By Charles L. Westmoreland
JACKSONVILLE, Fla – University of Louisville football Head Coach Bobby Petrino and senior team captains previewed their impeding face-off against No.-12 ranked Virginia Tech in tomorrow’s Toyota Gator Bowl at Alltel Stadium. Elvis Dumervil, Travis Leffew, Joshua Tinch, Jason Spitz and Brandon Johnson joined Petrino for the press conference held downtown at the Hyatt Regency hotel today at 2:30 p.m.
This is Louisville’s (9-2) first January bowl appearance since defeating Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl in 1991.
The subject of the day was if Louisville’s high-scoring offense could overcome the Hokies’ defense without its starting quarterback Brian Brohm, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in late November. Virginia Tech (10-2) is hailed for having one of the most aggressive defenses in college football, giving up only 12 points and 239.7 yards per game.
Petrino expressed confidence in backup quarterback Hunter Cantwell’s ability to lead the team on the field. He said protecting Cantwell will be a priority and praised the red shirt freshman for his performance against the University of Connecticut.
“I imagine (Cantwell) will get hit a few times,” he said. “He’s not going to move a lot. He’s got to get the ball out, and that’s what he does best – the quickness of his release and his accuracy of throwing the ball.”
Cantwell has completed 67 percent of his passes (24 of 36), throwing for 424 yards and two touchdowns.
Even with Brohm, this year’s Big East Offensive Player of the Year, looking on from the sidelines, VT Head Coach Frank Beamer still has a lot of respect for what the Cardinal offense is capable of.
“I think (Michael) Bush being back to full speed helps, and you have to rely on that,” he said. “I think they have a very confident quarterback.”
Petrino said both Bush and fellow running back Kolby Smith are healthy and ready to be the staple of the Card’s offensive assault. The Cards kept passing to a minimum against UConn, relying heavily on the running game to score points.
VT, on the other hand, has a duel threat in junior quarterback Marcus Vick. Vick has thrown for 2,190 yards and 15 touchdowns while scrambling for 370 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.
“The name speaks for itself,” said Louisville senior defensive end Elvis Dumervil, referring to the successes of both Marcus Vick at VT and Vicks’ older brother Michael who plays quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons.
Kickoff for the U of L-VT is slated for 12:30 p.m. and will be aired on NBC.
