U of L QB Gardner out for year with knee injury
The initial feeling about University of Louisville quarterback Will Gardner's knee injury in Saturday's win at Boston College gave no indication that Tuesday's news would come.
Louisville coach Bobby Petrino thought Gardner could have played in the second half if needed but that the redshirt sophomore's knee was stiff.
On Tuesday, U of L announced why. Gardner will miss the remainder of the season with an injury to the ACL in his left knee that requires surgery. The school said Gardner, a Georgia native, will have surgery in the coming weeks, though a date has not yet been set.
"It is really unfortunate and disappointing for Will because of how hard he has worked and how respected he is in the locker room," Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said in the school's statement.
"Will will continue to be an integral part of our program moving forward because of his leadership he has displayed and the respect he has in the locker room."
Gardner hurt his knee earlier this season in Louisville's 34-3 win at FIU and missed the Cards' 20-10 win over Wake Forest the following week. Petrino said the quarterback, who was the team's penciled-in starter by late January, was healthy enough to play on Oct. 3 at Syracuse, but the Cards' coaching staff started freshman Reggie Bonnafon instead.
The week after that, in Louisville's 23-17 loss at Clemson, Gardner returned in a relief role and won back the starting job. He played well in Louisville's loss to FSU and helped the Cards beat NC State and Boston College.
Gardner finished the season with a 57.5 percent completion rate. He had 1,669 passing yards and 12 touchdown passes against three interceptions. He stands as the ACC's fourth-highest-rated passer this season.
"I would like to thank everyone that has reached out to me," Gardner said in a message to fans on his Twitter page. "It really means a lot and God has a plan for everything."
With Gardner out, Louisville hands the starting reins back to Bonnafon, who was 4 of 5 passing for 69 yards and two touchdowns. Bonnafon, a Trinity High grad, is best known for his scrambling and running ability. He ran for 76 yards and a touchdown in his relief of Gardner at BC.
The news comes as a major blow to Gardner, who has had two other seasons over his career derailed by knee injuries.
He tore his ACL early in his senior campaign at Coffee County (Ga.) High, and suffered the same injury a year later as a freshman at U of L. He wore a brace over his left knee all season.
On Saturday, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Gardner stepped up in the pocket and tried to throw downfield to his right. The pass was batted down at the line of scrimmage, but attention reverted back to Gardner, who planted funny in the turf and immediately started limping.
He did not return to the game, though he participated in halftime warmups.
Louisville (7-3) has the weekend off before preparation begins for the Cardinals' Nov. 22 road trip to Notre Dame. U of L finishes the season on Nov. 29 at home against archrival Kentucky.
Reach U of L beat writer Jeff Greer at (502) 582-4044 and follow him on Twitter (@jeffgreer_cj).