Cards Getting Closer to Facing LSU in Citrus Bowl
December 28, 2016 | Football
DeAngelo Brown InterviewDrew Bailey InterviewTobijah Hughley InterviewJeremy Smith InterviewJosh Harvey-ClemonsJosh Harvey-Clemons Interview
Cards will practice for the final time on Thursday.
ORLANDO – After a couple of days of fun and practice, it was all business for the University of Louisville football team on Wednesday as game day rapidly approaches.
Participating in all the fun at Universal Studios, a Best Buy shopping spree and dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings on Tuesday, the Cardinals went right to work on Wednesday morning at Freedom High School.
The Cardinals worked out in a little less than two hours in the final big work day of the season before the final test of the season.
"It's been a great experience," senior safety Josh Harvey-Clemons said. "It's been fun to be in some nice weather. All the guys are focused and getting prepared. We are going through a normal week of practice to get ready for this game."
LSU and Louisville kickoff at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday at the Camping World Stadium. The game, which is the first-ever meeting between the teams in football, will be televised on ABC.
After a tough practice on Tuesday, the Cardinals got their work done early on Wednesday morning, finishing about 15 minutes earlier than expected.
Louisville is preparing for a vaunted LSU rushing attack, led by running back Derrius Guice, who has rushed for over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Tigers are ranked 20th nationally in rushing offense, averaging 238.1 yards on the ground.
Danny Etling in his first season as a starter has thrown for 1,906 yards and nine scores this season for the Tigers, who are averaging 28.3 points per game.
"We have a great challenge in front of us," Harvey-Clemons said. "We know what we have to do and we have prepared extremely hard since the end of the season. I'm confident we will be ready on Saturday."
"We know we have to stop the run," senior defensive lineman Drew Bailey said after Wednesday's practice. "They like to run the ball and are very physical upfront. We know what we have to do and just execute."
Having dropped two games to close the year, the Cardinals feel like they have something to prove, especially to the city of Louisville.
"We lost our last two games, which is something we haven't done a lot of,". "We feel like we owe the city a win – it could be a late Christmas gift."
Senior center Tobijah Hughley echoed his teammates' comments.
"We didn't finish the season like we wanted too," Hughley said. "We know we let the city down a couple of times and we're ready to go back and do it right."
While this is the final game of the 2016 season, the Cardinals know that this will be a major stepping stone next season. With 13 starters set to return, the Cardinals understand they need momentum heading into the winter conditioning program.
"This is pretty big," running back Jeremy Smith said. "To be able to get a win against a powerful team from a major conference would set us up for next season."
The Cardinals are scheduled for their "Perfect Thursday" practice tomorrow morning, which will take place at Freedom High School.
Participating in all the fun at Universal Studios, a Best Buy shopping spree and dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings on Tuesday, the Cardinals went right to work on Wednesday morning at Freedom High School.
The Cardinals worked out in a little less than two hours in the final big work day of the season before the final test of the season.
"It's been a great experience," senior safety Josh Harvey-Clemons said. "It's been fun to be in some nice weather. All the guys are focused and getting prepared. We are going through a normal week of practice to get ready for this game."
LSU and Louisville kickoff at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday at the Camping World Stadium. The game, which is the first-ever meeting between the teams in football, will be televised on ABC.
After a tough practice on Tuesday, the Cardinals got their work done early on Wednesday morning, finishing about 15 minutes earlier than expected.
Louisville is preparing for a vaunted LSU rushing attack, led by running back Derrius Guice, who has rushed for over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Tigers are ranked 20th nationally in rushing offense, averaging 238.1 yards on the ground.
Danny Etling in his first season as a starter has thrown for 1,906 yards and nine scores this season for the Tigers, who are averaging 28.3 points per game.
"We have a great challenge in front of us," Harvey-Clemons said. "We know what we have to do and we have prepared extremely hard since the end of the season. I'm confident we will be ready on Saturday."
"We know we have to stop the run," senior defensive lineman Drew Bailey said after Wednesday's practice. "They like to run the ball and are very physical upfront. We know what we have to do and just execute."
Having dropped two games to close the year, the Cardinals feel like they have something to prove, especially to the city of Louisville.
"We lost our last two games, which is something we haven't done a lot of,". "We feel like we owe the city a win – it could be a late Christmas gift."
Senior center Tobijah Hughley echoed his teammates' comments.
"We didn't finish the season like we wanted too," Hughley said. "We know we let the city down a couple of times and we're ready to go back and do it right."
While this is the final game of the 2016 season, the Cardinals know that this will be a major stepping stone next season. With 13 starters set to return, the Cardinals understand they need momentum heading into the winter conditioning program.
"This is pretty big," running back Jeremy Smith said. "To be able to get a win against a powerful team from a major conference would set us up for next season."
The Cardinals are scheduled for their "Perfect Thursday" practice tomorrow morning, which will take place at Freedom High School.
Players Mentioned
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