EMBARRASSING

That's the only way to describe Louisville's 63-14 loss to Rutgers Thursday night. In front of a national audience, with bowl eligibility on the line, Steve Kragthorpe's Cardinals played their worst game in more than 20 years. The last time they loss by this many points was 1987. A 59-point loss to Southern Miss. But this loss was worse in my opinion. Not only do the Cards finish the year 5-7, their first losing season since 1997, they also end the year on a 5-game slide, and for the second straight season miss out on a bowl game. This with a schedule loaded with 8 home games, and a down year in the Big East Conference.

The Cards should be ashamed of themselves. With so much at stake that's the performance they give us? The past two weeks we've been hearing about how they still have a shot at a bowl game. If they can get to 6 wins anything is possible. We now know that was just lip service. They didn't believe it themselves. How else do you explain giving up 63 points to Rutgers? Allowing them to gain nearly 700 yards of offense? Making quarterback Mike Teel look like the second coming of Dan Marino? Remember after the Syracuse loss Coach Kragthorpe talked about how angry he was at the "L". How the players and coaches were angry. After that loss they came out and was blasted by Pitt 41-7. Then they have nearly two weeks to prepare for this game and they take a serious beat down. Obviously the players are not responding.

Coach Kragthorpe and Athletic Director Tom Jurich must really evaluate where the program is heading. They've said all along this would be a rebuilding year. I get that. But after a 5-2 start, all they needed to do was back into one more win to become bowl eligible. And instead of strapping on their helmets and pads, the Cards just roll over. There's no doubt the Louisville football program is headed in the wrong direction. Has it bottomed out is the question. After the loss to Syracuse this season, you thought it couldn't get worse. But unfortunately it has.

It's true the numbers for the Cards are down. They only travelled to Rutgers with 62 players. But low numbers can't be blamed for this. The Cards were down 49-zero at that half. That's way too early for their starters to be tired. They were out of the game before the back-ups even saw the field. Injuries surely play a part. But it wouldn't have made much of a difference. With a healthy Louisville team the score might have been what???? 49-24. 42-35. Whoop-tee-doo. It's still a loss.

Like I've been saying the last month or so of the season, I don't think Kragthorpe should be let go, but Jurich should have him on a short leash. Kragthorpe and the team need to show progress early next season. The fan base needs to feel things are going in the right direction. Louisville was once a program which had played in nine straight bowl games. Now it's a program riding a 2-year streak of no bowl play.