Cards to Open the Season Thursday Night versus Charlotte
August 29, 2016 | Football
Cards will kickoff the season at 7 p.m.
Eight months since beating Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl -- its eighth win in the last 10 games – the University of Louisville will try to build on that momentum when the Cardinals open the season Thursday night against Charlotte. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. on the Regional Sports Network.
After four weeks of an intense, humid camp, the Cardinals are ready to take on a different opponent.
Game Broadcast Channels in Louisville
Direct TV - Ch. 646Dish Network - Ch. 5420 (HD)
AT&T U-Verse - Ch. 724; Ch. 1724 (HD)
Time Warner - Ch. 521; Ch. 70 (HD)
The Cardinals have experience and depth on both sides of the ball, which is a big change from a year ago, when they started 10 new players in the opener versus Auburn.
In year three of the Petrino era, the Cardinals return 17 starters and have 41 players who have starting experience from last season's team that went 8-5 and were champions of the Music City Bowl.
"It's been a good preseason," head coach Bobby Petrino said at his weekly press conference on Monday. "I like the way the guys have worked, and I like the addition of the new staff members. We started our preparation for this game on Friday, and it's been good since we have experience on what we do on game week."
While the Cards are one of the most experienced teams in the country, they will meet a Charlotte team that is only in its fourth-year of existence after establishing the program in 2013.
The 49ers, who will graduate their first senior class this year, are coming off a 2-10 season following their first year in Conference USA.
"Charlotte has fast-tempo offense," Petrino said. "We know their quarterback (Kevin Olsen) from recruiting. He is a kid we have a lot of respect for and he has a ton of ability.
"Defensively, they will give ton of looks with multiple fronts. They have shown games where they want to pressure, and some games where they don't. We tell our team that we will have to make adjustments on the side and get better as the game goes on."
Heading into his seventh season, Petrino knows there are questions that still need to be answered, but is confident that his team has worked hard to be well-prepared and understands the schemes the coaches have been teaching during camp.
"We still have a lot of questions," Petrino said. "However, we know our players, and they know the schemes we are running. It's now time to cut it loose; go use your technique within the schemes and execute at a high level. "
Heading into last season, there were a lot of questions at the quarterback position, but those concerns have been laid to rest with the development of sophomore Lamar Jackson.
Coming off a productive rookie season, where he rushed for 960 yards and passed for 1,840 yards, Jackson has emerged as one of the most dynamic players at the quarterback position, and has become more of a teacher and a leader.
"Lamar has had a good camp," Petrino said. "He is harder on himself this year and expects more out of himself as far as his drops, his sets and his accuracy. It's been really fun to see."
While Jackson displayed his elusiveness in the backfield last year, Petrino expects the Charlotte defense to test his first-year signal caller.
"They will try to pressure him and confuse him a little bit," Petrino said. "I'm looking forward to see how he reacts and how much he has learned this offseason. I'm excited to get back out there."