MUSIC CITY BOWL

Petrino unsure who will be bowl QB

Steve Jones
@stevejones_cj

University of Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino said Wednesday that he expects injured freshman quarterback Reggie Bonnafon to be ready to play in time for the Cardinals' Dec. 30 appearance in the Belk Bowl, but Petrino is not sure who U of L's starting QB will be for the game against Georgia.

Bonnafon left the regular-season finale against Kentucky with a knee injury, and backup Kyle Bolin came on to throw for 381 yards and three touchdown in guiding the Cards to a 44-40 victory.

Afterward, Bonnafon's knee was found to have no structural damage.

On Wednesday, after a news conference in Charlotte, N.C., to promote the Belk Bowl, Petrino said in an interview with the ACC Digital Network that "we're not sure yet" who will start against Georgia.

"Trainers and doctors tell me that Reggie Bonnafon should be healthy and ready to go by game time," the coach said.

Petrino reaffirmed that the Cards' other part-time starter, Will Gardner, will definitely be unavailable after a season-ending knee injury suffered a month ago against Boston College.

During the news conference with almost entirely Charlotte media, Petrino needed a long time to recount the Cards' tough injury luck this season - how they started the year without top offensive weapons DeVante Parker and Michael Dyer, then lost Gardner for a time, then got Parker and Dyer back but lost Gardner again, then lost Bonnafon after he proved to be a winning option.

"So it was a very different year, I guess you would say, with all the transitions going on during the season," Petrino said. "Most of the time you get to find your identity and know who you are early in the season and get to try to build on it. So it was very unique."

Petrino told ACC Digital Network that the No. 21 Cardinals are excited to matched up with the No. 13 Bulldogs.

"They were really fired up, first and foremost, to come back to the Belk Bowl," Petrino said. "We have a number of guys on our team who had a great experience here (in 2011), and then when we found out who our opponent would be – a great football team with a great tradition like Georgia – our players are extremely excited about it."

A key to Louisville's success has been the play of safety Gerod Holliman, who set a national record with 14 interceptions this season and was named the winner this week of the Jack Tatum Award as the country's best defensive back.

"The key is his preparation," Petrino told ACC Digital Network. "He really understands the game of football, he studies extremely hard, and then what he does when he gets on the field is he trusts what he studied. He doesn't hesitate, he breaks on the ball. He has great hands, so he's been able to come up with an amazing number of interceptions."

Parker's return, meanwhile, sparked U of L's late-season success on offense. Petrino called him "as talented a receiver as I've been around," praising his size, speed, leaping ability and hands.

"I don't think there's any doubt you'll see him playing on Sundays, and besides that, he's a tremendous young man," the coach said. "We really missed him early with his playmaking ability. He opens up other receivers on our team, opens up the run game, and is a really hard matchup."