Southern Miss Preview

Southern Miss Game Preview

It's time to face facts, Cardinal fans, this season has officially gotten ugly. The team is 1-3 and we are the 2 point underdog at home to an unranked Conference USA opponent. Oh, and did somebody start some rumors about our coach? Yes, we are now that program. We aren't here to discuss that issue yet, but we will surely get there. 

Why are we a 2 point underdog you might ask?  Well, allow me to throw some stats at you to help us all understand -

UofL's Total Offense Ranking - 85th out of 120

Southern Miss's Total Offense Ranking - 28th out of 120

The playcalling against Southern Miss has to improve, this is a must-win game for the Cards. In order to pull of this "upset", we have to play to win the game. So far this season the playcalling has not showcased that need. Get the ball in the hands of your playmakers (ie. Victor Anderson, Scott Long, Trent Guy), keep the other team on their heels, all things that The Krag has failed to consistently do. If I hear one more player, or The Krag himself say after this game that we were "just a few plays away" I will shoot myself!

UofL's Total Defense Ranking - 39th out of 120

Southern Miss's Total Defense Ranking - 22nd out of 120

However, the Cards are 69th against the rush, and with a battered secondary, our pass defense will surely be put to the test as well...On a side note, is anybody else completely shocked our Total Defense ranking is this high?

UofL Sack's Allowed - 109th out of 120

Southern Miss Sack's Per Game - t-11th out of 120

No doubt this statistic will be a huge factor in the game. Southern Miss knows how to get to the QB, and it just so happens that UofL's offensive line is terrible at protecting the QB.

UofL's Penalty Average @ Home This Season - 12.0 penalties per game

UofL's Penalties For The Season - 35 penalties for 311 (77.8 ypg) yards

This statistic is enough to make me sick. We give up so much yardage on poor penalties, how is this anything but a coaching problem? Southern Miss is our 4th game of the season, and if there is no improvement shown then how can we expect to have a somewhat less embarrassing season?

For those of you out there hoping that The Krag can hold on to any remaining streaks that UofL has, here is one that we can watch for on Saturday - UofL has won 3 straight against Southern Miss. While Southern Miss holds the all-time record against that the Cards (18-8-1), we can stake claim to the previous 3. Keep us somewhat optimistic Krag, leave us with just one streak that is positive, please? Is that too much to ask?

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To anybody planning on attending the game, look for 2 somewhat goofy looking gentleman walking around in InsideTheCards.com shirts (offering us beer or free food is not required but will not be turned down), we will be taking pictures and meeting with whoever will have us. Check back with us Sunday for a full game recap as well as winners of a few contests we will be having pertaining to the best fan & the best tailgate at the game.

In case you missed it, we will be raffling off a pair of tickets to the UK v. UofL basketball game. Leave your name, phone number, and email address in our comment box to sign up.

In conclusion, I will leave you with a happier time in UofL football history - Hopefully we get back to this soon.