Football Ready to Turn the Page to NC State
November 12, 2018 | Football
The Cardinals will host the Wolfpack on Saturday at 12:20 p.m.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville football team is ready to turn the page.
After a tumultuous 24 hours, the Cardinals, who are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, are ready to close the season on a positive note, starting this Saturday at 12:20 p.m. against NC State.
"I think the bottom line is everything that we do has to be about this team," interim head coach Lorenzo Ward said at his first news conference. "The seniors and the young men that are in this program, we're going through tough times. They're used to winning. We're not. And the thing that we want to do is try to make these next two weeks as fun as we can possibly make them."
Ward, who is in his second season with the Cardinals, brings a calming influence to the team and a lot of respect from the players, especially from senior safety Dee Smith, one of the team's top veterans.
"Yeah, I like Ward a lot," Smith said. "He's my position coach, so I get to talk to him a lot more probably than the other players. I think he's going be a really good head coach for these next two weeks."
"Mainly, he's just got a positive attitude all the time. He knows how to make people laugh and take the tension off things. When you're in a bad mood, go to him. Coach Whammy's always going to make you feel happy, going to do something silly, or some type of joke, just make you feel like a good person."
Defensive tackle G.G. Robinson also liked the selection of Ward to lead the team in the final two games of the season.
"I like Coach Ward because he's on the defensive side of the ball, so I always deal with Coach him, but I like him," Robinson said. "He always has a positive attitude like Dee said. He will get on you and tear you down, but one thing about him is he will always bring you back up afterwards and that's one thing I like about him."
With two games remaining, the Cardinals are wanting to go 2-0 to send the seniors out on a positive note and build toward 2019.
At 2-8 and 0-7, there isn't much for the Cardinals to play for at this point of the season, except for the people in the locker room.
"We are playing for each other," Smith said. "We still like each other. At the end of the day, we're all a team, and nobody likes losing. So, we're going to go out there and keep trying to win. That's all we've got right now."
The Cardinals return to the field this weekend to face another talented team in NC State, which is 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the ACC after a last second loss to Wake Forest last weekend.
Quarterback Ryan Finley is one of the top NFL prospects, throwing for 2,864 yards and 17 touchdowns this year, while Kelvin Harmon has caught 65 passes for 965 yards and five scores.
"They are a very good program," Ward said. "Coach (Dave) Doeren has done a good job there. Offensively, I've looked at them the most. The quarterback (Ryan) Finley, makes them tick. He's a really, really good quarterback."
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After a tumultuous 24 hours, the Cardinals, who are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, are ready to close the season on a positive note, starting this Saturday at 12:20 p.m. against NC State.
"I think the bottom line is everything that we do has to be about this team," interim head coach Lorenzo Ward said at his first news conference. "The seniors and the young men that are in this program, we're going through tough times. They're used to winning. We're not. And the thing that we want to do is try to make these next two weeks as fun as we can possibly make them."
Ward, who is in his second season with the Cardinals, brings a calming influence to the team and a lot of respect from the players, especially from senior safety Dee Smith, one of the team's top veterans.
"Yeah, I like Ward a lot," Smith said. "He's my position coach, so I get to talk to him a lot more probably than the other players. I think he's going be a really good head coach for these next two weeks."
"Mainly, he's just got a positive attitude all the time. He knows how to make people laugh and take the tension off things. When you're in a bad mood, go to him. Coach Whammy's always going to make you feel happy, going to do something silly, or some type of joke, just make you feel like a good person."
Defensive tackle G.G. Robinson also liked the selection of Ward to lead the team in the final two games of the season.
"I like Coach Ward because he's on the defensive side of the ball, so I always deal with Coach him, but I like him," Robinson said. "He always has a positive attitude like Dee said. He will get on you and tear you down, but one thing about him is he will always bring you back up afterwards and that's one thing I like about him."
With two games remaining, the Cardinals are wanting to go 2-0 to send the seniors out on a positive note and build toward 2019.
At 2-8 and 0-7, there isn't much for the Cardinals to play for at this point of the season, except for the people in the locker room.
"We are playing for each other," Smith said. "We still like each other. At the end of the day, we're all a team, and nobody likes losing. So, we're going to go out there and keep trying to win. That's all we've got right now."
The Cardinals return to the field this weekend to face another talented team in NC State, which is 6-3 overall and 3-3 in the ACC after a last second loss to Wake Forest last weekend.
Quarterback Ryan Finley is one of the top NFL prospects, throwing for 2,864 yards and 17 touchdowns this year, while Kelvin Harmon has caught 65 passes for 965 yards and five scores.
"They are a very good program," Ward said. "Coach (Dave) Doeren has done a good job there. Offensively, I've looked at them the most. The quarterback (Ryan) Finley, makes them tick. He's a really, really good quarterback."
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