In case you missed it, Louisville suffered a blow yesterday when Scott Long, the Cards’ lone experienced wide receiver, broke a bone in his left foot, casting in serious doubt his availability for the UK-U of L opener on August 31.
The junior wide out from Southport, North Carolina caught 27 passes for 358 yards last year. He started seven games, and had a long catch of 45 yards. He was fourth on the team in receptions behind Harry Douglas (71), Gary Barnidge (53) and Mario Urrutia (35), all three of which are currently trying to make pro rosters.
So without Long, who does Louisville have left at receiver?
A list of candidates:
- Doug Beaumont: A 5-foot-8, 176-pound sophomore from Male High School in Louisville, Beaumont was rated by Scout.com as the No. 1 prospect in the state and was named Kentucky's Mr. Football in 2006. He played in all 12 games last year, but mainly on special teams. Did not make a catch. Is said to be having a good camp.
- Josh Chichester: A 6-8, 224-pound redshirt freshman from Westchester, Ohio. Was ranked as the 36th best wide receiver by Rivals when he signed in 2007. A four-star prospect by Scout.com.
- Maurice Clark: A 6-3, 218-pound junior college transfer from Lake Elmore, California and Saddleback Community College. He earned All-Conference honors by catching 45 passes for 628 yards and eight touchdowns a year ago. Picked Louisville over Purdue, Washington State, Akron, Arizona and Iowa State.
- Troy Pascley: A 6-2, 190-pound sophomore from Alliance, Ohio.
Pascley played in just the Murray State game last year before missing
the remainder of the season with pneumonia. He redshirted in 2006.
- Andrew Robinson: A 5-9, 191-pound junior from Louisville Manual High School. Played in all 12 games last year on special teams. Has not caught a college pass.
- Chris Vaughn: A 6-3, 220-pound senior who caught all of two passes last year. He has four catches for his career at U of L. He transferred to Louisville from Notre Dame after playing for the Irish as a true freshman. He caught one pass for seven yards while with the Irish. He redshirted in 2005, made two starts in nine games with U of L in 2006, and appeared in eight games last year.
Trent Guy, who was shot last month outside of a Louisville nightclub, is still rehabbing and his status is up in the air for the first game. The junior from North Carolina caught 11 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns last season. He also returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns. Louisville is hopeful, but a Guy appearance would seem doubtful.
