CARDINALS

U of L ready for historic Notre Dame trip

Jeff Greer
@jeffgreer_cj
The Cardinals will rely on freshman quarterback Reggie Bonnafon for the rest of the season after Will Gardner went out with a knee injury against Boston College. Here he throws during the second half against the Eagles on Nov. 8.

Reggie Bonnafon tries to keep a one-track mind during football games, but the University of Louisville quarterback admitted that Saturday might present a rather difficult distraction for the freshman.

The Trinity High graduate, wearing the colors of his hometown college football team, will be the starting U of L signal caller when the Cardinals take on Notre Dame for the first time in program history.

The teams kick off at 3:30 p.m., and NBC will carry the national broadcast of the game from Notre Dame Stadium, perhaps college football's most hallowed theater.

"It's going to be a little weird for me," said Bonnafon, a freshman. "I try not to think about things like that, but sometimes it doesn't even hit me that I'm actually the quarterback at Louisville."

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Notre Dame's affiliation with the Atlantic Coast Conference led to this game, which has somehow never happened despite 223 combined football seasons between the programs. The Cardinals will be the 143rd different opponent for Notre Dame and the 72nd to make their Irish debut in Notre Dame Stadium.

Sometimes events don't feel historic until they've happened, but U of L's coaches and players understood all week the significance of Saturday's game. Like Louisville's ACC debut or its games against Florida State and at Clemson, the road trip to Notre Dame is part of the new reality for U of L football.

What's more, the Cards will share the field with one of college football's most storied programs, one that has a strong following in just about every city in America.

Story continues after the gallery.

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"Being here in Louisville, with the Catholic community we have, and (Louisville native) Paul Hornung and all the ties that the city of Louisville has to Notre Dame, I think that's significant," U of L coach Bobby Petrino said.

Both Bonnafon and Petrino talked about the lore that comes with the Irish, with Bonnafon calling "Rudy," the best-known depiction of Notre Dame football in American culture, a "great movie."

Petrino, 53, spoke at length on Monday about waking up on Sunday mornings and listening to replays of NBC's Lindsey Nelson calling Notre Dame football games. His grandparents liked the Irish, Petrino said, so it was only natural for him to root against them as a kid.

"It's cool that we'll play there and coach there," he said.

That's what makes Saturday so important for Louisville's football program, just like those games against Miami, Clemson and FSU earlier this season.

A win on that stage, against that opponent and on national television would be a big deal. Not sure how else it can be said.

"It (would be) fun to go on the road, at a very prominent program, and get a win," Petrino said. "I think that is very positive for your program."

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For Bonnafon, no matter the opponent, Saturday also represents a big moment in his young career. With starting quarterback Will Gardner out for the remainder of the season, U of L has called on the freshman to take the reins for the final three games.

The 6-foot-3 QB started three games earlier this season after Gardner tweaked his knee in late September. The results were mixed, with Bonnafon throwing for 442 yards and a touchdown but also tossing an interception and fumbling four times. Louisville beat Wake Forest and Syracuse but lost to Clemson with Bonnafon under center.

Gardner came back for the second half of the Clemson game and held the job until his first-half injury at Boston College two weeks ago. In Bonnafon's relief appearance, it was immediately clear that the trials and tribulations from a month ago had seasoned the freshman.

"It was just looking at the mistakes and trying to correct them," he said. "For some people, it's a lot easier to come back and have a good game because they're coachable and they can learn from the mistakes they made."

Now Louisville needs that confidence and efficiency in its historic matchup at Notre Dame. Bonnafon might need a second to pinch himself. Then he'll snap back to the one-track mind.

"It's going to be an amazing," he said. "Growing up as a kid, I never thought I'd be playing at Notre Dame Stadium."

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