Cardinals Ready to Hit the Field After Off Week
October 24, 2018 | Football
The Cardinals host Wake Forest on Saturday at 12 p.m.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The open week came at a good time for the University of Louisville football team.
The Cardinals return home looking for their first Atlantic Coast Conference win Saturday when Wake Forest visits Cardinal Stadium for a noon kickoff.
"I think the bye week came at a good time," running back Trey Smith said after Tuesday's practice. "We had some players who were banged up and were able to heal up. It gave the younger players an opportunity to get better in practice, and experience new things."
The week off came after a 38-20 loss to Boston College on Oct. 13, the fourth-straight loss for the Cardinals, who are still searching for their first league win.
"We are hungry for win," senior wide receiver Jaylen Smith said. "We haven't tasted victory in a long time and it's why we feel like we put in all the work in. We practice hard and it's not translated on Saturdays, but if we do everything right it could happen this weekend – and that would be huge."
After having won at least eight games over the last six seasons, the Cardinals are facing adversity for the first time in many seasons, but the Cardinals have stayed together and feel like they can turn this around in the five remaining games.
"We're preaching positivity," Jaylen Smith said. "We had a meeting and drew a line in the sand. Once you step across the line there is no looking back. The only thing we can control is takes place over these next few weeks, and everything that has happened has happened."
One of those weeks that Smith was referring to starts this weekend versus Wake Forest, a team also looking for its first win. The Demon Deacons enter the game
"I've seen gaps in their defense. Everyone has gaps in their defense," Jaylen Smith said. "From the No. 1 team to the worst team, everyone has gaps that we can exploit, but it's up to us as an offense to find them."
The open week allows teams to take the opportunity to focus on themselves and go back to the basics on the practice field, which is what the Cardinals were able to do last week.
"It was good to step back and re-group," Jaylen Smith said. "We had a different week of practice, going 1s versus 1s. We did more mental preparation for this week. It was good to get extra competition in. It was fun and very light-hearted. It was good to take a load off."
After not playing since Oct. 13, the Cardinals are excited to get back on the field, and are looking forward to facing the challenge of the Wake Forest defense, which presents a new challenge.
"They do a lot of movement up front," running back coach Kolby Smith said. "We have to do a great job of handling their line games and picking up their pressures. Basically, we just have to execute and do what we are coached to do."
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The Cardinals return home looking for their first Atlantic Coast Conference win Saturday when Wake Forest visits Cardinal Stadium for a noon kickoff.
"I think the bye week came at a good time," running back Trey Smith said after Tuesday's practice. "We had some players who were banged up and were able to heal up. It gave the younger players an opportunity to get better in practice, and experience new things."
The week off came after a 38-20 loss to Boston College on Oct. 13, the fourth-straight loss for the Cardinals, who are still searching for their first league win.
"We are hungry for win," senior wide receiver Jaylen Smith said. "We haven't tasted victory in a long time and it's why we feel like we put in all the work in. We practice hard and it's not translated on Saturdays, but if we do everything right it could happen this weekend – and that would be huge."
After having won at least eight games over the last six seasons, the Cardinals are facing adversity for the first time in many seasons, but the Cardinals have stayed together and feel like they can turn this around in the five remaining games.
"We're preaching positivity," Jaylen Smith said. "We had a meeting and drew a line in the sand. Once you step across the line there is no looking back. The only thing we can control is takes place over these next few weeks, and everything that has happened has happened."
One of those weeks that Smith was referring to starts this weekend versus Wake Forest, a team also looking for its first win. The Demon Deacons enter the game
"I've seen gaps in their defense. Everyone has gaps in their defense," Jaylen Smith said. "From the No. 1 team to the worst team, everyone has gaps that we can exploit, but it's up to us as an offense to find them."
The open week allows teams to take the opportunity to focus on themselves and go back to the basics on the practice field, which is what the Cardinals were able to do last week.
"It was good to step back and re-group," Jaylen Smith said. "We had a different week of practice, going 1s versus 1s. We did more mental preparation for this week. It was good to get extra competition in. It was fun and very light-hearted. It was good to take a load off."
After not playing since Oct. 13, the Cardinals are excited to get back on the field, and are looking forward to facing the challenge of the Wake Forest defense, which presents a new challenge.
"They do a lot of movement up front," running back coach Kolby Smith said. "We have to do a great job of handling their line games and picking up their pressures. Basically, we just have to execute and do what we are coached to do."
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