After spending the past three years as a backup to and part-time starter in place of Brian Brohm, Louisville's Hunter Cantwell finally is in complete control of the offense.
Control, though, has been a problem.
Cantwell has turned the ball over 15 times - 12 interceptions and three fumbles. Turnovers have been prohibitive to the offense because Cantwell is second in the Big East Conference with 14 touchdown passes and third with 1,947 passing yards.
Cantwell's 12 interceptions are the most in the Big East, matched only by Rutgers' Mike Teel. West Virginia Coach Bill Stewart compares Cantwell to Teel not because of the turnovers, but because of the weapons around both players.
Teel has helped Rutgers win four in a row while connecting often with receiver Kenny Britt, who now leads the league in receptions and yards per game and for the season.
"If I had said that earlier in the year, people would have thought I was nuts, but have you seen Rutgers lately with Teel and Britt?"
Stewart said. "I think the same thing about Cantwell because of Beaumont and Chichester."
Sophomore Doug Beaumont is No. 4 in the Big East with 46 receptions for 569 yards. Josh Chichester, a 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman, has 23 receptions for 256 yards.
Fifteen players have caught at least one pass, seven have caught at least 11 and nine have caught a touchdown. That final group excludes Beaumont.
"When those guys get in a rhythm, when they get in an absolute pattern, they can pitch and catch the ball and it's really special,"
Stewart said. "I think he's a lot like Mike Teel because when he gets hot, he gets real hot and the receivers catch a lot of balls."
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THE CARDINALS have had 310 first-down plays this season and passed on 101. They average 4.4 yards per first-down carry, but 57 first-down completions have averaged 14.7 yards. Of the 57 completions, Louisville has 33 first downs, 23 plays of at least 15 yards and nine plays of at least 25 yards. A first-down pass has scored a touchdown six times.
In all, Louisville's average second down is second-and-4 and the team ranks No. 30 nationally in time of possession (31:21).
"I hope and pray we can keep them out of rhythm on first down,"
Stewart said. "If we slow them down on first down, it makes it difficult on second and third down."
"They love to throw it on first-and-10. We need to keep them out of rhythm and off schedule. If they give it to any of their three backs on third-and-3, third-and-2, we're going to be in there a long time."
Redshirt freshman Victor Anderson, senior Brock Bolen and sophomore Bilal Powell have combined to run for 1,649 yards and 14 touchdowns. Each averages at least 4.0 yards per carry and Anderson, the nation's second-leading freshman rusher with 973 yards, averages 5.9.
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OTHER TIDBITS: Louisville Coach Steve Kragthorpe is 11-11 in his two seasons. His predecessor, Arkansas Coach Boby Petrino, was 41-9 in four seasons. Petrino had one home loss. Kragthorpe already has five. ... Of Kragthorpe's 11 losses, seven have been decided by eight points or fewer - basically one-possession games. ... WVU hasn't lost four games in a season since 2004, four games in a regular season since 2003 and back-to-back games twice in a season since 2001. ... The Mountaineers haven't allowed a score in the third or fourth quarter in four straight games and six of seven overall. Counting overtime field goals by Colorado and Cincinnati, they have allowed 34 points after halftime. Louisville, meanwhile, is being outscored 96-57 in the fourth quarter. ... Louisville cornerback Woodny Turenne, who was tied for No. 8 nationally with five interceptions, broke his collarbone last week and is out for the season.
