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Allen, Carter Seek Happy Homecoming

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By JOEY JOHNSTON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 17, 2007

Coming home to Florida.

For Louisville senior wide receiver Patrick Carter (Lakewood High) and sophomore running back Anthony Allen (Jesuit), that sparks a happy memory.

In last season's Orange Bowl victory against Wake Forest, Carter, a converted quarterback, took a lateral from Brian Brohm, then threw back across the field to Allen for a 21-yard touchdown, a key play in Louisville's 24-13 victory. It helped provide a No. 6 finish in The Associated Press rankings for the Cardinals (12-1).

One year later.

Coming home to Tampa?

A different story.

There have been individual career highlights. Carter had nine receptions for 154 yards against Utah, and scored twice in Louisville's biggest win, 28-24 against Cincinnati. Allen rushed for a school-record 275 yards against Middle Tennessee State.

But that doesn't temper what has become a hugely disappointing season. The Cardinals (5-5, 2-3 Big East) will be fighting for a bowl game - any bowl game - when they visit the USF Bulls (7-3, 2-3) tonight at Raymond James Stadium.

"We just don't have the chemistry on this team that we had last season, for whatever reason," said Carter, who has 21 receptions and four touchdowns. "It has been frustrating. We've shown the ability to score points and move the ball. I know it has been tough on Brian Brohm.

"But we still have some fight in us. At this point of our season, it's critical alert. It would be awfully sweet to put it all together in Tampa, that's for sure."

Raymond James Stadium has been a house of horrors for Louisville. In 2005, with national championship talk in the air, the No. 9-ranked Cardinals were squashed by USF 45-14. Allen, then a Jesuit senior, was in the stands. Carter, sitting out a transfer season after leaving Georgia Tech, watched on television from Louisville.

In 2003, when both teams were in Conference USA, Louisville beat USF 31-28 in double overtime.

Carter figures to play a key role tonight as the third receiver. Louisville has struggled to establish a running game, while the Brohm-led passing game has been unquestioned.

Allen's production has been something of a mystery.

He leads Louisville in rushing (669 yards, 5.0 average, seven touchdowns), but has only 91 yards on 37 carries in the past five games.

"Anthony has been banged up, I don't think there's any question about it," said Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe, in his first season with the Cardinals after replacing NFL-bound Bobby Petrino. "Certainly, we'd like to get him back to full strength because he's a tremendous football player for us."

Allen made his mark as a freshman, rushing for 406 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was nicknamed "Baby Bush," for a bull-like presence that resembled fellow Louisville runner Michael Bush.

Carter, meanwhile, hasn't been the go-to receiver, but standing out is a difficult chore with teammates Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia, plus tight end Gary Barnidge.

He's happy with his decision to attend Louisville, though. Initially, he chose Georgia Tech, the only school that wanted him as a quarterback. When the Yellow Jackets shifted him to receiver, Carter committed to USF, but changed his mind and transferred to Louisville.

Carter, whose older brother Tim plays receiver for the Cleveland Browns, graduates next month. After that, he plans on attending dental school at Louisville.

His best memory? Winning the Orange Bowl.

A good performance tonight would definitely be No. 2.

Reporter Joey Johnston can be reached at (813) 259-7353 or jjohnston@tampatrib.com.

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