Cards Partake in Activities on Eve of the Citrus Bowl
December 30, 2016 | Football
Cards face LSU on Saturday morning at 11 a.m.
ORLANDO - On the day before the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, University of Louisville Head Coach Bobby Petrino  and the football team participated in several events in Orlando, Fla.. The game, set for Saturday at 11 a.m. (ET ) on ESPN, pits the Cardinals  against LSU at Camping World Stadium.Â
Friday's festivities began with a press conference featuring Petrino and LSU's Ed Oregron at 11 a.m. before the luncheon at the Hilton Orlando with both teams in attendance,
 "We're looking forward to the matchup. LSU is a very, very good football team, does a great job of playing defense, " Petrino said. "They're very big, strong, physical. They've got some really good cover guys. So I think that's a tremendous challenge for us. Offensively, they have been able to move the ball and we know we have a great running back to defend and a quarterback that has been able to distribute the ball and do a great job for him. So looking forward to the game and looking forward to our players getting back on the field and competing."
 Bringing the top scoring offense in the country and the No. 2 total offense, the Cardinals face a large challenge against an LSU defense, which ranks No. 6 in the country in scoring defense and possess a number of big-time athletes at every position.
 "I think they'll be the most talented defense that we've went against this year," Petrino said. "They're very physical up front and do a great job in their run gaps. Their linebackers are big and can run and are physical and they've got guys that can match up and play man coverage. So I think just the number of snaps of man coverage that they play will be new to us than most of the people we've played this year."
 While the LSU defense is one of the best in the nation, the Cardinals own the best player in the country in sophomore Lamar Jackson. The 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, Jackson, the youngest player to win the award, leads the Cards with 1,538 yards rushing and 21 scores, while also passing for 3,390 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Jackson, who has rushed for over 100 yards eight times this season, set the ACC record for rushing yards by a quarterback, is looking to set a league mark for total offense, needing 282 yards to set another record.
 "He's such a dynamic player," Petrino said of Jackson. "He can do a lot of things with the football in his hand and makes people have to respect his game because he can do so much with the football in his hands."
 Petrino, who is making his seventh appearance in a bowl as head coach of the Cardinals, looks at this game two ways.
 You know, like I said, I always feel like this game ends our seniors' career and starts our guys returning," Petrino said. "So certainly we're playing a tremendous football team from one of the best conferences in the country, a program that I know a lot about and competed against them before that have great players and are very, very well coached. So it's a tremendous challenge for us."
The Cardinals held their final walk-through at Freedom High School after three consecutive days of practices. Louisville enters Saturday's matchup with a 9-3 record, and with a win over LSU, would achieve the Cardinals' best season record since 2013.
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