94) stripes the ball from Temple Owls quarterback P.J. Walker (11) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Louisville defeated Temple 30-7. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

and they combined for 9 broken up passes and 105 tackles. Jermaine Reve and Gerod Holliman will fill those positions, and while both have seen playing time, neither has proven a lot. They both have potential, though, as they enter their junior years. Reve was a 3-star on Rivals and Holliman was a 4-star, so maybe it’s simply their time to shine. The cornerback position is a little bit more set. Terrell Floyd had 4 interceptions last year and is back for his senior season, and Charles Gaines had 5 interceptions last year and is back for his junior year. Also, Andrew Johnson will be useful at the position. The senior did play in nine games last year, and at one point he was a 4-star on Rivals as well. Those three guys will be very valuable at the cornerback position. There is depth and talent in the rest of the unit, but none of them have any experience.

The defense loses a lot of talent, but in the back seven there is plenty of talent returning and more talent waiting in the wings ready to show itself. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the front line will be atrocious this year as nearly everybody has been replaced, and the entire unit will struggle mightily with the switch to a 3-4. With those things in mind, plus a tougher schedule,  I would not be surprised to see a scoring defense that gave up slightly more than 12 points per game last year more than double that number this year. If the Cardinals are to be good, the defense will have to be good enough and avoid being too bad with so much departing talent and a new scheme.