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August 21, 2010 LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville conducted a mini-scrimmage on Saturday morning at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, as training camp officially ended with the start of classes on Monday. Because of the rainy conditions, the team practiced for the first time on the game field. Head coach Charlie Strong's squad scrimmaged for a couple hours, going through various game situations like overtime, goal line and red zone situations. "I was pleased with the effort for the entire camp," said Strong. "We still have a lot of work to get accomplished over the next couple weeks, but if the effort continues, I will be happy. It was a tough camp. We never let up on them." Seniors Bilal Powell and Blayne Donnell took most of the carries in the running game, with all three quarterbacks getting similar repetitions. Senior Adam Froman was efficent most of the morning as was sophomore Will Stein and senior Justin Burke. Senior wide receiver Doug Beaumont was effective in the passing game along with junior tight end Josh Chichester. Freshman Jarrett Davis was also impressive in the passing game. Defensively, junior William Savoy and redshirt freshman Roy Philon put pressure on the quarterback in passing situations. The Cardinals are off Sunday before classes begin on Monday. The team will start practice on Monday afternoon at 3:55 p.m. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Cardinals Practice Two Hours on Friday Morning August 20, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football team continued its preseason work on Friday morning with a two-hour session at the grass practice fields. Following a 9 a.m., start, the Cardinals worked 25 periods on a hot, humid morning in Louisville. The team focused on situational work for a good portion of the practice, including the two-minute drill. Junior wide receiver Josh Bellamy continued his emergence as one of the Cardinals' go-to receivers, while junior Josh Chichester is becoming more of a weapon at tight end. "Practice went well today," said Chichester. "We started off a little slow, but we picked it up on both sides of the ball and we got it after today. The transition (from wide receiver to tight end) is going pretty well right now. I still have to get in the playbook and get my schemes down, but I'm getting the hang of it." Junior linebacker Jordan Campbell made his debut on the Louisville practice fields on Friday morning with an emphasis on running and conditioning. Louisville will return to the practice field on Saturday at 8 a.m. The Cardinals will open the 2010 season against rival Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m., ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in a game televised by ABC. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Cardinals Continue Preseason Drills With Thursday Morning Session August 19, 2010 LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football team conducted its shortest practice session of the preseason on Thursday morning working less than two hours at the grass practice fields. Head coach Charlie Strong continued his first preseason camp with extensive work on special teams following an 8 a.m., start on Thursday, while the team did much less hitting than in previous days. During the team work, junior tight end Josh Chichester made a pair of nice touchdown catches while leaping over defenders into the end zone. The team also worked on Hail Mary plays on Thursday. "Every week and every day we have to improve and the offense is doing a great job," said junior running back Victor Anderson. "It starts up front with the offensive line. They're doing an incredible job right now and as long as they keep pushing, then the offense will be alright." Louisville will return to the practice field on Friday morning. The Cardinals will open the 2010 season against rival Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m., ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in a game televised by ABC. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Cardinals Work 25 Periods in the First of Two Wednesday Sessions August 18, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football team opened another two-a-day preseason session with 25 periods of work on Wednesday morning at the grass practice fields. Going more than two hours on the practice fields on Wednesday, the Cardinals scrimmaged during the final five periods with the offense holding the advantage. Senior tight end Cameron Graham had a touchdown reception in the scrimmage, while senior running backs Bilal Powell and Blayne Donnell each had touchdown runs on Wednesday morning. The Louisville coaching staff also moved redshirt freshman Zed Evans from cornerback to running back on Wednesday. Following Wednesday morning's practice, head coach Charlie Strong announced that freshman wide receiver Michaelee Harris suffered a torn PCL in his knee on Monday and will be out of action for an undetermined amount of time. "Michaelee tore his PCL, but I don't know the timeframe with that yet," said Strong. "If he's not able to play, he'll get a redshirt, but I don't know the timing on when he'll be back." On Tuesday, the Louisville football program hosted its annual Kickoff Luncheon at the Louisville Marriott Downtown, where a record-setting crowd of more than 1,400 attended the event. Louisville will return to the practice field for a second session on Wednesday evening before conducting a single session on Thursday morning. The Cardinals will open the 2010 season against rival Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m., ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in a game televised by ABC. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Cardinals Return to Practice Fields on Monday Morning August 16, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Following an off-day from preseason drills on Sunday for the annual Open House and Meet and Greet at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, the Louisville football team returned to the practice fields on Monday morning with a two-hour session. Greeted by more comfortable temperatures and lower humidity than last week, the Cardinals practiced in full pads with another spirited workout under the guidance of head coach Charlie Strong. Among the highlights from Monday's practice was an outstanding catch by sophomore wide receiver Andrell Smith to beat senior cornerback Johnny Patrick on a deep play to the end zone. Junior wide receiver Josh Bellamy and freshman receiver Michaelee Harris also made some nice catches in the Cardinals' offense. Overall, the wide receivers seem to be coming together as a unit and are making great strides during the preseason. Defensively, freshman linebacker Preston Brown is getting reps with the Cardinals' first team defense, while sophomore defensive tackle Randy Salmon practiced for the first time with an emphasis on individual drills. After dealing with some minor injuries through the first two weeks of preseason drills, the health of the team seems to be improving each day. "Practice was good today," said senior offensive guard Mark Wetterer. "We played fast. Everybody paid attention and the biggest thing was everybody gave 100-percent effort. After Saturday's scrimmage, we wanted to get a quicker tempo, a faster pace to the ball and run more plays." "Practice went smooth today and we got a lot of work done," said sophomore linebacker Daniel Brown. "As linebackers, we practiced on a lot of keys, technique and knowing where to be on certain plays." Louisville will return to the practice field on Tuesday at 9 a.m., ET before hosting the annual Kickoff Luncheon, which is sold out. The Cardinals will open the 2010 season against rival Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m., ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in a game televised by ABC. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Cardinals Conduct 90-Play Scrimmage on Saturday Morning August 14, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football team conducted a 90-play scrimmage on Saturday morning during its two-hour preseason session at the grass practice fields. Head coach Charlie Strong and his squad focused on offensive and defensive situational work as well as special teams during Saturday's scrimmage. The Cardinals worked through a number of live-game situations, including 1st and 10 from their own 30, 1st and 10 from the 12 inside the red zone and 1st and 10 from their own 1. "Early in the scrimmage, the offense didn't move the ball very well, but the longer we went, the better it got," said Strong. "We still have a long way to go and we still have to get better. We have to improve our tackling and we need some guys to really step up and become leaders of this team." Offensively, seniors Adam Froman and Justin Burke, and sophomore Will Stein all worked at quarterback with the Cardinals' first team offense on Saturday. On special teams, junior Chris Philpott handling the place kicking duties while the Cardinals also focused on kick returns and punt returns. Louisville will return to the practice field for a second session on Saturday evening before having an off-day on Sunday from preseason drills. Louisville will host an Open House and Meet and Greet at the newly expanded Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The event, which will now be held at the Brown and Williamson Club at PJCS due to excessive warm temperatures, begins at noon ET and will last until approximately 2:30 p.m. On Tuesday, Louisville will host its annual Kickoff Luncheon, which is sold out. The Cardinals will open the 2010 season against rival Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m., ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in a game televised by ABC. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Cardinals Continue Busy Week with Single Session on Friday August 13, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football team continued its preseason training with a 2 1/2 hour session in full pads on Friday morning at the grass practice fields. With another 9 a.m., start and temperatures again in the mid-90's, the Cardinals followed Thursday's two-a-day work with a single session on Friday. The offense made some plays in the team drills, including a long touchdown run by freshman running back Kamal Hogan. "In yesterday's morning practice, we got beat a little bit by the defense, but in the afternoon practice, we cleaned them up pretty good, so our goal as an offense was to come out today and get two in a row against the defense," said senior quarterback Adam Froman. "Most of the time in camp, it goes back and forth where one day the offense wins and the next day the defense wins. We're trying, as an offense, to be more consistent and string some good days together." The defense made positive strides near the end of Friday's practice. Freshman defensive end B.J. Butler has impressed his teammates through the first seven days of preseason drills. "The practices have been high intensity so far and we're really getting after it to be more consistent," said redshirt freshman safety Hakeem Smith. "The coaching staff has been pretty hard on us so far, but they have to be to make us tougher and move faster. We have to play hard and we have to get after it." Louisville will return to the practice field on Saturday at 8 a.m., with a live scrimmage, which will be closed to the public. The Cardinals will open the 2010 season against rival Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m., ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in a game televised by ABC. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Cardinals Conduct First Two-A-Day Session of the Preseason August 12, 2010 LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Working through another hot and humid day, the Louisville football team conducted its first two-a-day practice session of the preseason on Thursday at the grass practice fields. At 8 a.m., head coach Charlie Strong led the Cardinals through their first practice of the day working 26 periods in full pads in a very spirited workout. With temperatures again in the upper 90's, the team looked as though it had adjusted well to the extreme heat this week. "I liked the intensity and competition this morning," said Strong. "We really stressed the goal-line and winning the line of scrimmage. I liked the way they got after it. Players really got into the drill and played with great passion." With an extensive emphasis on goal-work, the defense stopped the offense in five straight short-yardage plays in the early portion of the practice. In the later periods, the offense answered back to make some plays on the goal line, including a pair of untouched rushes into the end zone by junior running back Victor Anderson. Defensively, junior safety Terence Simien, who has returned to the field following an injury in 2009, made a great open field stop in the short-yardage work. Junior tight end Josh Chichester, adjusting to his role at tight end, made a couple of nice receptions on Thursday. Junior wide receiver Josh Bellamy is also learning his role in the Cardinals' offense and is becoming a target in the passing game. On the defensive side of the ball, freshmen linebackers Preston Brown and Tyon Dixon also received numerous reps on the goal line. After a mid-day break, the Cardinals returned to the practice fields at 4:30 p.m., for 16 periods of work to conclude a physically demanding day of drills and conditioning. Louisville will continue its preseason work on Friday at 9 a.m., ET in a single practice session at the grass practice fields. The Cardinals will open the 2010 season against rival Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m., ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in a game televised by ABC. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Cardinals Practice in Full Pads for the First Time on Wednesday Morning August 11, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football team practiced in full pads for the first time during the preseason on a warm, humid Wednesday morning at the grass practice fields. After a 9 a.m. start, the Cardinals worked 26 periods and 2 1/2 hours with a temperature well above 90 degrees and a heat index of more than 105. Along with working in full pads for the first time, head coach Charlie Strong and his coaching staff directed the team through its first scrimmage of the preseason. "This weather motivates you but it also drains you, which means you have to push that much more to work harder," said senior defensive end Rodney Gnat. "The coaches expect the best out of you, so you just have to fight through it." Offensively, seniors Justin Burke and Adam Froman and sophomore Will Stein rotated at the quarterback position with the first team offense on Wednesday. Defensively, sophomore tackle Randy Salmon was also in full pads for the first time, though he focused on conditioning throughout the practice. "We've been able to get some young guys involved in the offense and we seem to be coming along," said senior tight end Cameron Graham. "It took us a couple of days to get everything going, but we're going in the right direction now. Everybody seems to have a grasp of the offense right now, so we're able to go faster and execute better." Louisville will return to the practice field on Thursday with its first two-a-day session of the preseason. They will start the day with an 8 a.m., practice before closing the day with another session at 4:30 p.m. The Cardinals will open the 2010 season against rival Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m., ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in a game televised by ABC. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Louisville Football Hosts 2010 Media Day Activities August 10, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville football program and head coach Charlie Strong hosted the annual media day activities on Tuesday afternoon at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Players and coaches met with members of the local, regional and national media to preview the Cardinals' first season under the guidance of Strong. Prior to the media day activities, the Cardinals practiced for approximately two hours at the grass practice fields. Senior tight end Pete Nochta suffered a sprained knee in Tuesday's session and will miss the next two weeks of preseason drills. Louisville will return to the practice field on Wednesday at 9 a.m. ET. The Cardinals will open the 2010 season against rival Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m., ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in a game televised by ABC. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Cardinals Return to Practice Field with 2 1/2 Hour Session on Monday Morning August 9, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Following a pair of off days from the practice fields, the Louisville football team returned to preseason drills on Monday morning with a very physical 2 1/2 hour session at the grass practice fields. Practicing in shoulder pads for the first time during the preseason, the Cardinals worked 25 periods following their 6 a.m., ET start. Along with the shoulder pads, players also practiced in helmets and shorts for the third straight day. "When we take the field, we start running and it's just up-tempo from there," said junior running back Victor Anderson on the pace of practice. "All of the guys have high intensity and we're running and sprinting from drill to drill to work on our conditioning." "It's a bonding experience because we're with this team day and night right now," said junior defensive end William Savoy on the preseason camp. "I like the early morning practices and then lifting and it all fits together like a real camp." "It was intense today and we definitely have to get smarter as a team," said junior defensive tackle Greg Scruggs. "Every day is a day to get a little bit better and as long as you do that, you can call it a successful day. I think that's what we're trying to do and today was one of those days." Louisville will return to the practice field on Tuesday at 9 a.m., ET before hosting its annual media day activities on Tuesday afternoon at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Louisville defensive coordinator Vance Bedford and offensive coordinator Mike Sanford will meet with reporters at noon ET, followed by head coach Charlie Strong at 12:30 p.m., and selected players at 1 p.m. Video coverage of the press conferences, including exclusive player interviews, will be available through CardsTV at www.UofLSports.com. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Cardinals Conduct First Full Squad Practice of the Preseason August 6, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With more than 700 fans watching along the sidelines, the University of Louisville football team held its final open practice session of the preseason on Friday evening at the grass practice fields. After hosting separate practice sessions on Thursday for the upperclassmen and freshmen, head coach Charlie Strong and his coaching staff led the Cardinals' 105 players through their first full squad practice of the preseason on Friday. "It was good to get the whole team out here so the freshmen could see just see how we operate," said Strong following Friday's session. "It was really important for the freshmen because they don't know the speed of the game right now, but being out here today allowed the veterans to show them how to work." After extremely hot temperatures plagued the Louisville area early in the week, the Cardinals practiced for two hours in helmets and shorts in much more comfortable weather conditions on Friday. "It's a little frustrating not having pads on, but it's one of those deals where we have to stress technique and focus on those things," said sophomore center Mario Benavides. "We feel good about where we are at this point in time, but we're getting a little ancy and we're ready to hit." Following a pair of off days, Louisville will return to the practice fields on Monday and all remaining practice sessions will be closed to the public. The Cardinals will open the season against rival Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m., ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in a game televised by ABC. ________________________________________________________________________________________
Football Opens Preseason Practice with Thursday Morning Session August 5, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville football team officially opened preseason practice for the 2010 season with a spirited two-hour session on Thursday morning. With a 6 a.m., ET start under the lights at the grass practice fields, first-year head coach Charlie Strong and his coaching staff directed the Cardinals through 20 periods of work in front of more than 400 fans at the open practice session. The early start provided good weather for the team with overcast skies, milder temperatures and a light breeze. "The guys came out and moved around really well today and our focus is on improving each day," said Strong following Thursday morning's session. "We felt like we made some progress in the spring, so we wanted to continue that progress today. There's a lot of passion and enthusiasm around this program and the fans here are unbelievable, so I wasn't surprised at all by the number of fans that came out this morning." The two-hour practice session without pads, which featured only upperclassmen, opened with three periods of special teams work and continued with individual drills before closing with separate offensive and defensive sessions. "It was up-tempo and we got started early, but overall, I think today went well," said junior running back Victor Anderson. "We'll go in, watch some film and guys will see where they messed up and we'll correct those mistakes." "I was really pumped to get things going this morning," said junior defensive tackle Greg Scruggs. "I came in with a little bounce in my step and it's exciting to know the season is finally here." Freshmen and other selected Louisville players will practice Thursday at 6 p.m., ET at the grass practice fields in another open session for the public. The Cardinals will open the season against rival Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 4 at 3:30 p.m., ET at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in a game televised by ABC. |
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