CARDINALS

UofL's Gardner back at practice in limited role

By Jeff Greerjgreer@courier-journal.comThe Courier-Journal
UofL quarterback Will Gardner prepares to throw during a team scrimmage at Papa John's Cardinal stadium.
09 August 2014

University of Louisville starting quarterback Will Gardner emerged from Monday's practice in pads, wearing a full-leg sleeve and a brace over his injured left knee.

It was his first time back at practice since a low hit from a Florida International defender two Saturdays ago knocked him out of U of L's win at FIU. The unspecified knee ailment kept him out of practices last week and Saturday's 20-10 win over Wake Forest.

Gardner, a 6-foot-5 redshirt sophomore who started Louisville's first four games, did not practice in full-team drills on Monday, but he did do individual work with coaches and trainers.

He had post-practice treatment scheduled for Monday night and a doctor's evaluation on Tuesday morning. It's still too early to say if Gardner will suit up for Louisville's 7 p.m. Friday game at Syracuse, or if U of L will again start freshman quarterback Reggie Bonnafon.

"We have to see how the knee responds to that (individual work)," Petrino said. "I'm unsure right now what his status will be."

Bonnafon, who made his first career start in the Wake Forest game, took snaps with the first-team offense on Monday.

He had his ups and downs against Wake Forest. The Louisville native completed 16 of 32 passes for 206 yards and ran 10 times for 71 yards.

He was also involved with three lost fumbles and was sacked four times for a loss of 25 yards. Wake Forest just missed on at least two interceptions.

But Bonnafon's teammates and coaches were happy with his performance, acknowledging his mistakes but again praising his maturity and poise.

The 6-foot-3 Trinity High grad had returned to practice two Sundays ago after missing a week to grieve with his family after his father's unexpected death.

"I believe he handled it pretty well," senior receiver Eli Rogers said. "He'll do a lot better this week."

For now, the situation feels a lot like early last week, when Louisville was still in a holding pattern with Gardner.

With Gardner only participating in individual drills on Monday and missing the team prep, plus parsing Petrino's answers, the odds still seem to point to Bonnafon as the main quarterback on Friday.

But Petrino seemed more optimistic about Gardner than he was last week.

"We'll know a little bit more (Tuesday)," Petrino said. "He would need to get some work to be able to get in and play. Whether that's in an emergency role or if he's on the sideline, I'm not really sure.

"I was encouraged that he was out there today and that he was throwing the ball."

Either way, Louisville can practice this week with more confidence knowing that Bonnafon can handle the starting duties if needed.

"He did show his competitive spirit and I really liked his poise," Petrino said. "He did a really nice job. He showed a lot of maturity."

Brown's turnovers

Several fans wondered after Saturday's game why primary running back Dominique Brown only got three carries against Wake Forest.

After two fumbled exchanges – one charged to Brown, one charged to Bonnafon – Petrino had seen enough.

"He put the ball on the ground twice," Petrino said of Brown. "We had to make a substitution when that happened and go with the next guy."

The next guy was Brandon Radcliff, who ran 17 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns.

"He was the fastest guy on the field the other day for us," Petrino said. "He gave us all energy. That was the biggest thing."

Tracking Teddy

Rogers watched his close friend and former teammate Teddy Bridgewater make his first NFL start on Sunday, cheering on the former U of L quarterback from his room.

Rogers, a Miami native like Bridgewater, exchanged text messages with the Minnesota Vikinigs rookie after the game, in which Bridgewater threw for 317 yards and ran for a touchdown.

"I can tell he's really comfortable," Rogers said. "He's having fun."

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