Petrino: BC game should reveal UofL's character

The University of Louisville football team's postgame interviews on Thursday night, minutes after a back-and-forth 42-31 loss to Florida State, felt like one collective hat tip to the reigning champions.

In many ways, there was nothing else Louisville could do. The Cardinals led by three touchdowns, put consistent pressure on Heisman Trophy quarterback Jameis Winston and moved the ball on offense — yet FSU still rallied back and won.

After a three-day weekend to think about it, Louisville coach Bobby Petrino spelled out why this week, as his team prepares to play at Boston College on Saturday night, is an important one for the Cards.

It'll tell him a lot about his team learned.

"I think this is the week that we find that out," he said. "You're always concerned as a coach after a game that you put so much into, and you're in it, you're competing hard, you're playing well and you don't come out on the right end.

"I think this is the week that we find out who the real leaders are. It reveals our character as a team."

Louisville (6-3, 4-3 in the ACC) is still in prime position for a respectable bowl game, especially if FSU and Clemson win out.

If FSU finishes undefeated and presumably wins the ACC title game, the Seminoles would likely advance to the College Football Playoff. That would leave Clemson as the next likely ACC team to play in the Orange Bowl, and then BC, Duke, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Miami would fight for the next best games.

ESPN's bowl projections put Louisville in either the TaxSlayer Bowl against No. 14 LSU or the Sun Bowl against Washington.

Beating BC, a 6-3 team with the nation's leading rushing quarterback in Tyler Murphy, would only help Louisville's chances for a better bowl game. But right now, it's all about psychology for Petrino and his staff.

"I think it's a great challenge for us," Petrino said. "Obviously it was a very disappointing loss against Florida State — one that we invested a lot in. The great challenge for us is to come back and practice well each day, and really get our focus and energy ready to go into another battle on Saturday night."

U of L won't have key reserve defensive lineman Pio Vatuvei for Saturday's game due to an unspecified elbow injury, and Petrino didn't sound hopeful that Vatuvei would be ready for the game against Notre Dame in three weeks.

Senior running back Dominique Brown hasn't had a carry in two games as an ankle injury continues nagging him. Star linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin needed pre-half treatment on a sore hamstring.

Receiver DeVante Parker, even with his 346 receiving yards in his first two games this year, admitted on Thursday that he still isn't quite 100 percent. If he was, Parker explained, he would have scored on the first play of the FSU game instead of wowing the crowd with a 71-yard reception.

"You can see him do that in practice sometimes where he really shows bursts and then pulls off a little bit the further he gets down the field," Petrino said. "I'm sure he doesn't feel like he is exactly where he would want to be."

The extra two days to rest and recover after the FSU game could prove pivotal for a Louisville team trying to pick itself back up.

BC is a "big and physical" team, Petrino said, adding that the Eagles present a different style of play than what Louisville's seen this season.

And with a bye week following Saturday's matchup in Boston, this Saturday offers a significant get-through-it game for Louisville.

It'll tell Petrino a lot about his team.

"I think we're going to be OK," he said. "I think our guys will get back on the practice field and get our confidence back and go in and play real hard."

Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).