It seems like it is taking forever for the next game to get here. Anytime your team loses, you just want them to get back on the field as soon as possible to get the nasty taste of defeat out of your mouth. Florida International just happens to be that unfortunate team that has to play the Cards on Saturday. Although there is nothing they can do to get the win back at Virginia, you can bet that Bobby Petrino and the Louisville Cardinals will come out and play like they are trying to win two games on Saturday, not just one.
According to quarterback Will Gardner, and offensive coordinator Garrick McGee, Tuesday’s practice, the first since that loss, was a solid start to the week of preparation for FIU. “We had a really great practice,” Gardner said. “The guys were flying around making plays. I was very accurate. Things were going great today. The offensive line was finishing blocks. It was a great practice out there today.”
The key things you take from that quote is that Gardner was accurate and the offensive line were finishing their blocks, two things that hurt the Cards immensely in Charlottesville. They also kind of go hand in hand. If the line doesn’t finish their blocks, there is pressure on Gardner or the defensive linemen can get their hands up and knock the passes down. Now those things won’t be truly tested as much on Saturday against an FIU team that should be over-matched by Louisville, but you would hope that those mistakes don’t show up again. Against a team like this, the Cards need to look nearly flawless.
Garrick McGee was also happy with the practice on Tuesday. “I learned from our players today that they have a lot of pride,” he said. “Today, was probably the best practice we had since we been here. There was an extreme response from our players. They were extremely disappointed about what happened to us on Saturday. They are going to do the right things to make sure that doesn’t happen to us today.”
“What I was looking for on the practice field today was a response and there was an extreme response,” McGee also said. “Everything that we are looking for showed up on the practice field today. I learned today that these kids have a lot of pride and what happened on Saturday did affect them.”
The Cards take on Florida International on Saturday at 3:30 pm ET in Miami, Florida. It will be shown on FoxSports1.
