2003 Cardinal Football Schedule Released
February 26, 2003 | Football
Feb. 26, 2003
Having played on every day of the week over the last two seasons, the University of Louisville football team will get back to basics with a more traditional schedule stocked with an abundance of Saturday games when the Cardinals and first-year head coach Bobby Petrino begin a new chapter in the proud history of Cardinal football during the 2003 season.
The Cards open the season with consecutive road games for the first time in seven years when they kick off their 12-game, 2003 slate with non-conference road matchups at Kentucky and Syracuse before returning to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium for a home slate featuring non-conference games against UTEP and Temple and a Conference USA schedule featuring Army, Tulane, Memphis and Houston.
"We're excited about the way this schedule stacks up," Petrino said. "Our success on the recruiting trail gave this program a nice shot of momentum heading into spring practice and everyone from the coaching staff to the players is eager to get out on the field and show what they're capable of."
Senior tight end Richard Owens is among many Cardinal players who have taken a liking to the upcoming schedule.
"You have to like playing on Saturdays, that's what college football is all about," Owens said. "This schedule will allow our fans to come out on the weekends and enjoy tailgating, nice weather and exciting Cardinal football."
Stocked with one of the top recruiting classes in school history, the Cards will open their 84th season at instate rival Kentucky on Sunday, August 31 in front of a national audience on ESPN2. Following a bye week, U of L will return to action at Syracuse on September 13 followed by matchups at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium against UTEP on September 20 and Temple on September 27 to round out the non-conference slate.
The Cards will be the second team to welcome first-year Conference USA member South Florida into the league when they travel to Tampa on October 4 to open their league slate. U of L then returns home for a two-game homestand against Army on October 11 and Tulane on October 18 before playing at East Carolina on October 25.
Following their second open week of the season, the Cards will play at TCU on November 8 before returning home to face Memphis on November 15 and Houston on November 22. The Cards will close out the regular season at Cincinnati on November 29.
With the ESPN TV schedule still pending , all games are subject to change.
For ticket information please call the U of L Ticket Office at (502) 852-5151.
Schedule Notes
* South Florida begins play in Conference USA for football this fall, bringing the league's football playing members to 11. The Cardinals will play eight C-USA contests, facing every league team except for Southern Miss and UAB.
* The 2003 season marks the first time in nine seasons that U of L will not play rival Southern Miss. The last time the Cards and Golden Eagles did not meet on the gridiron was the 1994 season, prior to that one-year layoff, the two rivals had squared off for 15 straight seasons.
* The Cardinals will play three teams that appeared in post-season play in 2002. The schedule includes Tulane (Conagra Food Hawaii Bowl), TCU (AXA Liberty Bowl) and Cincinnati (New Orleans Bowl).
* The Cardinals will play for a pair of traveling trophies, the Governor's Cup, against instate rival Kentucky, and the Keg 'O Nails, against Cincinnati.
* With Syracuse and Temple on the slate, the Cards will face a pair of Big East foes for the first time since the 1993 season when they played at Pittsburgh and West Virginia.
* The Cardinals begin the 15-practice spring season on March 28 and will play their annual Red-White Scrimmage on Friday, April 18 at 8 p.m. in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
* The home-opener against UTEP will feature a matchup between Greg and Gary Nord. Greg is the assistant head coach of the Cardinals and Gary is the head coach of the Miners.
2003 Louisville ScheduleDate Day OpponentAug. 31 Sun. at KentuckySept. 13 Sat. at SyracuseSept. 20 Sat. UTEPSept. 27 Sat. TempleOct. 4 Sat. at South Florida*Oct. 11 Sat. Army*Oct. 18 Sat. Tulane*Oct. 25 Sat. at East Carolina*Nov. 8 Sat. at TCU*Nov. 15 Sat. Memphis*Nov. 22 Sat. Houston*Nov. 29 Sat. at Cincinnati** Denotes Conference USA Game
