Petrino Talks About Virginia and First Road Game
September 08, 2014 | Football
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LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Under University of Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino, the Cardinals have been one of the nation's best teams at home. Winners of 24 of 25 home games and 20 in a row under Petrino, the Cardinals are ready to hit the road for the first time this season.
The Cardinals travel to Virginia to play their first-ever road ACC game versus the Cavaliers. While home has been a safe haven for Petrino's teams, the road hasn't been too bad over the years. Petrino is 24-1 all-time at home, but is also 17-6 on the road as head coach of the Cardinals.
"We are looking forward to seeing how we travel," said Petrino. "It will be the first time we get to travel together and make sure it is a business trip, being able to stay focused and then deal with the crowd noise offensively and defensively so it will be a good challenge on the road against a team that I think is playing well and look very, very well coached."
Going on the road is never easy for a football team, but Petrino seems to have a solid formula for success for his teams.
"We worked on it, we took a week in camp and worked on it as if we are on a road game and how we handled it with the crowd and everything like that," Petrino said. "We will get back at it again tomorrow so at least it will be familiar with our guys and how we have already covered our bases a little bit but it will still be different. I think it's just real important that we stay focused as we travel, the Friday is very similar the way it's been the last two weeks on our meeting times and everything that we do. The better we keep on schedule, the better I think we will travel."
For the players, it's important to stay focused and concentrate on the task. For this senior class, they have seen a lot of success as they look for their seventh-straight win on the road.
"Going on the road for the first time, I try to make sure that we as a team, we focus on the details, focus on the small things," senior offensive tackle Jamon Brown. "Focus on being able to stay locked in for a full game, and that starts with being able to stay locked in for a full practice. Taking it day-by-day this week as we go into practice as we start preparing for Virginia, just trying to get prepared for some of those situations that may come up when we get to Virginia and our ability to be able to handle those certain situations. Because we all know every game of football has adversity points, so being able to deal with those points."
If heading on the road for the first time isn't enough, the Cardinals will face a solid team, one that has been opportunistic on defense. The Cavaliers have forced nine turnovers in two games after forcing seven in the 45-13 win over Richmond last week.
"The big part of it is the pressure on the quarterback, they really rush the quarterback,"Petrino said. They come off the ball hard. They have two really active defensive ends and a couple good guys inside that push the pocket so most of their turnovers have come as a result of pressuring the quarterback and either the quarterback fumbling the ball or having to throw under pressure and have an interception."
The Cavaliers, who are 1-1 after a loss to No. 7 UCLA and a win over Richmond, the Cavaliers have also been solid on offense, despite rotating quarterbacks. UVA has rotated between Greyson Lambert and Matt Johns this season. Lambert is completing a national-best 76.3 percent of his throws and has passed for 214 yards and a score. Johns has thrown for 219 yards and three scores.
"They don't do a lot of different philosophies when the two of them are in the game, they are going to run their offense, they make it difficult on you with their running game and the read-zone," Petrino said. "They both can execute that, I think they feel like both can throw the ball."
"You see their offensive coordinator has some Mike Martz background in his history so you see some of the utilization of the running backs in the passing game and some of the things they did at the Rams when they were really good. It will challenge our defense to really be on top of formations and motions and what they like to do."
Whoever, the Cardinals face at quarterback, they must be a focused football team to capture their first road win of the season and get a leg up on the ACC with a 2-0 record. The Cardinals will face a tough team, but to do it on the road will be even tougher.
