[Quality88]

Steve Kragthorpe said he knew exactly what he was getting into when he became the University of Louisville football coach job in January.
Except for one thing. "I didn't know about the relative lack of depth and experience on the defensive side of the ball and how that might play a factor for us early in the year," Kragthorpe said last night.
Nowhere is that more of a factor than in the secondary. The Cardinals (2-2) were abused by the long pass again Saturday when Syracuse pulled off a 38-35 upset at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
U of L dropped out of The Associated Press poll yesterday.
In their three games against Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) opponents, the Cards have surrendered averages of 329 passing yards a game and 16.2 yards per completion. Orange quarterback Andrew Robinson threw for 423 yards on just 17 completions, including pass plays of 79, 60, 48 and 42 yards.
"I've never given up this many deep balls since I was in junior high," Kragthorpe said.
Inexperience is the main reason for the defensive backfield's struggles, he said.
The Cards lost seniors Brandon Sharp, William Gay and Gavin Smart from last year's team, and starting safety Latarrius Thomas went down with a season-ending knee injury in the second game this season. Another starting safety, Jon Russell, did not suit up Saturday for undisclosed reasons.
That leaves junior cornerback Rod Council as the only player with significant experience in the secondary. He has been one of the few defensive bright spots this season.
Even Thomas and Russell blew assignments when they were available, and Kragthorpe admitted that "we're not playing well at the safety position."
Couple that with the lack of pressure being applied to opposing quarterbacks by U of L's front four, and you have a recipe for disaster. Which is pretty much what the Cards' defense has cooked so far.
So how does Kragthorpe fix the problem?
He said he will consider adjusting the team's coverages this week in practice. He also said he is "certainly going to look" at personnel changes, which he tried Saturday.
Redshirt freshman Brandon Heath made his first start at safety, and later Bobby Buchanan, normally a cornerback, played at free safety.
He also said he'll focus on fundamentals and techniques in practice. The safeties have been burned on play-action passes, such as when Heath bit on a fake toss, leaving Taj Smith wide open for a 79-yard touchdown on the Orange's first play from scrimmage.
"You've got to trust your eyes and read your keys," Kragthorpe said. "Even if we give up a 5- or 6-yard pass underneath, we cannot let them throw the ball over our heads."
Having failed in high-profile situations, young players in the secondary might have had their confidence shaken. But there's no time to worry about that, Kragthorpe said.
"Right now we've got to do whatever it takes to get it done," he said. "If I have to rattle somebody's chain, then I'll rattle their chain. If somebody gets their feelings hurt, then their feelings get hurt.
"We're not running a happiness camp here. We're trying to get things fixed."

Cards' defense a secondary problem