GAME PREVIEW: LOUISVILLE
BY ANDREW OWENS
W
hen former Cardinals head
coach Charlie Strong accepted
the Texas job last winter, Lou‑
isville made the bold move of
rehiring the embattled Bobby Petrino
for the post.
The school received widespread criti‑
cism for bringing in Petrino, who pre‑
viously served as the head coach for
Louisville from 2003‑06. In his first sea‑
son with the Cardinals, he lied about
having contact with Auburn officials
for a job that had yet to be made avail‑
able. He eventually took a job with the
NFL's Atlanta Falcons, but left the team
prior to completion of his first season to
return to the college ranks at Arkansas.
Arkansas fired him in April 2012
after he lied about a motorcycle acci‑
dent with his mistress, one whom the
university later determined received
preferential treatment for her hiring to
a position with the football program.
Petrino's coaching acumen has never
been questioned. Viewed as one of col‑
lege football's top offensive minds,
Junior defensive end Sheldon Rankins leads the
Cardinals' strong pass rush with seven sacks and
ranks second on the team with 11 tackles for loss.
PHOTO COURTESY LOUISVILLE
CALLING CARD
In offensive-minded head coach
Bobby Petrino's first season back,
the Cardinals are succeeding
by thriving defensively
