C-USA Football Coaches Place Cardinals Third
July 25, 2000 | Football
July 25, 2000
CHICAGO -- Conference USA coaches see the Louisville Cardinals finishing the 2000 season in third place according to their yearly preseason poll. The rankings were released today by the league as a precursor to next week's C-USA Media Day activities in Memphis, Tenn.
The Cardinals earned 53 of a possible 81 points to finish behind defending league champion Southern Miss and preseason Top 25 choice East Carolina. The Eagles edged out the Pirates by one point as the conference's preseason favorite.
U of L finished three points ahead of fourth choice Memphis. The bottom five teams in order of finish were UAB, Cincinnati, Houston, Tulane and Army.
Three Cardinal seniors - WR Arnold Jackson, OC Jason Padget, DB Antonio Roundtree - were named to the 25-man preseason all-conference team.
Jackson enters his final collegiate campaign just 63 catches shy of breaking the NCAA Division I-A all-time receptions record. The Jacksonville, Fla. native is a two-time all-C-USA first team selection and is the nation's top returning receiver after pulling in 101 passes in '99.
Padget begins his second season as a Cardinal after transferring from Phoenix College in the spring of '99. One of four captains elected for the 2000 season, Padget started all 12 games at center for the Cards a year ago.
An all-C-USA choice following the 1998 season, Roundtree is the Cards' only representative on the defensive side of the football. Entering his third season as a starter, Roundtree registered 38 tackles and six pass breakups as a junior.
The Cardinals begin on-field preparations for the 2000 campaign in less than two weeks with freshmen and newcomers reporting August 4 and veterans hitting campus on Aug. 8. The first full squad practice is set for Aug. 10 at 9:00 a.m. at the U of L Football Complex.
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