No. 7 Louisville Tops Cincinnati, 70-7

Posted 6:33PM on Saturday 27th November 2004 ( 20 years ago )

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- Montrell Jones caught two touchdown passes and returned a punt for a score, and No. 7 Louisville clinched its third Conference USA championship since 2000 with a 70-7 rout of Cincinnati on Saturday. Brandon Johnson returned a blocked punt for a touchdown and Tiger Jones recovered another blocked punt in the end zone for Louisville (9-1, 7-0), which reached 70 points for the first time since a 72-0 win over Wayne State in 1955. The Cardinals' top-ranked offense was unfazed by gusty winds and steady rain, piling up 357 rushing yards and 491 total yards. Eric Shelton rushed for 158 yards and Kolby Smith had three short touchdown runs in Louisville's fifth game with at least 50 points this season. Cincinnati (6-5, 5-3), which had a four-game winning streak snapped, mustered only 186 yards without senior quarterback Gino Guidugli, who sat out after breaking a bone in his throwing hand last weekend. Louisville commenced the blowout immediately. On the first play from scrimmage, Shelton broke a tackle and outran three defenders for an 80-yard touchdown run, Louisville's longest scoring play of the season. Cincinnati backup quarterback Collin Carey, who had thrown only one pass this season, failed to move the Bearcats beyond their own 34 on their first three possessions. Louisville cornerback Antoine Harris intercepted Carey's pass near midfield and LeFors threw a 43-yard TD pass to Montrell Jones a minute later. It was LeFors' 17th TD pass of the season and Jones' first TD reception since he transferred from Tennessee two years ago. In the final seconds of the first quarter, Johnson blocked Chet Ervin's punt, scooped up the loose ball and scored from 7 yards out. Louisville coach Bobby Petrino replaced LeFors with freshman Brian Brohm early in the second quarter, a move he's made in all but two games. Brohm finished two crisp drives with TD passes to J.R. Russell and Jones. The seldom-used Smith tacked on a 3-yard touchdown run with 2:48 left in the half. The Bearcats had four turnovers and 50 total yards at halftime. Shelton had a 54-yard run in the third quarter to set up another short TD by Smith. Following another sputtering Cincinnati possession, Jones fielded a punt, found a seam and sprinted down the sideline for a 72-yard touchdown. Less than two minutes later, Louisville linebacker Chad Rimpsey blocked another punt and Tiger Jones fell on the loose ball in the end zone. Butler Benton spoiled Louisville's shutout bid with a 1-yard run for Cincinnati with 9:02 left in the game. Louisville defeated their regional rival for the sixth time in seven meetings. After the game, the Cardinals accepted the league champion's automatic bid to the Liberty Bowl.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/11/146452