Louisville's spring game to have regular-season feel

Friday night's Red-White exhibition for the University of Louisville football team is intended to provide players with a real-game routine, new coach Bobby Petrino said during Thursday's news conference to wrap up spring practice.

The 7:30 game at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium will feature a regular game clock for at least the first half, and the first-team offense and defense will take on the second units.

Petrino said the Cardinals will have pregame meals and use the locker rooms as if preparing for a regular game.

After tonight's event, which many of U of L's 2014 signees are expected to attend, the coaches will start preparing for the season opener against Miami and begin the spring recruiting cycle in earnest, Petrino said.

Here's a look at how things stand at the moment.

Quarterbacks

Redshirt freshman Will Gardner is the starter out of spring camp. He led the first-team offense for most of practice and will be the No. 1 signal-caller tonight.

The real competition, Petrino said, is for the backup spot. Freshman Kyle Bolin and junior Brett Nelson are in a battle for that position.

"There's been great competition there," Petrino said. "We'll figure it out sometime (before tonight)."

Areas of strength

Petrino highlighted several areas that have impressed him. The swath of returning talent from teams that went 23-3 over the past two seasons showed this spring, he said.

The wide receiving corps, led by star DeVante Parker, looked good to Petrino, as did the front seven on defense. The offensive line returns three starters, and the running backs have a mix of experience and youth.

Dominique Brown, the starting running back over the second half of last season, is in line for 20-25 touches per game this fall, Petrino said.

Freshman L.J. Scott, an early enrollee, stood out this spring and could be up for the No. 2 spot. Injuries delayed the returns of Michael Dyer and Corvin Lamb, but both made progress, Petrino said.

At tight end, Gerald Christian excited the coach, who said he's "really happy and impressed with how he works."

Petrino said that linebacker Trevon Young, a junior-college transfer, stood out along with fellow linebackers Keith Kelsey and James Burgess. Veteran starting cornerbacks Charles Gaines and Terell Floyd impressed him as well — even going against the Cardinals' top-quality receivers.

"They're tired of hearing how good the receiving corps is," Petrino said.

The coaches are excited for the return of linebacker Keith Brown, who missed last season and spring practice while recovering from a knee injury. Lorenzo Mauldin, who is moving from defensive end to linebacker, also sat out spring drills after shoulder surgery.

"It's like getting two new signees in," Petrino said.

Areas of concern

Petrino said he left some scholarships open after signing day in hopes of filling those slots once the coaching staff evaluated areas of need.

The secondary is U of L's top weakness, especially with likely starting safety Jermaine Reve expected to be "out for some time" with a knee injury.

Petrino's comments on that area hinted at the news late Wednesday that the Cards might add former Georgia safety Josh Harvey-Clemons. He's expected to transfer to U of L, though nothing was confirmed as of Thursday afternoon.