By Chris Duncan
The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville Cardinals are off to a surprising 7-1 start with their biggest game of the season looming next on the schedule.

The Nov. 5 game is nationally televised, and the opponent is No. 13 TCU (8-0, 5-0 Conference USA), the team that wrestled league superiority away from Louisville last season.

The Horned Frogs have routed the Cardinals the past two seasons, and this year's game is in Fort Worth, where TCU has won six straight.

A win will likely catapult the Cardinals into the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time this season. A loss will likely doom their hopes for another Conference USA title.

Pressure?

Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said it's all on TCU, one of only three unbeaten teams left in Division I-A.

"We're the underdog. We'll go in and play it really loose, we'll be aggressive and go out to make the plays to win the game," he said at his weekly news conference on Monday. "They're the ones who have to worry about all the pressure. They're the ones undefeated, they're expected to win, they're talking about going undefeated.

"That's good for us. We'll just go in, be really aggressive and give it everything we've got."

Were it not for a late defensive breakdown at South Florida on Oct. 4, the Cardinals (3-1 Conference USA) would be undefeated, too. They've won three straight since the 31-28 double-overtime loss in Tampa, including last Saturday's 36-20 win at East Carolina.

The Cardinals rushed for a season-high 305 yards against the Pirates and now rank ninth in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 224 yards per game.

Last season, the Cardinals averaged 106.92 rushing yards per game, 106th in the nation.

"It's something we've set our minds on doing," Petrino said. "We have a pretty good scheme of what we're looking to do. Then, you can throw a number of different backs out there that give them a different look. And they're all good."

Last season, the Horned Frogs held Louisville to minus-26 yards rushing in a 45-31 victory that wasn't as close as the final score indicated.

But this year, the Cardinals have Eric Shelton, the Florida State transfer who has lived up to preseason hype. Shelton ran for 118 yards against East Carolina, his fourth 100-yard game of the season.

Petrino said TCU will blitz more than any team the Cardinals will face this season - all the more reason to establish the running game.

"You've got to play to your strengths. Our strength is running the ball," Petrino said. "We're not going to come out and try to throw it 50 times. We're going to continue to do what we've done well. We might have to throw it a little bit more than we did last week, but that's just to open them up and take advantage of some of the looks they give you."

Lately, the Cardinal taking the most advantage of mismatches is receiver J.R. Russell. He's caught 41 passes for 692 yards and three touchdowns.

Petrino realized at halftime of the East Carolina game that Russell hadn't caught a pass.

"That's not very good coaching," Petrino said.

Russell made five catches in the second half, including a touchdown, as the Cardinals pulled away from a 10-10 third-quarter tie.

"He took the game over," Petrino said of Russell. "When you looked out and saw the matchup we had against him, it almost could've been a 10-catch half for him. He's got a lot of confidence and he's big and fast."

The Cardinals came into last year's meeting brimming with confidence, but TCU raced to a stunning 31-0 lead.

Petrino has heard only whispers about avenging that loss and a 37-22 defeat in 2001.

"I've heard a little bit from the players about how they owe 'em one or something like that. But it's a whole new team for us," Petrino said. "Really, what happened last year will just motivate the players that remember it."