Petrino looking for fight from his team
Falling to 2-3 on the season in heartbreaking fashion, Louisville (2-3, 0-2) returned to the practice field Monday evening licking the wounds from a painful loss to Florida State. The Cardinals, leading the Seminoles for nearly 50 minutes, had the ball 1st and 10 at the FSU 21 with a three point lead and two minutes left — and lost. First QB Jawon Pass threw an interception, then Louisville’s defense gave up a quick-strike touchdown that put FSU ahead 28-24 and then Louisville’s defense stalled on its final drive.
“They’re all hard to bounce back from,” Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said. “I think the thing that was so telling in the locker room after the game was that we felt like we went out there and left it all on the field and put out great effort and executed and didn’t get the result that was sitting out there for us. So it was very quiet, very solemn in locker room after the game and you have to get over that. It takes a little bit to get over it.
Picking up the pieces from Saturday, Petrino said the season’s start is testing his team’s resilience.
“Obviously, I never thought we would be in this situation,” Petrino said. “But, it’s something that goes along with athletics and you’ve got to work at it, fight through it, improve, have a good attitude and get better.”
Louisville needs to get better in all phases. The offense, a Petrino hallmark, is currently last in the ACC in Total Offense and Scoring Offense. Louisville is leading the league in sacks allowed and passes intercepted and the Cardinals’ rushing attack has been woefully anemic. Petrino said he did some bright spots in Louisville’s first half performance vs. FSU.
“We did a much better job on third down,” Petrino said. “I thought we did a good job executing there. We did a better job of getting more guys involved. It’s good to see both tight ends in the offense, get Jaylen (Smith) some extra touches, get Dez (Fitzpatrick) going. Tutu (Atwell) made couple of big plays for us. I’ve liked what we got out of Devante Peete. He made a big play right before half to get us in position to score. We’re still working hard on the running game. I’m still not happy. We did make some improvements. I think Hassan Hall has shown his burst. His speed can really help us get the ball on the edge and make some big plays for us.”
Louisville’s defense has performed better than its offense thus far, but they’ll be tested in a big way Friday night vs. Georgia Tech’s option attack. The Yellow Jackets are 2-3 overall, but still dangerous given the complexity of the offensive system.
“I mean everybody (is tested), because it’s a lot about your eyes and your assignment and your discipline and still playing fast,” Petrino explained when asked which position Tech’s offense puts pressure on. “You have to be careful about coaching too much because you still have to have instincts and play fast. But you do have to do your responsibility.
“Somebody’s got to have that dive. Somebody’s got to have the quarterback, someone’s got to have the pitch and then you need a guy running the alley inside out. And then that guy needs to be able to recognize, play action pass because I think they threw the ball six or seven times the other day, but when they’re throwing it, they’re trying to hit big plays on you because you get used to the run, the run, the run. It’s always about the discipline and recognition.”
Louisville and Georgia Tech kickoff Friday night at 7 p.m. The game will be televised by ESPN.