Strong Previews Saturday's Season Opener Against Kentucky
August 30, 2010 | Football
Aug. 30, 2010
Press Conference Audio | Press Conference Quotes 
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville football head coach Charlie Strong, senior quarterback Adam Froman and junior defensive tackle Greg Scruggs met with reporters on Monday to preview Saturday's season opener against Kentucky. The Cardinals and Wildcats are scheduled to kick off at 3:30 p.m. at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, and the annual showdown for the Governor's Cup will be televised by ABC.
Saturday's game will be the debut for Strong with the Cardinals. Louisville also unveils its newly expanded Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. The venue, which had seating for 42,000 since its opening in 1998, was enlarged to 55,000+, including 33 new suites and 1,725 club seats for the 2010 season.
The Cardinals return 15 starters from the 2009 team, which went 4-8. Louisville brings back nine starters on the offensive side of the football, including five players who started games on the offensive line and Froman. Defensively, senior Johnny Patrick and Scruggs both started all 12 games last season.
The Cardinals and Wildcats will open the season against each other for the 14th time and the first time since 2008. Louisville is 8-5 versus Kentucky when opening the season against the Wildcats. The Cardinals are 49-55-3 all-time in season openers after a 30-10 win over Indiana State in the 2009 opening game.
The Series - U of L and UK
Kentucky and Louisville meet for the 23rd time in program history. The teams have met annually since the renewal of the series in 1994, and Kentucky leads the overall series 13-9, including a 3-5 mark when the game is played in Louisville. Kentucky has won the last three meetings, including a 31-27 win at Commonwealth Stadium in 2009. Kentucky capitalized on a late fumble in the fourth quarter to drive down the field and score with just under two minutes to play. Louisville's last win was a 59-28 win over the Wildcats in the 2006 season opener at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Louisville is 1-0 vs. UK in overtime. The overtime game was in 2000, a 40-34 win by the Cardinals at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
GAME FACTS - Louisville (0-0) vs. Kentucky (0-0)
Date: Saturday, Sept. 4
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Site: Papa John's Cardinal Stadium (55,000+), Louisville, Ky.
TV: ABC will televise the game regionally with Dave Lamont (play-by-play) and J.C. Pearson (analyst) calling the action
Radio: Paul Rogers (play-by-play), Stefan LeFors (analyst) and Doug Ormay (sideline) will call all the action on WKRD 790 AM
Also: SIRIUS Satellite Radio, Ch. 127; XM Satellite Radio, Ch. 203
Rankings: Both Louisville and Kentucky are unranked in this week's AP Poll and USA Today Coaches Poll.
Coaches: Louisville's Charlie Strong is entering his first season as the Cardinals' head coach. Kentucky's Joker Phillips is entering his first season as the head coach of the Wildcats. Charlie Strong and Joker Phillips served on the same coaching staff at South Carolina under Lou Holtz in 2002.
