Petrino: "Human" to want rematch vs. Miami

Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino said Wednesday that his players' desire for a rematch against Miami is a "human" feeling because so many Cardinals -- 33, to be exact -- are from Florida.

U of L takes on Miami in the season opener at 8 p.m. Monday on national television, and star linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin told ESPN on Tuesday that he was itching for another shot at the Hurricanes after Louisville walloped them 36-9 in last year's Russell Athletic Bowl.

"That's human," he said. "We have a lot of guys who played in that area. It's gonna be important for us to focus on the process and focus on our performance. That gives us our best chance to win the game."

Petrino spoke for about 10 minutes as part of the weekly Atlantic Coast Conference coaches teleconference, and addressed several other topics.

He repeated his thoughts on playing a conference game as a season opener, saying it's a good thing for the coaches because they don't need as much help motivating players to focus on the first game.

"I've always enjoyed opening with a game that had a lot at stake," Petrino said. "It really helps you in the offseason. It helps you with your motivation in the winter and getting up early for your workouts. It's a great opening for us. Our players are excited about it."

The game-planning process started months ago, but Petrino and his staff are in the thick of it now. The team practiced Tuesday and Wednesday and will begin its "traditional" game-week prep on Thursday.

"Last year -- that's what we're evaluating," Petrino said when asked how Louisville's scouting Miami.

"They're very, very talented on the defensive front and return a lot of starters in the secondary. They've got very, very good talent at the receiver spot and a good offensive front and one of the best running backs in the country."

Petrino also said he was excited to see starting quarterback Will Gardner play through his first game as Louisville's front man. He'll be without star receiver DeVante Parker, but a promising offseason for Gardner gives Petrino confidence in his signal caller.

'I'm looking forward to Will getting in there and getting going," Petrino said. "From the beginning ... he's set the tone that he was the leader.

"We're fortunate that we have a lot of experience at the receiver spot. We have a lot of seniors and guys with experience who have made a lot of plays. They're a confident group. They believe in themselves. They see it as a challenge to step up and improve their game. We have to get production from a lot of different guys."