Chilly Weather Greets the Cardinals as Bowl Practice Begins in the Sunshine State

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - While the rest of the country continues to enjoy the remainder of their Christmas holiday, the University of Louisville football team went back to work Tuesday at Fernandina Beach High in preparation for the TaxSlayer Bowl versus Mississippi State.

Under sunny skies, but chilly temperatures, the Cardinals practiced for almost two hours working on the game plan for Saturday's game versus the Bulldogs, who enter the game at 8-4 overall.

With snow falling in Louisville when the team left on Monday night, a trip to the Sunshine State is a great reward for another successful season -- even though its was extremely cold and windy.

"It was a little cold today, but it was great to be in Florida," junior wide receiver Jaylen Smith said following practice. "We had a good day out there today, with a lot of guys coming out with a great attitude and focus. I'm excited to be down here in this climate."

Florida native Geron Christian, who hails from Ocala, agreed that the trip is off to a great start and is happy with the accommodations.

"It's been pretty good," Christian said. "It's our first time being on the beach. Every bowl game we always stay at a nice hotel. We walk outside and we have a great view of the beach. It's been great so far."

The Cardinals enter postseason play on a high note, looking for their fourth-straight win after closing the year with victories over Virginia, Syracuse and Kentucky to secure their eighth consecutive trip to the postseason.

While this is the final game of the 2017 season, there is a lot to play for heading into next year, with at least 15 starters back next season.

"Momentum is what's at stake for us," Smith said. "We won our last three games and we are looking to improve on that starting on next year. We want to win this game to give us a top start on next season, and give us a better feeling on how this year played out."

During this three-game winning streak, the Cardinals' offense has been one of the best in the country – averaging 46.0 points per game and over 550 yards of offense.
"We are playing at a high level right now on offense," Smith said. "It's been fun over the last couple of weeks to play the way we have, and we are hoping to continue our success this week."

With momentum on their side after dominating the last three opponents, the worst thing to happen to the Cards has been the time off between the final game and the upcoming bowl game this weekend versus Mississippi State.

"We've had a few weeks off, which has been good," Christian said. "We are getting back into the groove and have had the opportunity to go against the first team in practice. However, this time off has been good for our bodies to rest. I feel like we are closer as a team, which is only going to benefit us this weekend."

The Cardinals return to the practice field on Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m.

University of Louisville Athletics

Chilly Weather Greets the Cardinals as Bowl Practice Begins in the Sunshine State

Players Mentioned

Geron Christian

Jaylen Smith

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