This will likely be the last year that I use the Steve Kragthorpe era to measure the trends of recent Cardinal Football history. Charlie Strong’s staff has done an outstanding job in re-building this program’s foundation, and the excitement for the 2013 season is building towards an epic crescendo in September.
But I think it is important to remember where you come from, and also try and identify trends while remembering individual teams. So let’s take a 6-year view of Cardinal Football Team Statistics:
| Louisville | Strong | Strong | Strong | Kragthorpe | Kragthorpe | Kragthorpe |
| Record | 11-2 | 7-6 | 7-6 | 4-8 | 5-7 | 6-6 |
| 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | |
| Scoring Offense | 31.2 (50th) | 21.9 (98th) | 26.4 (63rd) | 18.1 (111th) | 24.7 (66th) | 35.2 (18th) |
| Total Offense | 418.8 (51st) | 333.0 (103rd) | 369.0 (71st) | 334.1 (91st) | 376.7 (45th) | 488.0 (6th) |
| Passing Offense | 296.1 (24th) | 211.5 (74th) | 194.0 (79th) | 208.9 (71st) | 212.2 (63rd) | 341.9 (4th) |
| Rushing Offense | 122.69 (105th) | 121.54 (93rd) | 175.0 (33rd) | 125.17 (89th) | 164.5 (46th) | 146.08 (64th) |
| Scoring Defense | 23.8 (36th) | 20.1 (17th) | 19.4 (18th) | 26.3 (65th) | 29.8 (89th) | 31.4 (91st) |
| Total Defense | 340.3 (23rd) | 327.9 (23rd) | 311.7 (14th) | 371.1 (65th) | 368.8 (70th) | 416.5 (84th) |
| Passing Defense | 192.3 (17th) | 227.4 (68th) | 167.4 (9th) | 206.0 (42nd) | 239.3 (93rd) | 251.2 (87th) |
| Rushing Defense | 148.00 (49th) | 100.54 (10th) | 144.31 (52nd) | 165.08 (84th) | 129.5 (37th) | 165.33 (71st) |
| Punt Returns | 4.25 (111th) | 4.95 (102nd) | 12.61 (18th) | 11.35 (33rd) | 8.88 (61st) | 6.70 (91st) |
| Kickoff Returns (ypr) | 17.31 (122nd) | 23.59 (28th) | 25.49 (10th) | 24.12 (18th) | 18.75 (112th) | 22.44 (37th) |
| Opponent Punt Returns (ypr) | 8.14 (66th) | 0.54 (1st) | 5.10 (16th) | 6.65 (34th) | 8.13 (50th) | 9.59 (74th) |
| Opponent Kickoff Returns | 24.65 (114th) | 24.78 (116th) | 23.70 (99th) | 24.82 (113th) | 20.39 (48th) | 19.22 (18th) |
| Punting (ypp) | 38.06 (112th) | 37.31 (109th) | 40.15 (78th) | 40.5 (63rd) | 40.02 (59th) | 38.54 (92nd) |
| Field Goals (%) | 78.3 (34th) | 66.7 (70th) | 77.8 (47th) | 72.2 (57th) | 45.5 (118th) | 76.5 (46th) |
| Opponent Field Goals (%) | 71.4% (55th) | 58.8 (19th) | 52.6% (8th) | 85.0 (108th) | 58.8 (18th) | 76.9 (85th) |
| First Downs | 22.8 (35th) | 16.5 (107th) | 18.8 (72nd) | 17.8 (89th) | 20.3 (43rd) | 25.8 (5th) |
| Opponent First Downs | 18.2 (21st) | 17.7 (24th) | 16.9 (12th) | 18.9 (52nd) | 17.8 (45th) | 21.2 (66th) |
| Penalties (ypg) | 54.1 (73rd) | 56.5 (83rd) | 63.8 (105th) | 57.6 (81st) | 56.8 (83rd) | 68.2 (112th) |
| Turnover Margin | +11 (18th) | -1 (66th) | +3 (42nd) | -3 (75th) | -12 (111th) | 0 (55th) |
| Time of Possession | 32:58.08 (6th) | 31:58.15 (20th) | 31:00.77 (31st) | 29:19.33 (79th) | 31:35.50 (21st) | 31:18.58 (22nd) |
| Sacks (pg) | 1.69 (77th) | 2.54 (19th) | 2.92 (7th) | 1.92 (60th) | 1.17 (106th) | 1.42 (101st) |
| Sacks Allowed | 2.31 (85th) | 3.15 (112th) | 1.31 (25th) | 3.00 (110th) | 1.58 (42nd) | 2.08 (66th) |
| Tackles for Loss | 4.54 (101st) | 7.08 (23rd) | 6.62 (30th) | 5.75 (58th) | 4.83 (98th) | 5.75 (75th) |
| Tackles for Loss Allowed | 6.46 (96th) | 7.46 (114th) | 6.31 (82nd) | 7.67 (115th) | 4.58 (27th) | 5.25 (32nd) |
| Interceptions | 11 (65th) | 10 (73rd) | 9 (89th) | 10 (76th) | 8 (99th) | 7 (109th) |
| Passes Defended | 4.54 (59th) | 3.38 (94th) | 3.00 (108th) | 2.92 (111th) | 3.33 (100th) | 2.92 (115th) |
| Fumbles Recovered | 13 (29th) | 11 (50th) | 10 (48th) | 7 (99th) | 10 (55th) | 17 (3rd) |
| Fumbles Forced | 12 (61st) | 14 (38th) | 9 (94th) | 9 (89th) | 9 (85th) | 19 (4th) |
| Fumbles Lost | 5 (5th) | 9 (35th) | 8 (25th) | 9 (39th) | 13 (88th) | 10 (44th) |
| Kicks/Punts Blocked | 1 (68th) | 4 (16th) | 2 (51st) | 0 (120th) | 2 (53rd) | 0 (120th) |
| 3rd Downs Conversions | 49.73 (8th) | 39.36% (75th) | 39.89% (60th) | 36.84% (81st) | 37.85% (72nd) | 44.24% (27th) |
| Opponent 3rd Down Conversions | 41.67 (76th) | 38.14% (49th) | 34.09 (13th) | 40.27% (77th) | 37.27% (48th) | 37.74% (51st) |
| 4th Down Conversions | 69.23% (11th) | 41.18% (98th) | 53.85% (51st) | 40.0% (85th) | 45.83% (67th) | 52.94% (50th) |
| Opponent 4th Down Conversions | 28.57% (5th) | 47.37% (41st) | 50.0 (49th) | 60.0% (96th) | 50.00% (64th) | 61.54 (105th) |
| Red Zone Conversions % | 92.98% (5th) | 83.78 (50th) | 80.95 (70th) | 76.74 (91st) | 71.43 (109th) | 89.83 (10th) |
| Opponent Red Zone Conversions % | 85.71% (90th) | 80.56 (54th) | 77.42 (30th) | 87.23 (99th) | 77.5 (33rd) | 80.00 (52nd) |
| Kickoffs (ypk) | 59.97 (86th) | 67.05 (8th) | 66.0 (12th) | 62.74 (47th) | 60.91 (79th) |
I really want to focus on the 2012 returns in relation to the previous 5 seasons more than anything. I don’t really want to dwell on the past, but rather use past performance as a gauge to measure recent performance in order to predict the future. The Cards in 2013 lose just 4 starters and 12 seniors from an 11-2 squad that won the Big East and the Sugar Bowl over Florida, so it stands to reason that the 2012 numbers should improve or at the very least….hold steady.
