U of L's Johnson looking for big senior year

Andrew Johnson's best known in Louisville for 82 yards and a pocket full of kisses.

The University of Louisville cornerback, then a freshman in 2011, scooped up a blocked field goal against nationally ranked West Virginia and dashed almost the full length of the field for a touchdown.

As the Miami native crossed the goal line, he blew kisses at the WVU cheerleaders behind the end zone.

Three years later, the U of L senior is hoping to finish his college football career on a similarly sweet note. The 5-foot-9, 184-pound Johnson has moved back into the starting defense, and his role opposite star cornerback Charles Gaines could prove pivotal over Louisville's 2014 campaign.

"Andrew's done a nice job," U of L head coach Bobby Petrino said. "He's very experienced. He has a lot of knowledge of the game and understanding the receiver position. He's a good tackler. That's the No. 1 thing that's impressed me this fall."

The starting gig is nothing new to Johnson. He started nine games his freshman year and six as a sophomore, collecting 51 tackles, six pass breakups and an interception over the two seasons in addition to his blocked field-goal return at WVU.

But last year was a tougher time for the former three-star prospect from Miami's Southridge High School. He struggled through nine games and missed the end of the season with an unspecified leg injury.

"Every day now I feel good — I haven't had any setbacks," Johnson said. "I'm in the training room every day, stretching more and doing the things I wasn't doing my first three years here."

The move of fellow senior Terell Floyd to safety from cornerback, where he started 26 games, reopened Johnson's shot at returning to the starting lineup.

"They said I'd have the opportunity to start and give the team a plus at cornerback," Johnson explained. "They said I had to step up and work harder."

So here he is, listed on the pregame depth chart as a starting cornerback a few days before Monday's season opener against Miami, Johnson's hometown university growing up.

That game's on national television, an 8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN.

Gaines is the star of the secondary, a still-learning-but-talented cornerback who led the team in interceptions and pass breakups last fall.

He'll be responsible for Miami's top receiver, sophomore Stacy Coley, and Johnson will get the next Hurricanes receiver.

If Miami freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya avoids Gaines, the onus is on Johnson to do his job on the other side of the field.

Johnson's teammates vouched for him time and again since the start of preseason camp, which is when he moved into the first-team defense.

"Andrew Johnson looks excellent," Floyd said. "We have two great cornerbacks every down."

West Virginia's not on the schedule this fall, and Charlie Strong's not coaching at Louisville anymore. There's no Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback.

In fact, a lot's changed since Johnson took that blocked field goal to the house three years ago and sent kisses to those WVU cheerleaders.

But Johnson's dead set on making 2014 a sweet departure after a tough junior year, and he's doing it through a simplified routine.

"I challenged myself every day to minimize my mistakes and stay consistent," he said. "Every day has room for improvement. I just focus on that."

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