Countdown to Kickoff
August 31, 2018 | Football
The Cardinals and Crimson Tide kick off on Saturday at 8 p.m.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville begins its 100th season of football in primetime on Saturday, when it squares off against defending College Football Playoff national champion Alabama in Camping World Stadium at 8 p.m.
It's been 27 years since the teams last played, and the Cardinals defeated the Crimson Tide 34-7 in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 1991, in Tempe, Ariz. It was the only neutral-site meeting. Alabama, which won the first two games in the series, both in Tuscaloosa.
This marks the second time in four years the Cardinals open the year with a Southeastern Conference opponent, dropping a 31-24 decision to Auburn in 2015 in Georgia.
ABC (Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Maria Taylor) will televise the game nationally, while Louisville Sports Properties radio coverage begins at 6:30 p.m., featuring Paul Rogers, Alex Kupper, and Jody Demling.
Now that you have the details, it's time to start the Countdown to Kickoff:
10 – Head coach Bobby Petrino is TENTH on the NCAA's list of active coaches by career winning percentage, with a minimum of five years as an FBS coach. Petrino is 117-48 in 13 collegiate seasons for a 70.9 percent clip.
9 – Louisville features NINE players on its roster from the state of Alabama (Toryque Bateman, P.J. Blue, Amonte Caban, Malik Cunningham, Allen Love, Dee Smith, Kenny Thomas, Caleb Tillman, Boosie Whitlow).
8 – Jaylen Smith needs two receiving touchdowns to move into a tie for EIGHTH on the school's career list. The senior wide receiver, who has caught 14 scores, ties Harry Douglas (2004-07) and Ronnie Ghent (2000-03) for ninth with one touchdown catch and matches Mario Urrutia (2005-07) with his second scoring catch.
7 – Louisville returns SEVEN starters on offense from last year's team that scored more than 30 points on 10 occasions.
6 – The Cardinals are coming off their SIXTH season under coach Bobby Petrino of finishing in the top 10 in total offense. Louisville averaged 544.9 yards last season, good enough for third in the country, and 38.1 points for 11th.
5 – Blanton Creque is climbing Louisville's school record book in all kicking categories, and he needs just three field goals to move into FIFTH on the school's career chart. The redshirt junior has connected on 33 in his career.
4 – Louisville is playing the No. 1-ranked team in the Associated Press poll for the FOURTH time in program history. The Cardinals currently are 0-3 in those games, last falling to top-ranked Penn State 57-21 on Sept. 20, 1997.
3 – THREE all-conference selections return from last year's roster in Jaylen Smith, Dez Fitzpatrick, and Blanton Creque. Smith earned first-team honors, while Fitzpatrick and Creque secured honorable mention accolades.
2 – Dorian Etheridge is looking to lead the defense in tackles for the SECOND season in a row. The linebacker became the first freshman in program history to pace the team in tackles, when he totaled 83 last season.
1 – Quarterback Jawon Pass is making his FIRST career start under center on Saturday. The redshirt sophomore played in five games last year, throwing for 238 yards and two touchdowns.
Enjoy the game and return to GoCards.com afterward for complete postgame coverage.
