The Samford Bulldogs of the SoCon conference in the Football Championship Subdivision come to Louisville for a matchup against the Cardinals this Saturday, Sept. 26.

The Cardinals are coming off another demoralizing loss against the Clemson Tigers last Thursday and have started the season off with three losses. “We have lost some really close games,” Head Coach Bobby Petrino said. “We have had our opportunities.”

This game is obviously a must-win for Petrino and his struggling Cardinals, and this game offers a good opportunity to work out the flaws against a lower division foe in the Bulldogs.

Samford is led by first-year Head Coach Chris Hatcher, who is familiar with Louisville after holding the head coaching position at Murray State from 2010 to 2014.

The Bulldogs have historically competed well in the FCS division, making the playoffs last in 2013 and producing alumni such as Cortland Finnegan, former Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden and a 2015 49ers second-round pick safety Jaquiski Tartt, who is the highest selected player in Samford Football history.

Samford has started out the season well with a record of 2-1. Chris Hatcher’s Bulldogs return seven starters on both offense and defense, including Arizona State transfer quarterback Michael Eubank, first team all SoCon running back Denzel Williams and first team all conference wide receiver Karel Hamilton.

In his first year with the program, Hatcher has high expectations for his team this season with his returning starters. Quarterback Michael Eubank has performed well this season, throwing for 372 yards and four touchdowns in a win over Central Arkansas, and completing 24 of 32 passes for 280 yards against Florida A&M.

The Bulldogs defense has shown some flaws in defending the run game, however, allowing 146 yards and 166 yards for the tailbacks from Florida A&M and tenth-ranked Chattanooga, respectively. Even though Samford is an FCS team who Louisville pays for a tune up game, the Bulldogs will bring their A-game and try to upset a struggling Cardinals team.

This game is a must-win for the Cardinals, and all eyes are on Petrino’s team to get the job done against an FCS opponent. “We have got a lot of work to do to get this turned around,” Petrino said.

The matchup is at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26th at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.