It would be understandable if the Louisville Cardinals were feeling a bit down over their bye week as they prepared to host the Connecticut Huskies at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium in Kentucky on Saturday.
After getting off to the best start in school history, the Cardinals lost to Syracuse 45-26 on Nov. 10 to derail their chances at a perfect season and a spot in the BCS. The team was 9-0 after a 45-17 win against Temple, but couldn't contain the Orange or quarterback Ryan Nassib, who threw for three touchdowns.
"What's important now is we have two games left. This is a two-game season and our players understand that," coach Charlie Strong told the school's official athletics website.
Louisville dropped to 4-1 in the Big East with the loss and are now second place behind Rutgers, who are 5-0 and are playing Pittsburgh this Saturday. The Cardinals will face off with the Scarlet Knights next Thursday the in a game that could decide the Big East.
"I told them, 'Guys, I know this. We go to Syracuse and we got our butt kicked in. Still though, you have to beat Rutgers to go win it.' So, your goal is still there. Whatever is in front of us is still there. It's all about taking care of Connecticut. Let's not worry about Rutgers," Strong said.
The Cardinals were one of the surprise teams in the nation after starting 9-0. The team has one of the highest rated offenses in the Big East, scoring 33 points per game. The passing attack is ranked 29th in the nation with 288 yards per game, largely due to the play of quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
The sophomore quarterback has thrown for 2,858 yards this season and 21 touchdowns with only five interceptions. Bridgewater is completing over 70 percent of his passes and threw for a career-high five touchdowns in the win against Temple. He also passed for a career-high 424 yards in the loss to Syracuse.
According to the Associated Press, Bridgewater "ranks fifth in the FBS with a 168.7 passer rating."
The offense has been aided by a strong running game, but things will a bit more difficult for the Cardinals on Saturday after the team lost leading rusher Senorise Perry to a season-ending injury against Syracuse. Perry tore his right ACL on the opening drive in the game and was first on the team with 705 rushing yards and a Big East-leading 11 touchdowns.
"I think we will be OK running the football," Strong said. "You look at the running backs and you know Senorise was a big-time part of our running game. ... You miss Senorise just because he's played so much."
Jeremy Wright will start in his place and is second on the team with 680 rushing yards. After coming in for Perry against Syracuse, the junior gained 29 yards on 10 carries.
"The important thing is for us not to let one setback turn to frustration, excuse-making, lack of responsibility and poor individual habits," Strong said. "Always look at what we have left. Never look back at what we have lost. A losing team looks for excuses. A championship team looks for solutions."
The defense has been inconsistent at times this year and gave up a season-high 524 yards in the loss to Syracuse. The Cardinals are allowing 24 points per game and "has outscored opponents by an average of 14.0 points in going 6-0 at home," according to the Associated Press.
The Cardinals will be well rested after a long layoff following the loss to Syracuse.
"It came at a great time for us," Strong said of the bye week. "You're looking at a football team that is still 9-1. ... This has been a special season. Our players have made an unbelievable run."
Louisville expects to continue that run against a Connecticut team that won their first conference game of the season only a week ago.
The Huskies had lost four straight conference games before defeating Pittsburgh 24-17 on Nov. 9, including an embarrassing 40-10 defeat at Syracuse on Oct. 19.
"We look at each other and see what we are capable of doing," said tight end Ryan Griffin. "Luckily tonight, we were hitting on all cylinders. We played well on both sides of the ball. ... This got us rejuvenated for the rest of the season for sure."
Griffin had six receptions for a season-high 84 yards and a touchdown in the win and is leading the team with five touchdown receptions. This year the team is ranked 112th in the nation with 320.6 total yards per game and only scored a combined 33 points during a recent four-game losing streak.
Quarterback Chandler Whitmer has been one of the bright spots for the Huskies, throwing for 2,328 yards and eight touchdowns. In the teams last win against the Panthers he had 213 yards passing and one touchdown.
Connecticut is one of the lowest scoring teams in the Big East with only 17.3 points per game, but also have one of the stingiest defenses, allowing only 18 points per game. That defense will be tested against a Louisville team that has one of the highest-rated offenses in the country.
"Louisville is obviously an excellent team," UConn coach Paul Pasqualoni said. "They have one of the top quarterbacks in the country. It will be a hostile environment for sure, a tough place to play."
In last year's matchup between the two teams, Louisville won 34 -20 at Connecticut and have won two straight in the series. The Huskies won the previous three games.
Louisville is greatly improved from last year's team that finished with a 7-6 record and a share of the Big East title with Cincinnati and West Virginia after going 5-2 in the conference. The team went to the Belk Bowl and lost 31-24 to North Carolina State.
The Huskies have regressed in their second season under Pasqualoni, going only 1-4 in the Big East after finishing last season with a 3-4 record. The team is ranked 119th in rushing yards and are gaining only 233 yards per game through the air.
According to the Associated Press, "The Huskies have dropped eight straight matchups against ranked foes by an average of 18.5 points."
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